The South Florida Water Management District Board of Governors voted 4 to 3 yesterday to buy the US Sugar land in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).  The Board’s final approval included an amendment to the agreement with US Sugar, an “escape clause,” in the event revenue cuts make the deal impossible to afford without jeopardizing the SFWMD core mission.  The amendment allows the Governing Board, before the date of closing, to review their most current revenue streams and interest rates, and verify the SFWMD’s capacity to finance the purchase and concurrently accomplish its existing statutory mandates and legal obligations.  This was added to prevent a situation in which the SFWMD is given financing and would be held to the contract, and then discovers that its revenue stream has changed so it could no longer afford to pay back the debt and accomplish its other functions.  Given concerns for the economy and the State and District budgets, this is a responsible addition.

For decades, the missing piece of the overall puzzle to restore the Everglades, protect Lake Okeechobee, and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries has been acquiring sufficient land in the EAA for water storage, treatment and conveyance. Management of land and water in this region profoundly affects the Lake, coastal estuaries, the southern Everglades and Florida Bay, as well as the Glades Communities and the drinking water supply for millions of Floridians. The acquisition of these key lands will now provide an extraordinary opportunity to store and treat water, and reestablish an historic connection to ensure adequate water flows from the lake through the southern Everglades to Florida Bay.  We are all pleased to see this happen and applaud the Governing Board and the Governor’s vision. Here's the NY Times Story.