Category Archives: environmental

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD Board of Governors: Rick Barber: Welcome to Waterworld!

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD  Board of Governors : Rick Barber: Welcome to Waterworld!

gb_bcb_portrait_barber_small gb_map_fbarber_en

[Term: 3/2015 – 3/2019

Lee, Collier, Hendry and Charlotte counties

Appointed by:
Governor Rick Scott

Original Appointments:

  • March 2013
    (SFWMD Board)
  • November 2011
    (Big Cypress Basin Board)


Occupation:
Civil Engineer and Chief Executive Officer, Agnoli, Barber & Brundage Inc.

Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:

  • Secretary, CREW Trust Executive Committee
  • Member, National Society of Professional Engineers
  • Member, Florida Engineering Society
  • Member, American Water Resources Association
  • Member, Urban Land Institute
  • Member, Florida Stormwater Association
  • Member, American Society of Civil Engineers
  • Member, Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers


District-Related Committees:

  • Member, Project & Lands Committee
Barber, 66, of Bonita Springs, is the chief executive officer of Agnoli, Barber & Brundage. He has served on the Department of Environmental Protection’s statewide stormwater rule technical advisory committee, the budget finance committee of the SFWMD and the Lee County land stewardship acquisition committee. Barber, a Navy veteran, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida.
So I found this report from 2007 and no report since then.
“The discharge of stormwater within the Stat
e of Florida has been subject to regulation
since the early 1980s to prevent pollution of Wate
rs of the State and to protect the designated
beneficial uses of surface waters. Currently, st
ormwater management is regulated at the State
level by the Florida Department of Environmen
tal Protection (FDEP), at the regional level by
water management districts, and at the local level by local governments.”
”

The analyses summarized in this report
are based primarily upon mass loadings of
nitrogen and phosphorus. Although other constituen
ts are commonly present in stormwater
runoff, such as suspended solids, BOD, and h
eavy metals, nutrients are the most significant
parameters linked to water quality impairment
within the State of Florida today. Other
significant pollutants can often be removed from
stormwater more easily than nutrients, and as a
result, design criteria which provide the desired
removal efficiencies for nutrients will likely
achieve equal or better removal efficiencies for other constituents.”
“Based upon the language outlined above, all
stormwater management systems designed within the
State of Florida must “achieve at least 80% reduction of the annual average load of pollutants that
would cause or contribute to violations of state water quality standards”.
 This statement forms the
minimum basis for all stormwater design criteria within the State of Florida”
let me repeat
“Based upon the language outlined above, all
stormwater management systems designed within the
State of Florida must “achieve at least 80% reduction of the annual average load of pollutants that
would cause or contribute to violations of state water quality standards”.
 This statement forms the
minimum basis for all stormwater design criteria within the State of Florida”
wow.
Stormwater
So I refer you back to this.
Stormwater management is a big deal and according to the employees of SFWMD they couldn’t even deal with another Issac situation never mind a Katrina Situation.  But I’m sure if something bad happens they will do what they always do they will blame it on the ACOE.
It’s time to stop the circle jerk and have assurances that if something bad happens we are not going to float away.
or we could just blame it on Obama like Rick Scott (Who blames the federal government and then when they try to do something good and right for our citizens refuses it.)
Blaming “inaction” by the Army Corps of Engineers for the lake flooding threats and the polluting discharges, Scott called for an immediate influx of federal spending on strengthening the lake’s dike and in backlogged Everglades restoration projects that are supposed to create alternatives for dumping lake water to the east and west
Let’s bring it on home to its deja vu all over again.

The green ooze of algae blooms, fleeing fish and no-swimming warnings: Welcome to South Florida’s flood-control dumping grounds.

How quickly we forget.

Big Sugar Summit Buy your tickets now

bigsugarsummit

Thanks to the Sierra Club, Florida

@SierraClubFL

Buy Your Tickets Here Now!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-sugar-summit-tickets-16963454148

he Big Sugar Summit will pull the curtain back on the sugar industry. We’ll dig as deep into the muck as we can, in one day, to uncover just how profoundly Big Sugar affects us all. You’ll get the facts regarding the sugar industry’s influence and impact on Florida and its citizens. Our speakers will represent a wide spectrum of the political, academic, scientific and advocacy realms.
The following topics will be covered:

History of Big Sugar in the EAA

Sugar’s impact on the Everglades

Sugar burning practice and impacts

Health impacts

State-level political influence

Federal-level political influence

U.S. Sugar Program

Local economy in the EAA

Sugar Hill Sector Plan

A full agenda and speaker list will be available soon.

