22-May-01

South Florida Water Managers to Hold Daily Drought Updates 

South Florida's water management body will begin holding daily news briefings to update the
public about drought conditions. ...will discuss low levels and where water is being allocated,
including any potential further water cutbacks. The district also will remind residents to continue
to conserve despite the approaching long-awaited summer rains, which probably won't end the
drought. Lake Okeechobee, the backup reservoir for the populated east coast, is at 9.01 inches
and sets new record lows daily.   The previous record of 9.79 inches set in 1981 was broken in
late   April. ...  Water managers are monitoring dozens of wells along the east coast for saltwater
intrusion. The briefings will be held daily at 11 a.m. at the South Florida Water Management
District headquarters in West Palm Beach.                                                                     
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.  
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAYWIMO0NC.html http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/florida/d626474a.htm 

Judge blocks sewage project in Key Largo   

Cites violations of Sunshine Law by advisory panel: A Monroe County judge scrapped Key Largo's controversial $60 million central sewer project on Thursday, citing Sunshine Law violations by a panel that advised Monroe County commissioners on bidding for the project. The decision nixes a construction and 20-year maintenance contract the Florida Keys Aqueduct   Authority inked last year with New Jersey-based Ogden Water Systems. The final judgment by Circuit Judge Sandra Taylor comes about a month after a two-day trial in Marathon that focused on open-meeting violations by members of a federally appointed panel that evaluated bidders for the wastewater project on behalf of county commissioners. In a 10-page decision, Taylor ruled that public meetings in which county commissioners subsequently discussed the project and the actions of the technical evaluation panel failed to ``cure'' the panel's failure to post previous   meetings it held by telephone conference call and other means.                                         
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved. http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/keys/digdocs/101320.htm

NEW WEB SITE   

Expedition Everglades   

A Journey into the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration: Learn how we are rescuing our "River of Grass." Discover our plan to preserve this wondrous place   
(Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science educational program, 3/01)                http://www.mods.org/education5.htm 

Editorial   

Stay firm on grove land   

People who want to pave land in Florida have a built-in advantage over people who want to preserve land: "You can build" is a final answer; "You can't build" always comes with an understood "yet." Allowing over development of citrus groves near The Acreage requires only a   governmental lapse. Preventing over development requires resolve, now and in the future. Today, the Palm Beach County Commission can signal that there   will be no lapse. Commissioners are being offered bad choices for planning development in the groves. ... Unless they see a far better plan, commissioners should not budge. Groves owners might swear they won't sell   for preservation, but if the county keeps its resolve, there's an understood "yet." 
http://gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/tuesday/opinion_3.html 

Editorial   

Barefoot Beach Preserve   

Add action to assurance: Public sentiment is loud and clear: Preserve the Preserve. Collier County commissioners got the message and agreed in February to rescind its November approval of a three-story private dining club on the lone private lot amid pristine Barefoot Beach Preserve. It is time for the board to remember that promise and rekindle that resolve as the commission comes due for an update from parks staff members on progress.                                                
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved. http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/perspective/jj8877.htm 

Letter to the editor   

Privatize to end water woes   

Privatize water and kill two of the most pressing problems facing South Florida with one stone. Privatization would place a free-market check on development without the need for arbitrary, capricious and inefficient bureaucratic management and prevent overuse and abuse of the resource to boot. ... In a state-managed water system, the price of water is not determined by market forces. The cost of water to the consumer then does not respond to either supply or demand. This leads to wasteful use of the resource and artificially supports water-intensive development, both   directly by keeping prices low in a tight market and indirectly by not   requiring development to pay for damage to the supply. ... Water managers will want you to think replumbing the system will bring relief, and perhaps it will someday provide an increased supply. However, without some better way to manage development, local politicians and permitting agencies will continue to ignore the impact of rampant, thoughtless development on our natural resources.
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/opinion/010522soundoff.html

Magic nesting encounters reward patient volunteers   

.... The loggerhead sea turtle was about 3 feet wide and 3 1/2 feet   long. ... In an egg-laying daze, the turtle stopped just two feet from where Murphy sat happily in the sand and tall sea oats. She began digging, flinging sand behind her, and then started dropping leathery, ping-pong ball-sized eggs in the hole. The whole process took about 45 minutes.   Afterward, the turtle slowly crawled down the beach and into the Gulf of   Mexico. ...  "Turtlers" live for moments like that - the simple thrill of coming face-to-face with a species that's existed for millions of years.   With turtle nesting season in full swing in Southwest Florida, hundreds of volunteers, biologists, naturalists and others who search area coastlines for turtle nests have even more opportunities for magic. (Turtle nesting season officially goes from May 1 to Oct. 31.)
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010522turtles.html
 

posted 21-May-01

12-April-01

SFWMD ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO GOVERNING BOARD WATER RESOURCES ADVISORY COMMISSION 

The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board approved appointments to its new Water Resources Advisory Commission today. This action completes the first step of a resolution passed last month to create a blue-ribbon advisory body to the Governing Board in order to enhance public participation and consensus-making on critical water resource issues, projects and programs affecting South Florida and its citizens. 

Governing Board member Michael Collins was named chair of the new commission by Governing Board Chair Nicolas Gutierrez. "It is important for us to focus and set a definitive agenda," Gutierrez said. "Mr. Collins, with his many years of experience working with different groups on water-related issues, is the perfect person to kick it off and and get the commission going." Under the resolution guidelines, commission membership reflects a balanced, cross-section representation of South Florida, including appointees from the business community, water supply utilities, public interest groups, local government, agriculture and environmental organizations.

District General Counsel John Fumero noted the community leaders who agreed to participate in the commission and recommended issues for consideration by the commission. These issues include drought management, Lake Okeechobee water quality protection initiatives, and implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Governing Board member Patrick Gleason suggested water supply plans, funding for alternative water supply, real estate acquisitions, as well as the development of short- and long-term Lake Okeechobee back-pumping plans.  The commission will meet prior to the next Governing Board meeting to begin developing a Water Resources Advisory Commission priority plan. 

