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Guest AuthorAugust 15, 2018

As every Floridian knows, tourism is critical to our state’s booming economy. This $111.7 billion industry represents 1.4 million employees, and one out of every four people in the Sunshine State works in hospitality. With more than 850 miles of beautiful coastline, seemingly endless options for entertainment and warm sunshine, it’s no wonder that millions […]

Ryan NicolJune 7, 2018

Though multiple outlets are reporting blue-green algae sightings this week, the Water Resources Analysis Coalition (WRAC) has a message for the public. It’s not time to panic, just yet. Not all forms of algae are toxic, and it’s not yet clear whether the algae spotted by some is the same type that troubled Floridians during the bloom […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 19, 2018

On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations committee heard a presentation from South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Ernie Marks on the status report of the reservoir project authorized by Senate Bill 10. Following the presentation, Appropriations Chair and Senate Bill 10 sponsor Rob Bradley expressed confidence in the district’s plans. But following the meeting, Senate […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 4, 2018

A new year brings yet another attack by environmentalists against the South Florida Water Management District’s plan for a reservoir to help clean Lake Okeechobee discharges. This time, the Everglades Foundation is offering its own plan — even though the group is criticizing a proposal it helped create. First, a timeline of events. In January […]

Peter SchorschDecember 29, 2017

Closing the book on 2017, among the most notable political battles centered on Lake Okeechobee water issues. While lawmakers reached a compromise earlier in the year, this food fight may be far from over. Last Session, environmental activists, working with Senate President Joe Negron, hammered out a bill that (at one point) called for buying […]

Phil AmmannDecember 15, 2017

Extending a two-decade record for Everglades restoration south of Lake Okeechobee, a group of farmers — armed with an effective water quality treatment strategy — have posted historic water-quality performance levels in 2017, sending more clean water than ever flowing south. Seizing on numbers announced this week by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), […]

Scott PowersAugust 11, 2017

U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney earned a new title Thursday: Python hunter. The Republican congressman from Naples, who has asserted leadership in the Florida delegations’ efforts to address Everglades problems, announced he bagged five pythons Thursday night, the invasive snakes clogging up the South Florida ecosystems. Rooney captured the beasts while he participated in the South Florida […]

Drew WilsonAugust 4, 2017

Scientists working for the South Florida Water Management District presented findings Thursday pointing to inflows north of Lake Okeechobee as the source of nutrients causing recent algae blooms in the lake. The results show runoff from north of the lake, due to high rain levels and the warm temperature, was the principal cause of the […]

Associated PressJuly 25, 2017

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay cooked up a unique dish while filming in Florida: Burmese python. Ramsay joined Kyle Penniston of Miami on July 15 to hunt invasive pythons in the Everglades for an upcoming episode of his competitive-cooking television variety show “The F Word with Gordon Ramsay.“ Penniston hunts pythons for the South Florida Water […]

Staff ReportsJuly 17, 2017

Rep. Francis Rooney is going python hunting. The Naples Republican announced Monday he plans to take part in the South Florida Water Management District’s python elimination program on Aug. 10. The program aims to eliminate the Burmese python, an invasive species, which damages the Everglades ecosystem and its native wildlife. “I am looking forward to […]

Tag: South Florida Water Management District

Carol Dover: Take action to protect Florida’s tourism industry

Water Resources Analysis Coalition tries to temper algae bloom fears

It’ll be magic if Joe Negron succeeds with new Lake O reservoir land buy

A new year brings more overreach by environmentalists on Lake O reservoir

Never satisfied, environmentalists should just take the win for Lake O reservoir

Everglades farmers celebrate another record year of clean water flowing south

Francis Rooney joins the ranks of python hunters

Scientists blame northern inflows for current Lake O algae bloom

Gordon Ramsay cooks up unique Florida dish: Burmese python

Francis Rooney to go python hunting in Big Cypress swamp