The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Our governor and man who wants to be governor (Putnam) have decided that they don't have to control Big Sugar or agriculture at all, so we are weeping, er reaping the benefits of green slime all over the place.
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OP
aquacat8
Contributor
Sad
CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
********. Nearly a century of reconfiguring the natural topography and redirecting water so S. Floridians don't flood is why we have the Lake O issues. Though red tide has been around in the Gulf long before we settled here.
The water used to flow naturally through all of the vegetation which of course took up the nutrients. Then came the big flood in the 20's? and the powers that be changed Florida forever. Anyone blaming the current Governor or the democrat before him or the future governor is ignorant about the history of that issue in our state. This will not be fixed overnight. And certainly won't be fixed by the next governor. Save the political rhetoric for the pub.
One of my clients who got the contract to rebuild the dike is making good progress. Of course it would be nice if the federal government would stop delaying funds to finish the project. Last I checked they were significantly behind, have been for years.
CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
https://evergladesrestoration.gov/content/recover/2016_science_meeting/10-2016-03-02_HHD Update_RECOVER.pdf
The latest....
Herbert Hoover Dike repairs get $514.2 million boost in federal funding
TALLAHASSEE — As calls grow for state action to deal with toxic algae blooms in southern Florida, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that funding is in place to speed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.
The Army Corps’ Jacksonville office said Thursday that $514.2 million is heading toward repair of the dike, which is basically a 30-foot-high earthen structure that surrounds the lake. An overall $17.4 billion in funding for the Corps includes additional money for beach restoration and coastal flood control in Florida.
Gov. Rick Scott and other state and federal officials from Florida have been clamoring for increased funding for the dike project, which had been scheduled for completion in 2025.
The state approved $50 million in each of the past two years to speed up the federal project, which, with the newly announced money, is now expected to be done in 2022.
The dike money has become a political issue as Scott challenges U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in November.
Through his campaign, Scott took the opportunity of the Army Corps’ announcement to criticize Nelson.
“In April 2017, I announced my goal of fixing the Herbert Hoover Dike by 2022,” Scott said in a statement from his campaign. “I’m glad to see that Bill Nelson finally supports my plan.”
Nelson, who in May 2017 was among Florida lawmakers pushing legislation to speed Everglades-restoration projects, spent Thursday in Fort Myers and Stuart talking about the algae issue and in a tweet called the Army Corps’ new dike timeline “huge news.”
The latest....
Herbert Hoover Dike repairs get $514.2 million boost in federal funding
TALLAHASSEE — As calls grow for state action to deal with toxic algae blooms in southern Florida, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced that funding is in place to speed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.
The Army Corps’ Jacksonville office said Thursday that $514.2 million is heading toward repair of the dike, which is basically a 30-foot-high earthen structure that surrounds the lake. An overall $17.4 billion in funding for the Corps includes additional money for beach restoration and coastal flood control in Florida.
Gov. Rick Scott and other state and federal officials from Florida have been clamoring for increased funding for the dike project, which had been scheduled for completion in 2025.
The state approved $50 million in each of the past two years to speed up the federal project, which, with the newly announced money, is now expected to be done in 2022.
The dike money has become a political issue as Scott challenges U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in November.
Through his campaign, Scott took the opportunity of the Army Corps’ announcement to criticize Nelson.
“In April 2017, I announced my goal of fixing the Herbert Hoover Dike by 2022,” Scott said in a statement from his campaign. “I’m glad to see that Bill Nelson finally supports my plan.”
Nelson, who in May 2017 was among Florida lawmakers pushing legislation to speed Everglades-restoration projects, spent Thursday in Fort Myers and Stuart talking about the algae issue and in a tweet called the Army Corps’ new dike timeline “huge news.”
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
No, I'm fully aware of what's been done before and apparently, more aware of recent changes in regulations than you. They've put agriculture and big business ahead of our ecology for the last eight years so here we are. You might think we are helpless to clean this mess up, but we're not. As a Floridian, I'm pissed and I'm not going to take it any more.
I believe Putnam, with his big ties to big sugar would be an environmental disaster for Florida. Any candidate, Republican or Democrat would be better. Any candidate.
Adam Putnam: Florida's Worst Choice for Clean Water
Column: Adam Putnam's selective environmental concerns
Check out Representative Adam Putnam's Environmental Voting Record
As a loyal Republican I voted for Rick Scott for his first term. His first action as governor was to close State Parks. He had to back down on that, so he became a bit more subtle, but he's not a friend of the environment, unless it can help him politically. I voted for his opponent his second term. We can't afford to ignore our environment any longer. No more head in the sand, let agriculture do what it wants mentality.
https://earther.com/florida-gov-rick-scott-is-pretending-to-care-about-the-1821944397
NRDC Action Fund : Rick Scott brings abysmal environmental record to Senate race in Florida
https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/l...-rick-scott-friend-foe-environment/412761001/
While I'm not a 'native' Floridian, I have lived here since 1962. I remember the water quality back in the 60s and 70s. My first dive back in 1969 was in Lake Underhill, a cool little lake in Orlando. I've watched our water quality go down, then improve and now decline again. Unregulated agriculture discharges have been our undoing. Lake Apopka is a study in this: History of Lake Apopka's environmental death and rebirth goes to archives Lake Apopka was a "dead" lake that actually almost made it, only to have regulations relaxed and is currently not doing so good anymore. There's lots of blame to go around, but pulling the plug on a host of regulatory agencies in the name of "smaller government" is the current vector killing the lake. Putnam and Scott bear that shame all by themselves.
CuzzA
Wetwork for Hire
The plan is to fix the dike so it can hold the excessive rain water. Any politician stating they are going to do anything different is full of it and lying.
FWIW, while some would have you believe Florida is a disaster, Florida is tops in the union in just about every good category as a result of the policies of the past eight years.
The fact is you are a hardcore democrat so of course you would blame the dike/Lake O/rain on Scott.
FWIW, while some would have you believe Florida is a disaster, Florida is tops in the union in just about every good category as a result of the policies of the past eight years.
The fact is you are a hardcore democrat so of course you would blame the dike/Lake O/rain on Scott.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
No. I was a life long Republican since '76 until just recently. Now I'm a 'hardcore' independent because of partisanship just like this. Nice red herring, though. I don't belong to either TEAM RED or TEAM BLUE, but am partial to TEAM FLORIDA (Go Gators!!!). Of course, I like TEAM UM, TEAM FSU, TEAM UCF, TEAM FIU and all the other teams out there who are trying to restore our great state.
Fixing the dyke is great and I'm glad it's politically advantageous for Scott. However, the problem with the green crud is relatively new and has been directly linked to relaxed regulations foisted on us by Scott and Putnam. No matter what party you belong to, these two have failed Florida in regards to clean water and the environment as a whole. There are better Republicans, better Democrats and hopefully an independent out there who is beholden to neither party. I don't know enough about the Red Tide, but there are some indicators that ag runoff exacerbates it as well. I don't mind paying more for sugar if it means we get clean water out of the deal. Sugar is killing us.
The only time I've ever worn a pony at Venice was when I was adding one to my gear for the first time and wanted to try out several configurations. My bailout contingency there has always been "stand up".
Addicted2H2O
Contributor
Personally I don't carry a pony for shallow dives like that. Fortunately most of my shallow dives are in a roped off dive park which usually doesn't get any boat traffic... and staying shallow puts me close to the rocky shore so boat operators are unlikely to be there. Shark tooth diving in Venice is a different story of course being a sandy bottom.
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