Governing Board appointments to the Water Resources Advisory Commission are: 

South Florida Water Management District news release http://www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/3_newsrel.html    
 

21-May-01

Pamela Brooks-Thomas new Board member at Water District You've got the right one, baby! 

By Audrey Peterman 

The news that an African American had been appointed to the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District did not impress me. Two years without Black representation on the Board, and we get a token ONE?! With more than one million African Americans, more than half the state's total population of Blacks living in the District's 16 counties? Besides, starting at least five years behind the curve, with no knowledge of the highly technical and involved subject, how could she possibly come up to speed enough to make a difference?
Posted with permission from Audrey Peterman EarthWS@aol.com Printed in the Westside Gazette and The Broward Times.
 

Editorial     

In fixing Florida's hodgepodge of a tax system, reformers like the State Tax Reform Task Force and state lawmakers should ask these questions...   Florida must find innovative ways to diversify its tax base and mend its   illogical tax non-system. ... To avoid previous mistakes: Adopt clear and consistent principles about why something is taxed or exempted. Make sure taxpayers participate in tax reform discussions at an early stage through public hearings. Don't bring reform up at a legislative session until some consensus forms among House and Senate members, the governor and the public about exactly what should be done. And conduct every phase of the   discussions in public, with no more secret meetings in Tallahassee townhouses and Capitol bathrooms. 
Copyright  © 2001 Sun-Sentinel  All rights reserved.
http://sunsentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-edittstx2may21.story

Boaters want Bush to halt restrictions   

The ongoing battle between boaters and manatee protection advocates is shifting to Tuesday's Collier County Commission meeting. Boaters will ask commissioners to adopt a resolution urging President George W. Bush to put the brakes on an agreement intended to protect the sea cow from death or injury due to boat collisions. 
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010521manatee.html   

Water district to ask council to help fix drainage problems   

Bonita Springs - The San Carlos Estates Water Control District wants the   city council to force new home builders in the development to build   culverts and drainage ditches. ... "It's something that needs to be done,"   said Jeanette Oldland, resident and president of the Homeowners Association of San Carlos Estates. "During the rainy season, there's some streets you can't get through because they're flooded. We need to start somewhere." ....   Mary Gibbs, Lee County's community development director, said Friday the county is concerned that REQUIRING A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE from the district before building permits, development orders or certificates of occupancy are issued COULD BE FRUSTRATING FOR SOMEONE WAITING TO MOVE INTO A NEW HOME. [Emphasis added.]   Note: The "frustration" would be for the builder who does not receive final payment until an occupancy certificate is provided. 
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010521sancarlos.html
 

EPA plans wetlands crackdown   

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to crack down on homeowners who damage wetlands without a permit. Southwest Florida EPA representative Bruce Boler said he gets 10 to 15 calls a month from people complaining that a neighbor is dredging or filling wetlands illegally.
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010521epacrackdown.html 

Editorial   

Block this hidden tax on state's homeowners   

.... Gov. Bush needed to raise $200 million a year to match federal money for the Everglades restoration plan. Rather than issue bonds to provide a steady, sure source of the money, he decided to "find it" here and there. "Here" turned out to be in the South Florida Water Management District's budget. Some of what Gov. Bush took was $20 million the water district would have used to fix drainage systems in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Rep. Carlos Lacasa, is from Miami, and he wants the projects. So he took $20 million from the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. ... Since Gov.   Bush started the shell game by "finding" money where he did, it's up to him to make sure the money stays "found," not replaced by duplicity. He should veto the $20 million "line" in the budget.
http://gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/sunday/opinion_5.html   

Editorial   

OK Flood Projects   

The law allows the use of hurricane catastrophe funds to forestall damage.   Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher is right to be concerned that the Legislature tapped the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund for $20 million to finance drainage improvements in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The money should have come from state sales-tax funds, avoiding any threat of higher   insurance rates. ...  Mr. Gallagher, fearful of setting a bad precedent, has urged Gov. Jeb Bush to veto ``some or all'' of the $20 million appropriation. We disagree. Statutes creating the CAT fund clearly authorize use of the fund to mitigate damage. The real issue is: How much money? Legislators do have a tendency upon identifying a new source of money to spend more than is prudent. But that is not the case today. We think Gov. Bush should concur there is a clear insurance benefit to flood   control: less damage, fewer claims.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://miami.com/herald/content/opinion/editorials/digdocs/050570.htm   

ASR Test Well Drilling Begins Near Lake Okeechobee   

The South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began drilling the first of three federally authorized test wells May 11 to assist in identifying the most suitable sites for future aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) wells in the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee. ...   The first test well is in Okeechobee County along District canal LD-4 near   the Kissimmee River. The second test well is near Port Myacca in Martin County along District canal L-65 near the St. Lucie Canal, and the third test well is in Moore Haven in Glades County near District structure S-77 adjacent to the Caloosahatchee River. Drilling will begin on the second and  third test wells next month.
http://www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/3_newsrel.html#asrstart   

Letter to the editor   

Aquifer proposal rightly stopped   

A recent Herald editorial referred to ``public hysteria'' stopping   legislation to allow contaminated water to be added to our aquifer: ... our   Gov. Jeb Bush wanted to allow bacteria-contaminated water be added to our   aquifer. Our fears grew when environmental groups were opposed. Adding to my doubts was reading that the northern third of Florida would have been omitted from this treatment. Perhaps up there they have enough influence to avoid contaminating their water supply. What makes me ``hysterical'' is   that the proponents of this initiative may have been even more so.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://miami.com/herald/content/opinion/letters/digdocs/033137.htm   

City seizes private wells   

Tampa - Antoinette Lebron received a certified letter in January telling her the city was condemning her private well. ... Lebron's well, like about 100 others in central Tampa neighborhoods surrounding the city's Aquifer Storage Recovery wellfield, falls in something called the zone of probable influence. Another 100 wells lie in a zone of possible influence located   farther from the ASR field near Sligh and Rome avenues. These wells also could see the effects of the city withdrawing 10 million gallons a day of   water it stored during last summer's rainy sea son. The $10 million program is now supplying 15 percent of the city's water. Since the water was fully treated to meet federal standards before it was injected, the immediate threat is that the wells could go dry.
Copyright  © 2001 Tampa Tribune  All rights reserved.
http://www.tampatribune.com/MGAVGEJMZMC.html

