Gov. Crist has signed an agreement that will move the State of Florida towards the landmark deal of purchasing over 187,000 acres of land owned by US Sugar for $1.75 billion.
This land purchase will allow for the re-creation of water flows between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, helping to restore the Everglade habitat but also doing away with with the need for aquifer storage and recovery wells to supply fresh water to the community, which involve the cost of energy for pumps and moving the water south.
But some worry if we can afford such a purchase, and how we will pay for it. The plan is for property taxes from the South Florida Water Mgt. District to cover the annual bonds necessary to finance the purchase. But according to the head of the wather district, no increase in taxes is seen as necessary to do this.