Dear Friend,

A revealing exchange played out during a congressional hearing last week — and it explains a lot about the special interests that manipulate Florida’s water-management system to the detriment of our estuaries and Everglades.

It happened Thursday when U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who represents the Florida Bay region, asked five congressional witnesses a simple question:

Tell that to Floridians whose health has been threatened by toxic algae blooms discharged from Lake Okeechobee. Tell that to water-dependent business owners who took a crushing hit during “Toxic 2018.” Tell that to Keys fishing guides who have suffered as seagrass died due to too little freshwater reaching Florida Bay.

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What does it say when only one major stakeholder thinks we’re managing Lake Okeechobee the right way? It says we need to shake up the system. Thursday’s virtual hearing of a subcommittee of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee was useful because it put a national spotlight on the excruciatingly slow progress of Everglades restoration — and the continued threat of toxic algae blooms that menace Floridians.

But a spotlight alone won’t spur change. Progress requires relentless advocacy and education.

Real change will only come if we call out the powerful corporations that stand to benefit most from controlling Lake Okeechobee’s water supply. Chief among them: giant sugarcane growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

That’s why Friends of the Everglades merged with Bullsugar Alliance last year — to be a more effective counterforce to Big Sugar and its allies. It’s in keeping with the philosophy of Friends of the Everglades founder Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who was a vocal critic of the sugar industry’s outsized influence. She famously attacked the industry for dumping its drainage water into natural areas "along with all the pesticides, fertilizers, dead cats and old boots."

Since Marjory’s time, Big Sugar has been forced by litigation to clean up its water flowing south — and taxpayers pay millions of dollars every year to help manage the Stormwater Treatment Areas that clean sugar’s runoff. 

But the industry’s pollution of our politics is unabated.

It’s not easy or comfortable standing up to giant corporations with deep pockets. But we’re committed to the fight. And we need your help to sustain it.

Friends of the Everglades submitted written testimony for Thursday’s congressional hearing, zooming in on two key points:

1. Lake Okeechobee’s water must be managed in the interest of human health. 
2. The EAA Reservoir south of the lake must be big enough, and effective enough, to provide meaningful relief to the entire Everglades ecosystem.

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You are receiving this message because you are a supporter of Bullsugar.org. If you would like to support our scrappy, dedicated crew at Friends of the Everglades, please make a tax-deductible donation today. 

We hope you will stand with us as we work to keep them honest.

For the Everglades,

Eve Samples

Executive Director   

P.S. This Thursday we’ll speak with the Miami Waterkeeper and other featured guests about the recent fish kill in Biscayne Bay. We hope you’ll join us for a Clean Water Conversation.