Water managers step up campaign to conserve   

South Florida water managers are rolling out new ads to tell folks that the coming summer rains "are just a drop in the bucket" of water supply needs.   Workers have begun plastering billboards in the tricounty area with the reminder that water restrictions have not gone away.
http://sunsentinel.com/news/sfl-poutreach521.story   

Photo: New billboard advises water conservation
http://sunsentinel.com/news/sfl-poutreach521-billboard.photo

Audio: Aneta Sewell, of the South Florida Water Management District, talks about the need to conserve water
Copyright  © 2001 Sun-Sentinel  All rights reserved.
http://sunsentinel.com/news/sfl-poutreach521-conservewater.realaudio   

Biologists tracking wading birds   

Biologists keeping a watchful eye on the Everglades' wood storks and white ibises say it looks as though ongoing drought did not destroy the endangered wading birds' 2001 breeding season. Special concern centered on the two species' nesting and rearing this winter and spring because of a banner year last year for baby wood storks in southern Florida's famed River of Grass.
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://naplesnews.com/01/05/florida/d574153a.htm   

Bixler to lead Conservancy's office in Lee County   

Matt Bixler, who interned at the Conservancy in 2000, will begin work   running the Conservancy's Lee County office on June 13. The office will be in the Calusa Nature Center in Fort Myers. ... Established in Collier County about 36 years ago to fight a proposed road over the barrier islands to Marco Island, the Conservancy has long been involved in environmental   advocacy, said Michael Simonek, vice president of environmental policy for the organization. Two years ago the group decided to boost its involvement in Lee County environmental issues and changed its name to reflect its regional approach. "The issues we face, growth and conservation, don't stop at the county line," said Kathy Prosser, president and chief executive   officer of the Conservancy. "It makes sense to have a presence in Lee   County." ... Bixler received his bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Washington College in Chestertown, Md., in 1999. His master's thesis is about the best ways for coastal communities to provide alternative water   supplies, a relevant topic for drought-ridden Southwest Florida. His research included study of recycling wastewater, desalinization and aquifer storage.
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/bonita/d580050a.htm

The Conservancy seeks grant to bolster mangroves in Estero Bay  

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida hopes to boost the mangrove population in Estero Bay if it wins a grant from the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. The Conservancy is already planting mangrove seedlings in Naples Bay at the water's edge of properties whose developers years ago removed the mangroves and replaced them with a seawall or riprap, a manmade gradual shoreline. Now the Conservancy has its eyes on the bay side of Estero   Island to plant more mangrove seedlings, said Steve Bortone, director of environmental science at the Conservancy. The Conservancy has asked the estuary program for $20,000, which would be matched by the Conservancy, to restore mangroves along about a mile of coastline in Fort Myers   Beach. ... "The plants should take about a year to get established and three to five years to start looking like a mangrove forest and to start functioning," he said. There is still some resistance among homeowners about the trees blocking their views, he said, but homeowners are allowed to trim the trees.
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/bonita/d580282a.htm
JANEL SHOUN, jrshoun@naplesnews.com   

Smoke from 15 wildfires stifles parts of Florida (AP)   

.... ``Right now, we're dealing with 15 large fires around the state,'' said Gene Madden, a state Division of Forestry spokesman. ``Smoke is going to be an issue everywhere there's a fire until we get rains.'' The patchwork of   blazes has been spurred by the state's worst drought on record. ... ``What   we're dealing with is the effect of a four-year drought. There is no immediate relief in sight,'' Madden said, adding that the weather service predicts ``at least two more months of below-normal rainfall and higher-than-normal temperatures.'' ... Since Jan. 1, Florida has had 2,679 wildfires, burning about 204,413 acres. Orlando has received about 18 fewer inches of rain than normal during the past year. Tallahassee is down 12 inches and Tampa 8 inches, according to the weather service. Jacksonville is about 5 inches below normal.
Copyright  © 2001 Tampa Tribune  All rights reserved.
http://www.tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGA3UTVLZMC.html   

Firefighters continue battle against blazes in Collier   

Smoke, flames and charred debris marked Sunday as fire departments across Collier County exhausted their manpower to get three brushfires under control. At one end of the county, firefighters continued their efforts to control a three-day blaze in rural Golden Gate Estates that burned more than 6,000 acres. At the other fire, battles continued to fight flames at Big Cypress National Preserve where more than 25,000 acres of brush burned over the weekend.
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/naples/d588337a.htm   

Firefighters control two Collier wildfires   

Firefighters gained the upper hand Sunday afternoon on two large brush   fires that have burned more than 30,000 acres in Collier County.
Copyright  © 2001 SW Florida News Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.news-press.com/news/today/010521brushfires.html

 

20-May-01

 

Plans in motion to dredge river   

.... Partial funding for the estimated $80 million project has already been secured from state and federal sources. Dredging advocates point to residential and environmental benefits of cleaning out the 5 1/2-mile   stretch of the river. The waterway is now as shallow as 13 1/2 feet in some   places. Many larger vessels have to wait for high tide to move along the waterway. Richard Bunnell, chairman of the dredging committee of the Miami   River Commission, represents the Miami River Marine Group, an organization of shippers and boatyard owners. He warned Saturday that if the dredging   project is not undertaken soon, the river will continue to get clogged at an ever-faster rate. The project, which could start as soon as next June, could take up to five years.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/038013.htm
LILA ARZUA larzua@herald.com

Canker-immune citrus trees being developed by scientist   

In a lab in Alachua, a sleepy town outside Gainesville that's far removed from the citrus-tree-cutting chain saws of South Florida, Dean Gabriel is developing a cure for canker. The cure involves genetically modifying citrus trees in such a way that they are immune to the fruit-blemishing disease. ... Even if the injunction is lifted and state workers cut enough trees to stem the present outbreak, Pete Timmer, a University of Florida   scientist who works at the state's citrus research center in Lake Alfred, and others agree it won't be long before canker comes back. The state has too many major airports and seaports for the disease not to slip by customs agents once again, as state officials believe it did in the early 1990s. Wild citrus in the Everglades also may harbor the disease, meaning canker could jump back at any moment into areas where officials thought it was gone.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/106938.htm
GRIFF WITTE gwitte@herald.com

