Florida’s natural treasures at risk

Recently I was in the Keys to inspect a bird colony. How great to see so many people catching lobsters and enjoying our state’s favorite paradise.

The trip’s highlight was seeing a school of baitfish, which signal healthy water and attract gamefish and water birds. Our boat captain said fish and birds are the measure and treasure of Everglades restoration.

Last year in another part of Florida Bay, a vast seagrass meadow was wiped out by hypersaline water. There were no fish, no birds and no one fishing or birdwatching. At the very end of the River of Grass that once flowed from Kissimmee to the Keys, virtually no fresh water entered the Bay.

Florida Bay’s seagrass die-off preceded a different tragedy to the north. The St. Lucie River and estuary suffered horrible toxic algae blooms from the discharge of trillions of gallons of polluted water. Much of that water could have flowed south into the Everglades, sparing some of the damage to the Atlantic coast and benefiting the Florida Bay.

However, flow of water south to the Everglades is blocked by sugarcane production, which benefits from free government flood control and taxpayer funded irrigation. Everglades restoration depends on using some sugarcane land to store water that otherwise harms Atlantic and Gulf estuaries. Storage will allow more fresh water to be released to Florida Bay.

Recently, Florida state Sen. Joe Negron, from the heavily impacted town of Stuart, proposed buying some sugarcane land to store water to prevent future discharges of toxic algae and to benefit the Everglades and Florida Bay.

Negron is truly standing up for his constituents. He did his homework, spoke to all interest groups and concluded that storing water south of Lake Okeechobee is the best answer and that it will require the purchase of additional land.

Audubon Florida, along with the Everglades Foundation and many Florida businesses and citizens support following through on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan approved by Congress in 2000 to allow more water from Lake Okeechobee to be stored, treated and sent south, using more of the land just south of the Lake.

Why send Lake Okeechobee’s water south? That is where it originally went. While government agencies are sending some excess water south, without a major water storage feature south of the lake, the water is managed mostly to benefit sugarcane. Much of that water then ends up stacked too deep on conservation areas in Broward County, causing harm there, too.

Storing water south of Lake Okeechobee on sugarcane lands helps Florida Bay, prevents coastal algae blooms and helps restore Everglades habitats including Broward’s conservation lands.

But acquiring land as Negron proposes will need legislative approval. Funds were approved by voters in 2014. Seventy five percent voted yes for Amendment 1, which clearly authorized purchase of lands south of Lake Okeechobee for Everglades restoration. Not surprisingly, the sugar industry is mobilizing an army of lobbyists with pockets full of cash to oppose Negron’s idea.

Sugar is very profitable, so the industry is telling Negron’s colleagues that using land for restoration hurts their bottom line. What about the businesses in coastal communities that depend on clean water? What about Florida residents who fish and enjoy eating fish from Florida waters?

Between now and the next legislative session a debate will take place about buying land to send water south to benefit the Everglades and help end the discharges of water that trigger toxic algae blooms.

On one side there will be the subsidized sugar industry. On the other side are people like me who grew up swimming and fishing in Florida’s coastal waters — people like the boat captain who make their living helping others enjoy Florida’s natural treasures.

Negron took a stand. I hope you will too. Find more at fl.audubon.org.

Draper