Note:  There will be a social hour immediately after the program.

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD Board of Govenors: Kevin Powers: Friends and Neighbors

@SFWMD

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20about%20us/governing%20board

“The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.

 

Kevin Powers
Vice Chair
[Term: 5/2013 – 3/2017]

gb_portrait_kpowers_small

At-large member for an area that includes St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

gb_map_kpowers_en

Occupation: Partner, Indiantown Realty Corp

Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:
•
Director, Stuart Martin County Chamber of Commerce
•
Member, Indiantown Western Martin County Chamber
of Commerce
•
Former Director, United Way of Martin County

Former Vice President and Director, Martin County
Taxpayers Association
–
Former Director, Economic Council of Martin County

http://www.mceconomy.org/p/7/board-committee-leaders

and this was part of their objectives

Economic Council’s 2015 Legislative Delegation Strategic Priorities

collapse
Martin County Legislative Delegation
Monday, December 8, 2014

  

A. Waterways & the Environment
  1. Support continued funding to store, clean and move more water south from Lake Okeechobee, rather than having it discharged to tide through our estuary.  Recognize that CERP and CEPP projects need to be consistently funded until their completion.  Note that all projects help to protect the environment while providing Jobs and Economic benefit to all communities in South Florida.

A while back I wrote a piece about Kevin.

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/03/20/kevin-powers-were-your-best-friends-us-hahahahahaaaa/

I wrote that A few weeks before  Kevin Powers called Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch and asked about the Solidarity Fish.

DSC_0036

http://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/2015/02/24/helping-the-sfwmd-catch-a-fish-solidarity-st-lucie-riverindian-river-lagoon/

I wrote that Janeen was kind enough to give him some fish to bring to Tallahassee and he was going speak to some people on our behalf. So for five minutes we were hopeful.

It must must have been quite a trip because he came back and told us that RIck Scott, The legislature and SFWMD was our best friends. So where did the fish go? Did he just say this because some people wanted some for their desk? Did some people take the fish and then say FU to all of us? What happened in Tallahassee?

You can hear it for yourself.

The last meeting I went to I honestly thought I could a glimpse of  human  being on his and others faces when I asked them what was their plan to stop the discharges. Kevin spoke about being a kid on the Indian River Lagoon and going to Boy Scout Island.

He must have gotten something really good in Tallahassee. Something better than saving our drinking water, saving South Florida from salt water intrusion, recharging the aquifers, stopping the toxic discharges.

He lives here. He can’t even run away from the damage that he has done. And during this whole time he couldn’t call his friends? He couldn’t call his neighbors and say “Hey, this is what the story is. But you know what let’s figure something out. Let’s a find a solution for the pollution!”

I totally understand people having a difference of opinion. But I also expect when people are in charge and there is a problem they find solutions and they don’t play games. We have had nothing but games played. Us. The citizens of Martin County. Your friends and neighbors.

kant2

kant

My Dad always told me to be a good friend and neighbor.  Here are 10 worse neighbors in movies.

http://listverse.com/2008/03/02/top-10-worst-neighbours-in-movies/

http://screenrant.com/bad-neighbors-movies/

What we need is a good neighbor. Someone who is concerned about us, our economy, our water, our real estate, our welfare.

We need to have a neighbor like Wilson.

or even these guys.

than this guy

Carter Hayes (played by Michael Keaton) moves in to an apartment in a nice townhouse in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights then refuses to pay rent. Not only that, he locks himself in his room and begins to tear the place apart. Then he begins introducing thousands of cockroaches in to the house! His aim? To make the house unlivable so the owners are forced to move out of it and sell it.

And I have to wonder- is this whats happening  to us?

Get to Know Know Your SFWMD Board of Govenors: Daniel O’Keefe and Festivus

@SFWMD

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20about%20us/governing%20board

“The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.

The South Florida Water Management District encompasses two major watershed basins, the Okeechobee Basin and the Big Cypress Basin. The Big Cypress Basin also has a Basin Board, with appointed members setting policy. One Governing Board member also serves as the chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board.