Park project tiptoes near mound   

Every day, dozens of boaters glide by the large grassy hill topped by an aging mansion on the western banks of the Indian River. Few realize they're looking at what some archaeologists have deemed one of the most significant ancient Indian sites in southeast Florida. Named Mount Elizabeth, the nearly 35-foot-tall site covers an area about the size of a football field.
http://gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/sunday/martin_stlucie.html

Sarah Eisenhauer, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Florida divided over Reno   

Janet Reno taking on Jeb Bush fascinates and confounds an electorate accustomed to surprises.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/florida/digdocs/087622.htm   

Strategists believe Reno could tap huge network for funds, support   

The Republican machinery in Florida raises lots of money for candidates, and the top Republican in the state, Gov. Jeb Bush, would be in line for much of it if he seeks re-election. To beat that, a Democrat would have to build a huge network of supporters fast and put the machinery in place to  counter Bush's incumbent power and fund-raising ability. Unless it is already there.
Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/florida/d570144a.htm

 

19-May-01

 

MD Feeds the Fight to Protect Open Spaces: $35 Million Program Launched to Target Vital Sites

.... "I can remember when the Everglades were truly one of the wonders of the world. Now there are miles of subdivisions, and they're having huge environmental problems," Gov. Glendening, a Florida native, said in an interview. In Maryland, he said, "I have a unique opportunity to try to stop that." Over the next five years, GreenPrint is budgeted to grow to   $145 million. Compared with programs in some other states, it is a paltry sum. Florida and New Jersey, for example, each spend $1 billion a year on land conservation, according to Kathy Blaha, of the Trust for Public Land.   But philosophically, Maryland is at the forefront of a national trend championed by conservationists determined to end a long history of preservation by crisis. GreenPrint represents a new way of thinking: saving "the best of the rest," instead of "the last of the least," in the summation of Doug Samson, of the Nature Conservancy. 
Copyright  © 2001 Washington Post  All rights reserved.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47718-2001May18.html

 

18-May-01

What Energy Plan Means For Us

In Florida, worries about gulf drilling: Florida is mentioned only twice in   the 163-page energy blueprint released Thursday by the Bush administration, but look a little deeper and you'll see that the president and the state could be on a collision course. ... In laying out a comprehensive strategy involving more domestic production and new energy technologies, the report mentions the wealth of untapped oil and gas in offshore areas and the bureaucratic red tape that companies encounter when they want to drill.  That's an apparent reference to Chevron's problems getting authority to drill for natural gas south of Florida's Panhandle.  The report also praises "the impressive environmental record" of offshore drilling. ... His administration is following through with a Clinton administration plan to sell new leases in an L-shaped tract known as Area 181, which begins off   the Alabama coast near Pensacola.  His comments during the campaign and the contents of the new report put the president at odds with his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has taken a zero-tolerance approach.  Gov. Bush opposes the new leases in Area 181 and has joined with Florida Republicans and Democrats in opposing the 181 plan.                                                                                                                         
Copyright  © 2001 St. Petersburg Times  All rights reserved.  http://sptimes.com/News/051801/Worldandnation/What_energy_plan_mean.shtml                        

 

16-May-01

 

ASR Test Well Drilling Begins Near Lake Okeechobee   

The South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began drilling the first of three federally authorized test wells May 11 to assist in identifying the most suitable sites for future aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) wells in the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee. ...   The first test well is in Okeechobee County along District canal LD-4 near   the Kissimmee River. The second test well is near Port Myacca in Martin County along District canal L-65 near the St. Lucie Canal, and the third test well is in Moore Haven in Glades County near District structure S-77 adjacent to the Caloosahatchee River. Drilling will begin on the second and  third test wells next month.
http://www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/3_newsrel.html#asrstart 

 

02-May-01

Editorial

Water Law Fell Victim To Hysteria
It was a smart political call to withdraw legislation lifting requirements that water be treated to drinking-quality standards before being pumped underground for storage. It was also a sad call by Gov. Jeb Bush and Environmental Protection Department Secretary David Struhs, one forced by growing public hysteria over ``poisoning'' of the aquifer. While fanned by some environmental organizations, that hysteria might have been quelled quickly were it not for political arrogance that refused to accept amendments limiting the legislation's impact. ... With careful monitoring and public evaluation of any physical, chemical and biologic changes, public trust can be restored and South Florida's water supplies conserved and protected.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/opinion/editorials/digdocs/022878.htm

Editorial

Growth reform package
The finely cut, polished goals of the Growth Management Study Commission have hit the wood chipper known as the Florida Legislature. On Page 25 of the commission's handsome report is a section called "Enhancing Citizen Involvement."...the commissioners conclude that public officials need to hear from the public. But a bill that comes before the Senate today attempts to shut out members of the public who would protest development. ... Unfortunately, there are favors -- especially in the House bill -- that remove state review of airports, marinas and petroleum storage facilities from development of regional impact rules. The Senate bill includes a provision that conservation groups believe is strictly for St. Joe Paper, which owns 1.1 million acres in the state and is expanding its real-estate division. ... Growth-management "reform" laden with favors for private groups and poison for the public is not reform.
http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/friday/opinion_2.html

Editorial

Jeb finally taking growth to school
Development lobbyists are hoping to sabotage Gov. Jeb Bush's responsible plan to ensure local governments address the need for new schools when they make development decisions. Developers are aghast because Bush's plan would, under rare circumstances, allow local officials to deny a project if it would add more students to an already overcrowded school system. ... When another development would result in already overcrowded schools becoming even more chaotic, elected officials should have the authority to say no. As things stand, local officials cannot even consider the plight of schools. This doesn't make sense. Lawmakers should think about schoolchildren, not lobbyists, and adopt the governor's worthy growth management proposal.                             
Copyright  © 2001 Tampa Tribune / Associated Press  All rights reserved. http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGA8XV8S6MC.html

