Date:March 16, 2009

To:South Florida Water Issues Network &

State Water & Natural Resources Advisory Committee

From:Charles Shinn, Assistant Director

Government & Community Affairs

Re:South Florida Water Management District

March Agricultural Highlights Report

Florida Farm Bureau Federation Expands Opposition to Water Management District Purchasing U.S. Sugar Lands

During their February meeting, the Board of Directors of Florida Farm Bureau asked staff to increase efforts in opposition to South Florida Water Management District’s attempt to purchase 183,000 acres of land owned by U.S. Sugar Corporation for $1.34 billion.

The board stood by statements given in a December press release regarding the acquisition.

  • The Federation supports the rights of private property owners to acquire, use and sell property but opposes the unnecessary acquisition of more land by government.
  • The Federation is concerned that the proposed purchase would drain funding away from the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) and other initiatives in which much time and funding have been invested.
  • The Federation is concerned that the purchase would likely cause thousands of acres of highly productive agricultural land to be removed from local tax rolls, leaving local communities struggling to make up for the loss of ad valorem tax revenues and endangering their future.
  • The Federation notes that the plan to purchase the land and then lease it back to U.S. Sugar over a seven-year period at a bargain rate would create unfair competitive advantages over other South Florida agricultural producers.

In addition, the Federation is encouraging the countyFarm Bureaus located throughout the state to adopt a resolution against the acquisition. They are then encouraged to forward the resolution to local media and present the resolution their localCountyCommission.

Florida Farm Bureau members are converging on Tallahassee this week to meet with legislators. One key topic being discussed will be the incessant purchasing of land by government withouta long range plan.

Agriculture has always been willing to be at the table to discuss options to address environmental concerns while keeping the land in private ownership. The key to this type of planning must always be based onsound science and not emotions.

River of Grass Phase I Planning Update

On a parallel track to the U.S. Sugar acquisition, South Florida Water Management officials are attempting to develop a plan to see how the 183,000 acres of U.S. Sugar land may fit into the ‘River of Grass’ concept to move more water south out of Lake Okeechobee.

This is an interesting process albeit odd that land would be purchased without first developing and testing a plan with numerous model runs and peer review to see it the concept is feasible. The modeling must also incorporate other critical components of CERP. What should be foremost on the minds of those involved in the process is the ultimate cost to implement the plan. Last week in testimony to legislators on the House Council on Government Accountability, Ernie Barnett, Director of Legislative Affairs, South Florida Water Management District said “significant improvements will need to be made (to the U.S. Sugar lands) that will result in an additional

$3.5 – 4 billion above the purchase price (of the land).”

The present footprint of the Phase 1 planning process covers all of the Everglades Agricultural Area, surrounds Lake Okeechobee and is north of the lake up to the S-65E structure on the Kissimmee River which is the southern end of the rechannelization project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The footprint also covers the entire Fisheating Creek basin to the northwest of the lake. The planning area is shown in a blue outline with blue hashes on the following graphic:

The next public meeting for River of Grass Phase 1 will be in on March 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Labelle at the Dallas B. Townsend Agricultural Center, 1085 Pratt Blvd. Florida Farm Bureau encourages all agricultural interests that have land in within the planning footprint to attend this meeting.

South Florida’s Third Driest Season on Record Concerns Farmers

Looking back at records that date back to 1932, Water Management climatologists note that our present dry season is the third driest on record. The dry season for south Florida runs from the end of November which officially ends our tropical season to the beginning of June when our daily afternoon summer rains become consistent.

Hopes were high going into the dry season thanks solely to Tropical Storm Faye when she dropped enough water to raise the level of Lake Okeechobee almost four feet last September. This ended the drought that plagued the agricultural industry for over two years.

The current level of Lake Okeechobee is 12.42 feet and levels in the C-23, C-24 & C-25 basins have been above 14 feet. Water deliveries have been mostly adequate for agricultural crops thus far because the weather has been cool and crop water demands are lowerbut the lake and basins are approaching critical levels where restrictions will be placed on users. As springtime temperatures become warmer, crop water demands will increase. This expansion phase of plant growth is critical to maximize yield potential.

KissimmeeBasin Water Reservation Rule Development

Florida Farm Bureau is working with other agricultural interests in the Kissimmee basin to provide input to the water reservation rule development process that has begun in the region. Complying with 373.223(4) F.S., water management districts must set aside water for the protection of fish and wildlife or public health and safety. When a water reservation is in place, volumes and timing of water at specific locations are protected for the natural system ahead of additional consumptive uses such as new development or crop changes that increase water consumption.

Of specific concern in the modeling of this basin is the historical data being used to develop natural flows (timing and volume) from the lakes in the upper end of the basin. What compounds the modeling effort is determining the connectivity between the surface waters and the floridan aquifer in the basin north of State Road 60 which transects the basin from east to west.

Farmers are concerned that the environment is protected, but it is imperative that the protective efforts are not over-reaching thus reserving excess water which could negatively impact the environment downstream while prohibiting its use where it is needed.

Current Status on Governing Board Appointments

The saga of governing board appointments continues with little action from Tallahassee. Presently one position on the South Florida Water Management District board has been vacant since last June. This seat has historically been occupied by someone actively involved in agriculture. The Governor’s office did interview four people for this position several weeks ago but there is no word of an appointment.

The other seat up for appointment is the one being held by Melissa Meeker’s which expired on March 1. Melissa has asked to be reappointed to the position and at last count, seven other people have expressed an interest by submitting applications to the Governor’s office.

I will send out a special memo as soon as any appointments are made.

Monthly Reports Available on Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Website

This report is also available on Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s website ( Click on ‘Issues and Public Policy’ on the left side of the

homepage then click on the ‘Water and Natural Resources’ subheading.

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If you do not wish to receive this report in the future or are receiving multiple copies, please

contact me().

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