The Governing Board appoints the Executive Director, who directs all South Florida Water Management District activities. The Florida Senate confirms this candidate.”

gb_map_dokeefe_en gb_portrait_dokeefe_small

Daniel O’Keefe
Chair
[Term: 5/2012 – 3/2016]
dokeefe@sfwmd.gov

Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties

Education:

  • J.D., with honors – University of Florida College of Law
  • B.S. in Business Administration, Business & Finance – University of Florida

Occupation:
Attorney with Shutts and Bowen LLP

Professional, Business and Service Affiliations:

  • Board Member, Smart Growth Alliance
  • Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee
  • Member, West Orange Chamber of Commerce
  • President, West Orange Political Alliance
  • Former Member, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council

From wikipedia:

“Shutts & Bowen LLP is an Am Law 200 Florida-based law firm with over 240 attorneys in seven offices in the State of Florida and one office in Europe. Shutts & Bowen was founded in 1910. Frank B. Shutts came to Miami in 1909 and became the legal representative of Henry M. Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway Company. In 1910 he formed a professional association with Henry F. Atkinson. In 1912 Crate D. Bowen joined the firm which settled on the name Shutts and Bowen in 1919. In 1910 Shutts organized the Miami Herald Publishing Company and was its President and principal stockholder.[2] Shutts and Bowen is among the List of largest U.S. law firms by number of lawyers. Its offices are located in the Florida cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Tampa,[3] and Tallahassee. Its Tallahassee office is headed by Bobby Brantley.[4] According to statistics submitted to American Lawyer, Shutts & Bowen recorded $127.5 million in revenue for the year 2012 with profits per partner averaging $682,000.”

http://www.floridatrend.com/article/15847/water-challenges

“Daniel O’Keefe, a real estate attorney in the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen, is the new chairman of the South Florida Water Management District, the state agency that oversees water resources in the Everglades and 16 counties.”

What he wanted to do when he started.

Our runoff from (Orlando’s) Shingle Creek makes it to the Kissimmee chain and Lake Okeechobee, and that’s ultimately got to be cleansed. Storing more on private and public lands during the wet season, rather than just flushing it out — that’s been a successful and effective strategy, paying for that storage instead of just buying more land.

» Two other items also are a focus of mine: An assessment of lands — the district owns something like 1.4 million acres. We really need to take a serious look at that and ask ourselves, ‘Is it serving its purpose?’ If some is not, and we’re just paying to own it, should it be (sold as) surplus? We could take the money and find better ways to use those dollars. And the last thing is water supply. Just how much do we have? From all sources, surface, aquifer and alternatives such as reuse and desal, and what about the next 30 to 40 years? We expect to have a draft water-supply plan by September.

He puts out a report. You can read it here.

http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/common/newsr/enews/ripple/code/pages/ripple_index.html#article02

“Recognizing that a healthy ecosystem is vital to a healthy economy, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is making significant progress on dozens of initiatives and projects to improve water quality and increase storage.

“The most effective way to achieve restoration is by completing the host of projects now being designed or under construction across the region,” said SFWMD Executive Director Blake Guillory. “Major progress is being made, from wildlife returning to the Kissimmee to heavy construction work south of Lake Okeechobee on reservoirs and treatment wetlands that will help protect coastal estuaries and the Everglades.”

Reservoir south of lake Okeechobee? no kidding. do tell!

There are other Daniel O’Keefes.

This one is missing in Australia if you come across him.

446745-daniel-o-039-keeffe

http://www.dancomehome.com

My favorite one is this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O%27Keefe_%28writer%29

He invented “Festivus.”

Daniel Lawrence O’Keefe (February 25, 1928 – August 29, 2012) was an editor at Reader’s Digest,[1] author, and the inventor of Festivus, an annual secular holiday now celebrated on December 23.[2] His son, Dan O’Keefe, was a writer for the Seinfeld[3] television show and incorporated the family holiday into an episode of the program,[1] and in 2005 published The Real Festivus.

Why bring this up? Because of Daniel Lawrence O’Keefe we have some great memes for Daniel O’Keefe
Chair of the Board of Governors at SFWMD.

check em out.

festivus festivus2 festivus3

Need I say more?

well just a little more.

I think Daniel O’Keefe understands our disappointment. My main one is his seeing us as “uneducated”  and not taking the  time or having respect to sit down and hash this out.