Officials seek to test plan for underground storage of tainted water

A bill allowing contaminated water to be stored underground around Florida is dead, but a plan to test that idea for the Everglades is still alive and moving forward. Water managers want permission to pump surface water containing more coliform bacteria, which can come from fecal matter, than drinking standards allow into eight proposed pilot aquifer storage wells -- and one in West Palm Beach that already exists. They intend to ask the state Department of Environmental Protection for a variance from federal drinking water requirements to proceed. ... Water district aquifer storage expert Peter Kwiatkowski said tests done a decade ago offer proof that bacteria pumped into the upper Floridan Aquifer should die off within 28 days, which makes spending money to remove that pollutant "fiscally irresponsible." But more study is needed, he said. A new West Palm Beach aquifer storage well that would draw water from Clear Lake is to be the first proving ground. "Once we get the variance we can flip a switch and move forward right then and there," Kwiatkowski said. The next Everglades test well could come on line by 2005, he said.    
Copyright  © 2001 Sun-Sentinel  All rights reserved.                           
http://www.sunsentinel.com/news/ (Third item under "South Florida")
http://www.sunsentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pwater03may03.story?

Restriction on environmental lawsuits proposed

Majority Leader Jim King, R- Jacksonville, sponsored an amendment that says
individuals must be directly affected by environmental damage to start an administrative action against a state agency. The Environmental Protection Act of 1971 allows any state resident to appeal decisions by government agencies in any part of the state. King's amendment would restrict nonprofit groups that sue on behalf of residents. Groups such as the Sierra Club would need to have at least 25 members in a county where the suit is filed. The group also must have been in the county for one year prior to the suit. King said the environmentalists' opposition did force him to ``soften'' his original legislation. ``I couldn't have passed what I wanted to pass,'' King said. ``... ``Let me see the data to support the charge that there's a lot of frivolous litigation,'' Richard Grosso of the Environmental and Land Use Attorneys Center said.
Copyright  © 2001 Tampa Tribune / Associated Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGA7ORP0AMC.html
http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/friday/news_10.html

Legislator sends `manure-gram'

Frustrated by defeat in the nursing home battle, Rep. Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon, responded with a ``manure-gram'' that may topple her from Republican leadership. Argenziano was attacked in ads by the nursing home group this year. ``I was appalled,'' said Jodi Chase, the manure recipient and a lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, a powerful business group retained by the nursing home industry to help it lobby for protection from lawsuits. ``I can't help it,'' said Argenziano. ``When I think of Jodi Chase, I think of cow manure.'' ... Argenziano was the only Republican in the Republican-dominated House to cast a no vote. ...the nursing home bill passed by a 112-8 vote Wednesday on its way to becoming law by the end of the month. 
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.  Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.  Copyright  © 2001 Tampa Tribune / Associated Press  All rights reserved.
http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAVZ5FX9MC.html
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGATF95T9MC.html
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/florida/digdocs/102410.htm
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/florida/d628014a.htm

Legislature: Speed bumps, softball complexes real meat of state budget

.... if Leon County wants any of the $458.5 million slated for road construction, it must remove the "road impediments" — speed bumps — that slow drivers down as they drive [on a short cut] to the Tallahassee airport. Senate President John McKay thought the condition was a good idea. "I think when you want a community to do something, to be effective, you tie it to funding," said McKay, R-Bradenton. "I personally don't like speed bumps." He was put off a little that the matter was questioned. It also has to change the name of the Tallahassee/Leon County Civic Center back to its old name, the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Tucker, a former House speaker, is McKay's uncle-in-law. ... Gov. Jeb Bush said before that he doesn't like projects that don't have statewide impact. He's also vetoed local projects in each of his first two years. As for the speed bumps in
Leon County, they don't bother the governor. He avoids the street. "When I go to the airport, I go around. I take the old route," Bush said. "I don't slow down."                                                   Copyright  © 2001 Naples News  All rights reserved.
http://www.naplesnews.com/01/05/florida/d626746a.htm\
 

Senate, House at Odds Over Career Service Overhaul (AP)

The Senate refused to go as far as the House in reducing job protection for  most state employees in a Career Service system overhaul it passed 33-7 Wednesday. ... Eight of the 15 Senate Democrats joined all 25 Republicans in voting for Garcia's bill. Some Democrats said they voted for it only because they dislike the House version even more. Senate Majority Leader Jim King, R-Jacksonville, said they could still vote against the legislation when a negotiated version returns for a final vote. At least one Republican, however, said he, too, may vote against the bill if Senate negotiators cave in.  "I used to be a state employee many years ago," said Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Palm Harbor. Latvala said he thought every group of employees should be treated the same, but pointed out the House bill exempts highway patrol troopers and other law enforcement officers. "My way of looking at it is they exempted law enforcement personnel because they have a strong lobby up here, because they support many of us," he said.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAGIFNG9MC.html
http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/florida/digdocs/102894.htm
 

 

01-May-01

Glades cleanup deadlines extended

Judge William Hoeveler made it clear he felt court scrutiny was still necessary, despite overhauled state laws, ongoing construction of vast filtration ponds and an $8 billion state-federal plan to replumb and restore the struggling system.
Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.

Aquifer injection scuttled

Thousands of residents have called, written or e-mailed lawmakers urging them to reconsider.  

Public opposition has killed a bill that would have allowed pumping untreated water into the state's aquifer, a startling turnaround for a measure that passed both the House and Senate by wide margins earlier in the legislative session.  Two weeks ago the bill seemed certain to become law. But on Monday two of the bill's leading supporters, Gov. Jeb Bush and state Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, said they will withdraw the aquifer-storage proposal from further consideration.  Bush said he did not want to subject his allies to the "distorted" political fallout that would result if the bill passed. Pruitt, the bill's Senate sponsor, blamed environmental "extremists" for its demise.  "Hysteria prevailed over science," Pruitt said.  However, one of the few senators to vote against the bill, Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite, said Monday's announcement shows how powerful the people's voice can be. Thousands had called, written or e-mailed lawmakers who voted for the bill, urging them to reconsider, she said.  "To now see this turnaround is very, very refreshing," Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, said. "This is what our democracy is all about."
Copyright  © 2001 St. Petersburg Times  All rights reserved.

