Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Drew WilsonOctober 30, 2017

Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that he will ask lawmakers to include $50 million to fast-track repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee in the 2018-19 state budget. In a Monday press release Scott thanked President Donald Trump for his “commitment to accelerating critical repairs” to the dike but said Trump green-lighting a […]

Associated PressOctober 19, 2017

Federal officials are conducting daily inspections of the dike that surrounds Lake Okeechobee because of its near-record water levels but say it is not in danger of failing. Almur Whiting of the Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday there has been some seepage through the Herbert Hoover Dike but it is not significant. The corps […]

Drew WilsonSeptember 15, 2017

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday that it plans to recommence discharges from Lake Okeechobee tomorrow to slough off the excess water dumped into the lake by Hurricane Irma. The Corps said it will begin pushing “as much water as practical” through the spillway at Port Mayaca Lock & Dam on the east […]

Peter SchorschMarch 27, 2017

Joe Negron’s controversial plan to reduce Lake Okeechobee discharges is not going over well with federal officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Last week, many of those involved in Everglades restoration called for Florida to stay the course on federal restoration projects; many were critical of the Senate President’s plan to build a reservoir south […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 6, 2017

A group of landowners in the Everglades Agricultural Area are telling the state officials that selling land south of lake Okeechobee do nothing to fix problems they believe are caused north of the lake. Senate President Joe Negron is pushing a Senate proposal seeks to create a $2.4-billion, 60,000-acre reservoir for Everglades water storage. If […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 23, 2016

While much has changed in Florida over the years, for environmentalists, one thing has remained somewhat constant — polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee. And when they point fingers at what is causing the recent toxic blue-green algae blooms plaguing the Treasure Coast, agriculture has reliably been held up as one of the “usual suspects.” For […]

Sally SwartzApril 26, 2015

The emails are puzzling. They are misleading. They are sneaky. The subject lines, in lower case letters, are nondescript, such as “funding” or “need this finished.” The sender – the Economic Council of Martin County – does not want to explain them. The emails do not ask readers to back what the Council website lists […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

A major debate is taking place in the Florida House and Senate over public policy regarding water and the allocation of Amendment 1 funds. Various special interests are striving to make their voice the most influential regarding these two high profile issues. At stake is finding a balance of effective policies, which will guard our […]

Guest AuthorApril 1, 2015

With the million-dollar sugar babies still running the show in the Legislature, it might seem impossible to stop the polluting discharges bombarding the coasts and sucking dry the Everglades. And yet there seems to be a sense of momentum for change in the air. More and more angry citizens are realizing that purchasing 46,000 acres […]

Tag: Lake O
Mike Johnson. Image via AP.

Scott wants $50M to speed up Lake O dike repairs

Feds: Inspections show Lake Okeechobee’s dike sound

Army Corps to resume Lake O flows Friday

Feds say ‘stay the course’ with Everglades, rejecting Joe Negron’s land buy

Everglades landowners ‘not willing sellers’ for Joe Negron’s Lake O reservoir

Perhaps faulty septic tanks cause algae blooms after all

Sally Swartz: Martin Economic Council misleads with sugar-flavored emails

Dan Peterson: Buying more land isn't Amendment 1's first priority

Karl Wickstrom: Use Amendment 1 to buy land, take on Big Sugar