SFWMD: ” You’ve been part of a propaganda campaign! ” US “hahahahah”

 

@SFWMD

@PetersonMelanie

SFWMD:  You’ve been part of a propaganda campaign”

Thank you Kenny Hinkle for this great video. This is great work.

Last Thursday SFWMD voted to terminate the 46,000 acre option on the sugar lands where our reservoir was suppose to go.

 

You know the one that was going clean and convey the water south they way GOD intended it and man screwed it up. Yes, that land. The one that was suppose recharge the aquifers, help stop salt water intrusion, save South Florida’s water and help us to to stop the toxic discharges.

 

You can hear for yourself.

nail

I’d like to address two things.

Melanie Peterson

Your job was to read the water study. What I’m confused about is why you thought we didn’t read it and talk about it and ask questions about it? We, as in all us advocates, actually talk to each other and communicate with each other daily. We share articles. .We talk about the water every day. Multiple times a day.

I also think you need to do your homework and understand what you are calling local runoff. have you ever been to western martin county? Seriously. Your a horse person and a real estate person. I’m sure your great at both. But to spit in the face of the people who have lived and breathed this water issue is unacceptable.

If you want people to treat you with respect then if has to be both ways. You were totally disrespectful.

We were getting “local runoff” and we did not have green algae. It wasn’t pretty. But before that things were clearing up and they were going test and then the ACOE opened the gates.

“If your concerned about the estuaries.” really. If you were you would understand your remarks were simply sugar speak and a big wink wink.

There is no one more well informed that the group before you.  6 months before the discharges we were documenting here and havn’t stopped.

https://www.facebook.com/SaintLucieRiverofLight

we also have a you tube page

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-c0h9IbytVikLpiQxEAS6g

We also have other pages where thousands of people talk to each other every day. Every day. Multiple times a day. We wake up with each and we at night time we check in to see whats going on.

So before you insult all my hard working friends who have given up their lives for this you should do your homework. Actually, they deserve an apology. You need to apologize.

You can send it here and i’ll post it. You also need to watch the video above. and then you need to resign immediately.

Of course Mitch Hutchcraft doesn’t want the land in play. He is also in real estate and I’m sure part of your golden parachute will be to build big things on this land. Good luck with that!

You cannot build big things south of the lake. Why?  We are getting the discharges is to protect the people south of the lake because they are in danger because of the dike. So putting more people in danger is not an option. If you all think its ok o build then maybe it’s not as dangerous as we were told.

https://twitter.com/JMDEngineering/status/598931190075260929

No offense.You are really out of touch and you have no business being part of the people who decide how to deal with our water. In fact, your entire presentation was beyond frightening.

Then my favorite part was I could hear Gayle just having a meltdown and Mr Moran telling her that she was exposed to propaganda.

really? hahahhh

That is seriously rich.

and if it propaganda why is Senator Negron promising to buy other land so we get all the scientists together and send the water south? Why?

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/negron-to-pursue-money-for-land-south-of-lake-okeechobee-despite-death-of-us-sugar-option_66776672

State Sen. Joe Negron said Friday he’ll continue “full-speed ahead” seeking $500 million to buy land south of Lake Okeechobee, even though the option of getting it from the U.S. Sugar Corp. is dead.

Now if our Congressman Patrick Murphy understands this and our Senator Joe Negron Understands this. Why don’t you?

Mr Moran should have attended the Everglades Coalition meeting where we listened to real “scientists” talk about sea level rise and we went to a great session about the northern estuaries.

He should have gone he would have learned something.

or at least read a book.

Here’s a great book he can read!

IMG_0342

Because sir, if your going to berate us. you really need to know the facts.

so here is my documentation from EVCO

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/01/11/evco2015-everglades-coalition-annual-conference-key-west-florida/

and here is Erik EIkenberg at the RIver’s Coalition with Nathanial Reed talking about the resevoir

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/01/30/rivers-coalition-with-eric-eikenberg-and-nathanial-reed-12915/

Please bone up because I’m sure your not calling the following people propagandists.  You surely have time to take that back.

Here are the following people who have been going to SFWMD plead with the Board of Govenor’s to buy the land and send the water south.

US (The River Warriors)

The Everglades Coaltion

The Everglades Trust

The Everglades Foundation

Florida Audobon

Tropical Audobon

Everglades Law Center

The Indian RiverKeeper

Ray Judah

Mark Perry Director of Florida Oceanographic, WRAC member

Palm Beach County Soil

Ed Fielding, Martin County Commissioner

Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, Sewell’s Point Commissioner and WRAC member

Dr Gary Goforth

The Sierra Club

Maggy Hurchella

I’m sure there are more. You get the drift.