 

08-March-01

Utilities fight water rules
Limits on development raise objections

South Florida's utilities are balking at pending state rules to protect the Everglades, warning they could jack up consumer costs and force building moratoriums over the coming decades.  Miami-Dade County utility directors consider the potential impact on grand suburban expansion plans so sweeping they are asking the County Commission today to pass a resolution urging that the South Florida Water Management District put the rules, already nearly 30 years overdue, on indefinite hold.  ``This is a very, very critical rule,'' said Jorge Rodriguez, assistant director of Miami-Dade's Water and Sewer Department. ``In the case of Miami-Dade County, we'd have to wait 20 years for the water we need.''  Environmentalists scoff, saying the rules help ensure survival of water resources. They contend that booming urban communities, even in the face of a historic drought and a monumental $8 billion federal and state plan to restore the Everglades, refuse to confront the reality of a limited water supply.
 Copyright  © 2001 Miami Herald  All rights reserved.

 

  Press Releases/News media

 

  Litigation

28-August-01

(Filed on 08-Feb-01)

BARLEY vs. SFWMD

The Supreme Court of Florida accepts jurisdiction and sets calendar for oral argument 
Case No.: SC00-1998 Lower Tribunal No.: 5D98-3178

MARY BARLEY, ETC., ET AL. vs. SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT Petitioners Respondents

ORDER ACCEPTING JURISDICTION AND SETTING ORAL ARGUMENT

The Court has accepted jurisdiction of this case and will hear oral argument at 9:00 a.m. TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2001. A maximum of TWENTY minutes to the side is allowed, but counsel is expected to use only so much of that time as is necessary. Petitioners' brief on the merits shall be served on or before MARCH 5, 2001; Respondent's brief on the merits shall be served 20 days after service of petitioners' brief on the merits; and petitioners' reply brief on the merits shall be served 20 days after service of respondent's brief on the merits. Please file an original and seven copies of all briefs. UNLESS BRIEFS ARE TIMELY FILED, THE PRIVILEGE OF ORAL ARGUMENT WILL BE FORFEITED. The Clerk of the District Court of Appeal, FIFTH District, shall file the original record on or before MARCH 26, 2001. NO CONTINUANCES WILL BE GRANTED EXCEPT UPON A SHOWING OF EXTREME HARDSHIP.

HARDING, ANSTEAD, PARIENTE AND QUINCE, JJ., concur. LEWIS, J., dissents.

[signed] Thomas D. Hall Clerk, Supreme Court

Served: HON. FRANK J. HABERSHAW, CLECK JON MILS PAUL L. NETTLETON REBECCA O'HARA RICHARD A. KELLER RUTH P. CLEMENTS WILLIAM L. HYDE

Notes:

The above notice is posted here in pdf download format under February 2001: http://www.flcourts.org/sct/clerk/Review%20Granted/index.html

Fifth District Court of Appeal opinions are not online.
To watch/hear oral arguments live: http://wfsu.org/gavel2gavel/

  Legislation

  New Bills

Senate action:

 

•  Search Thomas 

  Congressional Testimony

 

 

  Regulations


  Case Law


  Law Review Articles

March 2001

Alligators and Litigators : A Recent History of Everglades Regulation and Litigation
by Keith W. Rizzardi

To many Florida lawyers, litigation in the Everglades seems as old as the Everglades itself. Its history can be traced back to the 1800s when Hamilton Disston and Henry Flagler were draining, dredging, and filling Florida's land while fighting in the courts with shareholders, speculators, and state land administrators.  The modern history of litigation in the Everglades is dominated by agricultural interests, environmental interest groups, the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, and state and federal agencies. Along the way, important precedents have been created, affecting the Everglades as well as Florida administrative and environmental law in general.

Copyright  © 2001  The Florida Bar Journal 

  Reports

10-May-01

Florida Forever Work Plan

http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wsd/cerp/forever.pdf
(182 pages, 3 MB download file)

In 1999, the Florida Forever program was created, which authorized the issuance of bonds in an amount not to exceed $3 billion for acquisitions of land and water areas. This revenue is to be used for restoration, conservation, recreation, water resource development, historical preservation and capital improvements to such land and water areas. This program is intended to accomplish environmental restoration, enhance public access and recreational enjoyment, promote long-term management goals, and facilitate water resource development.

Water management districts are required to create a five-year plan that identifies projects meeting specific criteria. In developing their project lists, each district is to integrate its surface water improvement and management plans, Save Our Rivers land acquisition lists, stormwater management projects, proposed water resource development projects, proposed water body restoration projects, and other properties or activities that would assist in meeting the goals of Florida Forever.  The initial plan must be submitted by June 1, 2001 to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. By January 1 of each year thereafter, each district must then report on acquisitions completed during the year, as well as modifications or additions to its five-year work plan.  The plans will also include the status of funding, staffing and resource management for every project funded for which the district is responsible.

Thirty-five percent of the Florida Forever bond proceeds are distributed annually to FDEP for land acquisition and capital expenditures in order to implement the priority lists submitted by the water management districts.  A minimum of fifty percent of the funding is to be used for land acquisition.  The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) annual net share is $33,075,000. The Everglades Restoration Investment Act, Section 373.470(5)(b), F.S., mandates that for ten consecutive years, $25M of this funding is to be used to implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Since approximately 75 percent of the Florida Forever funding that the SFWMD will receive will be dedicated to CERP, CERP is a major focus of the SFWMD Florida Forever Workplan.  This work plan describes specific projects that will be eligible for Florida Forever funding in the FY2001 - 2005 period. It is arranged in sections that correspond to the regions described in the August, 2000 CERP Master Program Management Plan. Additionally, it includes projects for which the SFWMD expects to seek reimbursement through Florida Forever in fiscal year 200: the Western C-11 Diversion Impoundment and Canal (Cell 11), C-43 Basin Storage Reservoir, and Kissimmee River Restoration.

See the SFWMD's Florida Forever Work Plan
http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wsd/cerp/forever.pdf

 

 

Committee on Restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem

 Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan: A Critique of the Pilot Projects and Related Plans for ASR in the Lake Okeechobee and Western Hillsboro Areas.  A federal law enacted in December calls for a multi-billion dollar effort to restore the Florida Everglades' natural ecosystem. This report offers advice on restoration pilot projects that would involve storing excess surface water underground and pumping it back up for use during droughts.

Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan: A Critique of the Pilot Projects and Related Plans for ASR in the Lake Okeechobee and Western Hillsboro Areas

Copyright  © 2000 National Academies  All rights reserved.

 

  Research


01-Nov--00

Missing Pieces in Ecosystem Restoration: The Case of the Florida Everglades   
Economic Systems Research, VoL 12, No. 3, 2000
RICHARD WEISSKOFF
(Received January 1999; revised November 1999)

ABSTRACT The largest ecosystem restoration in the world-a $7.8 billion rescue package-is now beginning in the Florida Everglades. This paper examines both the economic impact of the restoration itself and those pieces that are 'missing' from the official project analysis; namely, increased tourism, urban construction, in-migration, and changing agricultural patterns. These pieces comprise a variety of scenarios that are tested for a 45 year planning period with an augmented input-output model derived from a regional SAM. The new output and employment generated by the 'missing pieces', which are small relative to the vast economic base of the region, do represent a considerable increase over the annual growth, especially by the year 2045. We conclude with a discussion of ways in which a growing regional economy might be reconciled with ecosystem restoration.


  Conferences, Hearings 

19, 20-Feb-01

22-Mar-01

All Eyes on Florida: Revitalizing, Restoring and Revisiting
The seventh annual public interest environmental conference

University Conference Center Doubletree
Gainesville, FL
March 22-24, 2001

This student-run conference brings together diverse interests to take part in panels discussing a multitude of environmental issues. This form of interaction allows the parties to develop understanding and even cooperation on difficult environmental conflicts that may otherwise be impossible.   The University of Florida College of Law's Environmental and Land Use Law Society in cooperation with the Florida Bar

05-Sep-01

Wetlands and Remediation: The Second International Conference

Background: In November, 1999, Battelle Memorial Institute, a not-for-profit research organization based in Columbus, Ohio, sponsored and organized a wetlands and remediation conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, that brought together more than 300 wetlands and remediation experts to discuss common issues related to cleaning up contaminated wetlands and using wetlands (both natural and constructed) for treating contaminated ground-, surface-, and wastewater. Based on the success of that meeting, Battelle is pleased to announce that Wetlands and Remediation: The Second International Conference will be held September
5-6, 2001, at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington, Vermont.

Organization: Karl Nehring of Battelle (614/424-6510, nehringk@battelle.org), Conference Chairman, will be responsible for coordinating the development of the technical program. Carol Young (614/424-7604, youngc@battelle.org) will be the Conference Coordinator, responsible for scheduling, correspondence, and issues involving abstract and manuscript submittal and preparation. The Conference Group (800/783-6338, conferencegroup@compuserve.com) of Columbus, Ohio, is
handling the meeting logistics.

Format: After an opening plenary session, there will be multiple platform sessions (two or three concurrent tracks), and a poster session on Wednesday evening. Speakers at the Plenary Session will include Dr. Jean-Paul Schwitzguebel of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Dr. Barry Warner of the University of Waterloo (current vice president of the Society of Wetland Scientists) and Dr. John Pardue of Louisiana State University.

Sponsorship: Battelle is the sponsor and organizer, and we are hoping to add co-sponsors for the 2001 conference. Parsons Engineering Science, Morrison Knudsen Corporation, the U.S. DoD Environmental Security Technical Certification Program/Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, and the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command were co-sponsors of the 1999 Conference. Organizations interested in co-sponsoring the 2001 Conference should contact The Conference Group.

Participating Organizations: Organizations committed to helping with publicity for the conference and encouraging participation should contact The Conference Group at 800/783-6338. Participating organizations for the 1999 meeting included The Center for Wetlands and Riparian Design (University of Utah), Environmental Business Journal, the USDA NRCS Wetlands Science Institute, the University of Florida Center for Wetlands, The Michigan State University Institute of Water
Research, the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park (The Ohio State University), The Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences/Coastal
Ecology Institute (Louisiana State University), The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Laboratory, the Utah Water Research Laboratory (Utah State University), the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the New York State Wetlands Forum.

Exhibitors: Companies or organizations interested in having an exhibit booth at the conference should contact The Conference Group at 800/783-6338.

Schedule: The Call for Abstracts will be mailed in November 2000; the deadline for submitting abstracts will be March 5, 2001. Once the program has been finalized and accepted presenters have been sent acceptance letters, a preliminary program will be mailed. 

Proceedings: A proceedings volume will be prepared and then published by Battelle Press and mailed to registrants shortly after the conference. Proceedings papers will be optional but strongly encouraged from all presenters, both platform and poster. Authors wishing to have their papers appear in the proceedings will be requested to provide camera-ready copies of their papers by July 13.

Registration: Because registration fees are by far the major source of funding for the conference and a significant percentage of registrants will make presentations, all presenting authors and session chairs are expected to register and pay the standard fees.  Potential topics for this conference include:

- Natural Attenuation in Wetlands
- Biological and Ecological Considerations
- Risk-Based Wetlands Remediation
- Regulatory Trends 
- Economic Factors in Wetlands Remediation and Restoration 
- Wetlands Hydrology and Morphology 
- Wetlands Microbial Ecology 
- Phytoremediation and Macrophytes in Wetlands 
- Wetlands for the Remediation and Treatment of Wastewater 
- Wetlands Treatment of Contaminated Sediments 
- GIS and Remediation 
- Innovative Technologies for Wetlands Investigations 
- Non-point Source Pollution and Agricultural Runoff 
- Redox Processes in Wetlands 
- Contaminant Fate and Environmentally Acceptable Endpoints 
- Wetlands Design and Construction 
- Creating Wetlands using Dredge Spoils 
- Wetlands Restoration and Mitigation 
- Explosives and Wetlands 
- Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Wetlands 
- Mine Waste Considerations 
- Metals and Inorganics in Wetlands 
- Perchlorate-Contaminated Wetlands 
- Groundwater/Surface Water Interfaces

