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WEST PALM BEACH - As environmental leaders
celebrate Florida Forever Day in Tallahassee, the South
Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced
that the state has acquired more than 99 percent of the
land needed to complete Acceler8 – Florida’s
initiative to speed up eight vital Everglades
restoration projects. To date, Florida has invested more
than $744 million to acquire more than 124,000 acres to
complete critical restoration projects over seven years.
“Land acquisition is essential to complete the
largest environmental restoration project in the
nation,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “By moving forward
aggressively to acquire the remaining land, we are
reaffirming Florida’s commitment to the restoration of
America’s Everglades.”
Governor Charlie Crist has made Everglades
restoration a priority for the Fiscal Year 2007-08
budget by recommending $100 million for the Save Our
Everglades Trust Fund, $50 million for the restoration
of Lake Okeechobee as well as $40 million to protect the
health of the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries.
Announced in October 2004, Acceler8 is stepping up
the pace of funding, design and construction to complete
eight Everglades restoration projects over seven years.
The projects will restore 100,000 acres of wetlands,
expand water treatment areas by close to 29,000 acres
and provide 428,000 acre-feet of additional water
storage a decade ahead of schedule. Six of the eight
Acceler8 projects are already underway, such as the C-44
St. Lucie Canal Reservoir/Stormwater Treatment Area, the
Acme Basin B Discharge Project and the Everglades
Agricultural Area Reservoir.
“Restoring the Everglades is a massive program
covering hundreds of thousands of acres, and it is
critical to secure the land needed at a fair price,”
said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole. “The vast effort by
the State and South Florida Water Management District to
acquire land quickly is advancing restoration and
leading to the long-term recovery of America’s
Everglades.”
In addition, more than 200,000 acres have been
acquired – or 55 percent of the land needed – to
implement the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
(CERP), the state-federal partnership forged to restore
America’s Everglades. Of that, the SFWMD has acquired
more than 199,000 acres, or approximately 52 percent of
the total needed, with state financial assistance of
approximately $740 million from the Save Our Everglades
Trust Fund.
For the past two years, the State purchased an
average of more than 23,000 acres annually to ensure of
the success of the projects. Since 2001, the State of
Florida has allocated more than $1 billion towards land
acquisition. Other Everglades land acquisition
milestones in 2006 include:
- A 12,000-acre purchase, made by the SFWMD in
conjunction with Martin County, to construct the C-44
(St. Lucie Canal) Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment
Area. This Acceler8 initiative will capture and treat
runoff from the 116,516-acre C-44 basin in Martin
County, decreasing flows into the St. Lucie Estuary and
improving water quality.
- Completion of the total
102,061-acre land acquisition needed to finish the
Kissimmee River Restoration. The SFWMD also celebrated
the successful completion of a decade-long negotiation
with Lykes Brothers, Inc, ultimately resulting in the
need for 9,000 fewer acres for the Kissimmee River
Restoration Project.
- The acquisition of 4,726 acres for
the Lake Okeechobee Fast Track Project to capture stormwater runoff north of Lake Okeechobee and treat it
before entering the lake.
“Because South Florida property values continue to
rise so quickly, our strategic focus on early land
acquisition is saving hundreds of millions of dollars
and ensuring that property is available for use in these
critical environmental projects,” said SFWMD Executive
Director Carol Ann Wehle. “Aided by both state and
federal funding sources, the South Florida Water
Management District’s land acquisition efforts are ahead
of schedule, and we look forward to sustaining this
momentum into 2007 and beyond.”
Florida has forged ahead to implement the $10.9
billion, state-federal Comprehensive Everglades
Restoration Plan, one of the largest environmental
restoration programs in history. Since 2000, Florida has
invested more than $2 billion of the committed $3.3
billion through the end of the decade to clean up and
restore the famed River of Grass.
For more information on Acceler8, please visit
www.evergladesnow.org. For more information on CERP,
please visit
www.evergladesplan.org.
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