EAA Reservoir
UPDATE: In our Aug. 28 newsletter we noted that while the Southland Water Resource Project (the EAA rock mine) faces a legal challenge over its FDEP permit, the “water resources” aspect of the project hasn’t even begun the South Florida Water…
The Florida DEP planned to issue an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) for the first phase of the Southland Water Resource Project project this week; but on Monday the Everglades Law Center filed a legal challenge to halt the project, acting…
Barring some legal challenge, the Florida DEP (“Don’t Expect Protection”) is scheduled to issue its permit for Phase 1 of the Southland rock mine project on Aug. 11 — and the one person who can stop it, Gov. Ron DeSantis,…
The Southland rock mine proposal, on 8,600 acres of Palm Beach County farmland owned by US Sugar and Okeelanta Corp. (Florida Crystals), has been sailing through the county and state approval process. But at the South Florida Water Management District…
Even as opponents of the Southland rock mine (including VoteWater’s Gil Smart, above) were gathered in Belle Glade last Thursday to speak out on the proposal, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a “Notice of Intent” to issue the…
Last week Palm Beach County Commissioners voted to approve the rezoning request for the Southland rock mine on 8,600 acres in the Everglades Agricultural Area owned by U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals. VoteWater’s Gil Smart (above) was one of more…
Below is the text of VoteWater Executive Director Gil Smart’s comments during the May 22 Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners meeting, where commissioners approved the Southland rock mine rezoning request. Smart will also speak against the rock mine…
Dear Gov. DeSantis: You’ve been called “America’s Everglades Governor.” Since you took office in 2019, Florida has allocated record funding for Everglades restoration projects. This spending has helped generate significant momentum, spurring progress on key CERP components, including what you’ve…
Hey, remember that proposal to build a rock mine… er, “water resource project” — in the Everglades Agricultural Area? Sure you do. Phillips & Jordan, the prime contractor for several massive reservoir projects in the region, is pitching (unsolicited) plans…
Fast is good. But too fast can be reckless. So it was with mixed emotions that we watched Gov. Ron DeSantis’s press conference in Juno Beach last week, where he announced Florida will ask the federal government to let the…