Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Mitch PerrySeptember 20, 2016

No doubt there is bad blood between the Rick Scott and Barack Obama administrations. It could be a reason why the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has rejected Scott’s request for federal assistance for a multitude of bad weather events — as well as requests for federal funds for handling the Zika virus and the Pulse […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 15, 2016

The U.S. Senate passed a wide-sweeping water bill Thursday that includes $1.9 billion for Everglades restoration projects. The Senate approved the $10 billion water projects bill 95-3, with both Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio supporting the proposal. The measure authorizes 29 projects in 18 states for dredging, flood control, and other projects overseen by […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 9, 2016

Longtime Hendry County Commissioner Janet Taylor published a scathing condemnation Wednesday of incoming Senate President Joe Negron’s plan to buy up farmland south of Lake Okeechobee. In a blog entry for the Huffington Post, Taylor said the proposed $2.4 billion land purchase was “a plan designed to benefit the wealthy at the expense of another […]

Peter SchorschAugust 23, 2016

When it comes to Joe Negron’s plan to save the Everglades, not everyone feels the answer is to “buy the land.” The problem? The Stuart Republican’s proposal is painfully short on details, says a recent editorial in the Fort Myers News-Press. Negron, the incoming Senate President, is pushing the state to purchase 60,000 acres of […]

Diane RobertsAugust 18, 2016

As the old Vulcan proverb goes, “Only Nixon could go to China.” Maybe only Joe Negron can make an Everglades land deal happen. Negron, the incoming state Senate president and a conservative Republican, wants to acquire 60,000 acres south of Lake Okeechobee, land that would help clean up the filthy, nutrient-choked lake water currently sliming […]

Phil AmmannAugust 11, 2016

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Incoming Senate President Joe Negron is pushing a $2.4 billion purchase of 60,000 acres of land south of Lake Okeechobee to store excess water and ease the effects of discharging polluted runoff. Announced Tuesday, the plan, which represents a major break in one of the state’s most divisive environmental battles, took the sugar industry by […]

Diane RobertsAugust 11, 2016

The streets of Miami and Fort Lauderdale flood on a distressingly regular basis; the drinking water in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties is getting salty; mosquitoes infect you with Zika; toxic algae in our rivers, lakes and seas will give you a hideous rash, attack your nervous system, and impair your liver. Nature has […]

Peter SchorschAugust 10, 2016

Sen. Joe Negron’s statesmanlike news conference demonstrated how deeply he cares about water issues. There’s no doubt his plan to buy 60,000 acres south of Lake Okeechobee will be heralded in his hometown, but in all likelihood, the plan will be met with many roadblocks in Tallahassee. In short, the idea is politically untenable, costs […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 9, 2016

Calls to send the water south of appear to have been heard. Senate President Designate Joe Negron announced Tuesday he planned to push lawmakers to set aside money to purchase land for water storage south of Lake Okeechobee. The Stuart Republican said he has identified two areas — an area south of the lake that straddles […]

Tag: Lake Okeechobee
Image via Facebook (Gainesville Regional Utilities).

Perhaps faulty septic tanks cause algae blooms after all

Angry Rick Scott wants Barack Obama declare Florida disaster after Hermine

U.S. Senate approves Everglades restoration plan

Hendry County Commissioner blogs scathing rebuke of Joe Negron Lake O plan

News-Press editorial says Joe Negron Everglades plan needs work, more details

Diane Roberts: Will Joe Negron make Everglades deal happen? Maybe.

Joe Negron’s Lake O proposal takes sugar industry by surprise

Diane Roberts: Nature at war with Florida — thanks, Rick Scott!

Joe Negron shows himself a statesman, but his land buying plan is untenable

Joe Negron says he’ll push for funding to buy land south of Lake O