You have no intention of doing anything because your orders are clear. Privatize the water and you will be rewarded handsomely.

When you sink this low can you really trust the puppet master?

Axis of evil: Big Sugar- Legislature- SFWMD

Just so you know the difference THIS is a propaganda campaign.  Trying to stop you from polluting us, saving the water, saving the Everglades and stopping sea level rise and salt water intrusion certainly is not propaganda. But YOUR propaganda campaign is just as bad as this. Now lets all go get some coffee made from snow.

SFWMD: Employee Review: Advice to Management. Pray for no catastrophe because you won’t be able to deal with one.

@SFWMD

@JaxStrong

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

https://twitter.com/GILBERTI_WATER_/status/599224523653816320

Remember this day. The day of Issac. I’ll never forget. I thought I was going to marooned on Floresta. I thought the river was overflowed.. The water was half way up the mailboxes , the ground was caving in on Primavista, Federal was totally flooded. All the news channels were focused on down south and boy did those folks have it bad.

http://gotowncrier.com/2012/09/letter-sfwmd-to-blame-for-the-flooding/

shot the day of issac going north on the Roosevelt bridge

shot the day of issac going north on the Roosevelt bridge

But the SFWMD is pointing their long fingers at everyone else. First, they blame Acreage residents for “building in a swamp, and they deserve what they get.” Well, for the record, The Acreage is not and never was a swamp — at least not before the SFWMD came onto the scene. The vast majority of land in The Acreage is scrub land, not swamp land. Pine trees don’t grow in swamps.

Now, more recently, the SFWMD is blaming Gov. Rick Scott for the flooding. They claim that he cut their funding, which somehow caused the canals not to work right. But Rick Scott has been governor for only a few years. Why hasn’t the SFWMD fixed the canals previously? So basically, the SFWMD can try blaming others for their negligence, but ultimately, the flooding was all their fault — not the Indian Trail Improvement District, not the Acme Improvement District, not Rick Scott, not Isaac, not Santa Claus and not anyone but the management of SFWMD.

Employee Review from Indeed

http://www.indeed.com/cmp/South-Florida-Water-Management-District/reviews
Best Days are in the Past
HR Professional (Former Employee), West Palm Beach, FL – May 8, 2014
Pros: benefits and co-workers, working in beautiful s fl
Cons: executive management, hr and compensation
Politics overwhelmed every work day with the science and technology taking a back seat.
Yes (9) – No (1)

employee review

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-South-Florida-Water-Management-District-RVW5935370.htm

FEB 2015

OK place to work, but VERY political environment. ”

Current Employee – Senior Real Estate Professional in West Palm Beach, FL

I have been working at South Florida Water Management District full-time (More than 10 years)

Recommends
Positive Outlook

Pros

Benefits such as health insurance, vacation leave, sick leave and holidays are all very good. The work itself is fulfilling. Central Palm Beach County, Florida location is good.

Cons

Three words – Political, Political, Political. The SFWMD is dictated by the Governor, and it was never so bad as now. Since the new governor came into office four years ago, the organization has become mediocre (versus the envy of the world) and the employees have lost numerous benefits including paid vacation accrual, holidays, educational reimbursements, leave buyout at termination and a much weakened defined benefit program.

Advice to Management

Do the right thing regardless of what the state politicos want you to do. Make efforts to regain trust and loyalty of your employees.

JAN 2015

“Used to be a family, now it is a political whip for the Gov. ”

Former Employee – Anonymous Employee

I worked at South Florida Water Management District full-time (More than 10 years)

Recommends
Neutral Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, however getting worse with the current political agendas. Great work life balance and investing opportunities. For an agency of the State, they provide a semi-competitive salary. Excellent computer technology and top of the line systems. Better than even some large private companies, this organization attempts to provide the best tools to it’s employees in order to be more efficient.

Cons

After the reorganization, moral has dwindled. Benefits continue to be cut, and the agency is headed toward being run like a state agency. Highly political. Decisions often made contradict laws and rules of Florida.

Advice to Management

Don’t lose the “family” feeling by beating up employees just to satisfy the Governor.