  Links

27-May-01 

USC list of law journals
http://www.usc.edu/dept/law-lib/legal/journals.html

St. Thomas Law School
http://www.stu.edu/lawschool/index.htm

Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center 
http://www.nsulaw.nova.edu/

Florida Coastal School of Law 
http://www.fcsl.edu/
 
University of Florida Levin College of Law 
http://www.law.ufl.edu/

Florida State University College of Law 
http://www.law.fsu.edu/

Stetson University College of Law 
http://www.law.stetson.edu/

Columbia Online Style: MLA-Style Citations of Electronic Sources 
Citation styles developed by Janice Walker (University of South Florida) and endorsed by the Alliance for Computers and Writing (ACW).
http://enlishttu.edu/acw

Yahoo listings for "Internet Citation" - Links to several online citation Web sites http://www.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Linguistics_and_Human_Languages/Languages/English/

Yahoo listings for Writing for the Web
Collection of cites with general advice about writing and publishing online
http://www.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Communications/Writing/Writing_for_the_Web/

25-May-01 


Link:  Legal 

Florida Supreme Court Briefs and Opinions
Florida State University College of Law web site
http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/index.html

Link:  Educational

Expedition Everglades   

Journey into the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration: Learn how we are rescuing our "River of Grass." Discover our plan to preserve this wondrous place   
(Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science educational program, 3/01)                http://www.mods.org/education5.htm 

 

03-April-01 

Link:  Organizations (Federal Government)

U.S. Geological Survey

Geological Survey activities in connection with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP: General information, vision statement, team members and program coordinator
http://fl.water.usgs.gov/CERP/cerp.html

Recent USGS water resources publications about Florida
http://fl.water.usgs.gov/recentpubs.html

U.S. Geological Survey, Florida District
http://fl.water.usgs.gov

 

Links:  Ecology (Advocacy) links

The Last Noah’s Ark

Brazil

What is it?
The environmental program The Last Noah’s Ark is result of years of studies of his idealizer Antonio Silveira Ribeiro dos Santos in natural history and environmental area. Created in August 1995 and registered at 7th notary public office of São Paulo (n0 249.836). Author rights register n0 106.123, book 158, pages 418.

The Purposes
• Conscious about the necessity of nature’s preservation and conservation;
• Development of studies for an effective protection of species and main ecosystern;
• Promoting environmental education at all levels;
• Improving the quality of global life;
• Supplying subvention for the improvement of Environment’s Rights.

What makes the difference?
It is a program created and developed by a person who puts together concerned people with the same idea and an equal participation, without obedience. It is not an ONG.
The program does not accept any direct monetary help. Eventually the interested people may collaborate by lending goods to the program.

http://www.aultimaarcadenoe.com/indexingles.htm

 

08-March-01

Legal (Academic Organizations) links

Florida State University
The Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center (FREAC) 

Established in 1969, is the original center within the Institute of Science and Public Affairs (ISPA) at Florida State University (FSU). FREAC professionals conduct research in the general areas of resource management and environmental analysis, as well as provide advice and technical assistance to state and local agencies. Public lands research and analysis, geographic information system development, and graphic representation of digital databases are current and long-range FREAC research interests. FREAC also trains university students in these areas through direct involvement in projects, providing real-world experiences.

             •   FREAC - Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center  

08-March-01

Water Resources Atlas of Florida (1998) Florida State University Editors:
Edward A. Fernald and Elizabeth D. Purdum

Library of Congress Catalog Number 98-072985
ISBN 0-9606708-2-3

Complete update and revision of the widely acclaimed 1984 atlas. The comprehensive reference on Florida's water resources and their management.  Hundreds of full-color maps, photos, charts, and graphs.  Contributors are from U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Water Management Districts of Florida and universities. Information on purchasing the Water Resources Atlas of Florida and other publications can be obtained here:
http://www.freac.fsu.edu/atlases.html

Section I: Introduction

1 Water Issues: Global, National, State, Ecosystem

Section II: Florida's Water Resources

2 Weather and Climate
3 Groundwater
4 Surface Water
5 Natural Systems
6 Water Use
7 Water Quality

Section III: Management and Regional Diversity

 8 History of Water Management
 9 Northwest Florida Water Management District
10 Suwanee River Water Management District
11 St. Johns River Water Management District
12 Southwest Florida Water Management District
13 South Florida Water Management District

Section IV: Issues and Conflicts

14 Water Economics and Finance
15 Law and Policy in Managing Water Resources

Illustration Examples

Photo album (direct links below)
http://www.photoloft.com/view/Album.asp?s=plft&u=71267&a=967559

Florida topography (light-to-dark)
0-50-100-150-200-250-300 feet above sea level
http://www.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=plft&u=71267&a=967559&i=6417964

Florida wetlands (1989)
http://www.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=plft&u=71267&a=967559&i=6417973

Florida water management districts
http://www.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=plft&u=71267&a=967559&i=6417973

More illustrations can be seen here:
http://www.evergladesvillage.net/atlas_of_fla/atlas.html

 

10-Feb-01

The American Association of Law Libraries

The American Association of Law Libraries was founded in 1906 to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the legal and public communities, to foster the profession of law librarianship, and to provide leadership in the field of legal information.

Today, with over 4,800 members, the Association represents law librarians and related professionals who are affiliated with a wide range of institutions: law firms; law schools; corporate legal departments; courts; and local, state and federal government agencies.

http://www.aallnet.org/

SEAALL

the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries.  SEAALL is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in Florida with the purposes of promoting law librarianship and developing and increasing the usefulness of law libraries, particularly those in the Southeastern area of the United States.

SEAALL was originally established in 1954 -- an expansion of the Carolinas Chapter (established in 1939 as AALL's first chapter).   Today our membership is over 500 strong, representing law librarians from the private sector, the government, academia, and more. For more on the history of SEAALL, please see From the SEAALL Attic, by Hazel Johnson. A continuing mission for SEAALL has always been to provide educational services for its members.  This is primarily accomplished through the many educational offerings at our annual meeting and through instructive articles, pathfinders, and bibliographies in our newsletter, The Southeastern Law Librarian.

http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/seaall/index.shtml

 

06-Feb-01

•  Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Ramsar and Wetlands International 1999 Directory of Wetlands of International Importance

Web directory