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The Everglades

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John Booth

Published: August 6, 2008

Your editorial last week supporting the Florida's congressional delegation's concerns with Governor Crist regarding the land purchase with U.S. Sugar was inappropriate and possibly harmful to the effort to restore the Everglades.
Their concerns have nothing to do with the cost, or with the effect on the residents of Clewiston who are generally not their constituents. It has everything to do with "election year politics" and that they didn't get any credit or any positive press for putting this massive land deal together.
This purchase, if the politicians don't mess it up, which I think they will, is the single most significant environmental acquisition for this nation in recent history. For Florida it is giving back a part of the Everglades we took years ago. If our "Florida delegation" was worried about cost they would work hard to provide fFederal funding for this effort since the federal government has consistently reneged on its share of the funding commitments since the Everglades clean up began years ago.
As to the plight of Clewiston, you have failed to point out that the sugar industry in this country in general is undergoing some very tough times due do "Favored Nation" trading status and other issues. U.S. Sugar in particular is having a difficult time. It's well known that U.S. Sugar was in the market to sell land whether the state bought it or not.
You could, in fact, consider that the purchase of their land by the state with an infusion of cash and a six year lease-back provision has prolonged their stay in Clewiston rather than shortened it. For example, earlier this year, U.S. Sugar offered to sell a 1,600 acre tract of land to the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County to use as a landfill. They withdrew the offer after reaching this deal with the state. The facts are that their land was and is for sale whether the state buys it or not, it's going to be sold.
So if you lived in this area, would you rather live near a wetland used to restore the River of Grass or a landfill? In one way or the other the land will be sold. Our Delegation's score sheet in Washington by the way, with regard to funding for admittedly one of our nations last pristine and delicate coastal wetlands, is dismal at best.
John Booth
Avon Park

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