Staff Reports
The Senate Appropriations and Environmental Resources Committee approved a bill that would, among other things, set aside money to build a water storage reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.
Brewster Bevis, senior vice president of state and federal affairs for Associated Industries of Florida: “During today’s debate on Senate Bill 10, it was abundantly clear from objections raised by members that the bill remains seriously flawed. Despite the amendment to the bill, it still spends billions on a plan that is not proven to adequately address the local water quality issues in coastal communities.
It also has a negative economic impact on the communities south of Lake Okeechobee according to the bill’s own cost estimate, which says, ‘converting the agricultural land to a reservoir will have an indeterminate negative fiscal impact to the sugar mills and local farmers due to the reduction in available farmland.’
An independent analysis from the James Madison Institute confirms this showing the bill will cost Florida 4,000 jobs and $700 million. At a time when the Florida Legislature has been focused on job creation, the last thing we need is a job killer of this magnitude.
The Senate should follow the science showing storage is needed at the source of entry to the north of Lake Okeechobee before buying additional land to the south.”
Eric Eikenberg, president and CEO of the Florida Everglades Foundation: “A water crisis anywhere in Florida is a water crisis everywhere in Florida. Water problems are not exclusive to Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. We’re seeing water issues statewide from Florida Bay and Everglades all the way up to the St. John’s River and Apalachicola Bay. As this legislation continues to move, we look forward to working with Chairman Bradley, President Negron and other concerned lawmakers in both chambers to craft legislation that will ensure we protect our most vital resource – water.”
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The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee opened hearings on a 28-page draft bill on workers’s compensation reform Tuesday, as Chairman Danny Burgess urged members and interest groups to “conduct ourselves in good faith — that we not plant our flags on one side or the other and be absolutely inflexible.”
Richard Chait, chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Florida Justice Association: “We were pleased to have the opportunity to speak for those who work in the trenches of Florida’s workers’ compensation system, a role that provides a unique perspective on how the system actually operates. For too long, some special interests have embraced the tired and mistaken approach of ‘blaming the lawyers’ for the ills of the workers’ comp system, but that simplistic and misguided approach will not lead to meaningful reforms that make the system more effective for Florida’s employers and workers.
This has provided a healthy platform for ongoing discussions aimed at improving the system. We look forward to working with Chair Burgess, this committee, and House leadership to develop positive reforms which are in the best interests of Florida’s businesses and the workers they employ.”
