Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterAugust 4, 2016

The tourism industry may suffer because of algae blooms that have plagued parts of South Florida. A joint study by Black Hills State University and the University of Florida’s Tourism Crisis Management Initiative shows more than half of potential visitors are concerned about the blue-green algae blooms in parts of South Florida. The study found more than 70 percent […]

Anne LindbergAugust 2, 2016

As he’s walked Florida’s House District 68 the past weeks, candidate Ben Diamond says he’s found one overriding issue among voters: a concern for the environment and the state’s waterways. So, on Tuesday, Diamond held a news conference to unveil a six-point plan he says he’ll work to pass if elected. “I’m running for the […]

Tag: Lake Okeechobee

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

Report: Algae blooms could start choking Florida’s tourism industry

Ben Diamond proposes plan for protecting Florida’s environment, water quality