Dec 2014

“Used to be a great place to do great work ”

Current Employee – Anonymous Employee

I have been working at South Florida Water Management District full-time (More than 10 years)

Doesn’t Recommend
Negative Outlook

Pros

The work has the potential to be very fulfilling and meaningful. Above average benefits.

Cons

Working for a governor and state legislator who think government employees are akin to welfare cheats. Pay is below the market rate (and that’s OK) – but now no raises for 7 years, people who are working at higher levels still aren’t getting promoted, and work that is supposed to be getting done, isn’t because the staffing has been cut back too far.

Advice to Management

Pray for no catastrophe because you won’t be able to deal with one. No enough of the right (trained) staff and funds.

Yikes. Not what you want to be reading right before Hurricane Season.

This is already happening.

Yes they have used eminent domain before.

http://florida.newszap.com/okeechobeenorthlake/119601-113/luna-family-continues-to-fight-sfwmd-in-court-over-land

“OKEECHOBEE—During eminent domain trial proceedings Wednesday, surveyors from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) admitted that property the district is trying to take was never surveyed.

The district is trying to acquire over 300 acres along the Kissimmee River in northern Okeechobee County that belongs to members of the Luna family. The district now says the property is needed for the Kissimmee River Restoration Project.

“The family is willing to grant them easements, that’s all they (SFWMD) need,” said Mr. Wright.

But instead of taking easements, the district is also wanting to take approximately 263 acres in fee simple. This means the SFWMD would then own that property outright and could do whatever it wants with the land.”

As we can see SFWMD is not the happiest place on earth. Not only have they screwed up but somehow they have made what was a non partisan issue partisan. All this time we have been going there they just told us they couldn’t do what we asked but they never said “We think we have a better idea.” Why?  Because they don’t.  They apparently don’t believe in sea level rise, or salt water intrusion, or in CERP that was suppose to be a water storage project south of the lake, or the fact that Everglades are dying, and wells in south florida are filling up with salt water.  They are full speed ahead to privatize our water. Stay tuned to a water bill near you.

what ever happens we’re gonna need a bigger boat.

DIrty Rats: SFWMD kicks us in the head

@SFWMD

@JaxStrong

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

nail

Nail in the Coffin.

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/indian-river-lagoon/health/sfwmd-board-to-discuss-likely-reject-us-sugar-land-buy_14943889 “WEST PALM BEACH — As expected, the South Florida Water Management District board Thursday rejected the proposal to buy U.S. Sugar Corp. land south of Lake Okeechobee.

Board member Kevin Powers of Stuart made the motion to “irrevocably” terminate the option to buy 46,800 acres of U.S. Sugar land by Oct. 12. The motion was approved unanimously.”

“The deal, set to expire in October, had been fiercely championed by environmentalists as the best option for storing water from Lake Okeechobee. They envisioned the land being used to ease pressure to release polluted water into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers, allowing water managers to instead hold it until it could be moved south to Florida Bay. Parts of the bay have become far too salty, killing sea grass that provides critical habitat for marine life and driving down the number of sea trout, a fish used to measure the health of the bay.”

There are really and truly constraints out there. For me, the biggest one is financial,” said board member Sandy Batchelor.”
This is what Eric Draper had to say about her when she was reappointed

Director Eric Draper:

“During her service Sandy has always put the Everglades first. She does her homework, is careful with tax dollars, and shows up to make the right decisions. Governor Scott made the right call.”

Good Call Eric Draper

Apparently, she has never heard of Amendment One.

“Our frustration comes from the fact that you do not have a Plan B,’’ said former Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla. “You keep telling us what we can’t do, not what we can do.”

Well this is it isn’t it. This entire time we’ve been going no one from SFWMD has ever suggested what they would do about the issues.

Michael Grunwald at the Elliot Museum

IMG_0342    

 

Last night, with a sold out crowd,

Michael  Grunwald came to talk to us all at the our new and improved Elliot Museum. The event was sponsored by BullSugar and anonymous supporters. It was first of what I hope will be many lectures we can attend at Elliot.

The video taken will be available at Elliot and also from Bullsugar so other’s will be able to watch.

I bought my third copy of this book last night. I have no idea where the first copy went and the second is out there somewhere. This one is signed so it stays in the bookcase.

This is one of my top ten favorite books ever. It’s not an easy read not because it’s hard to understand. There is a huge amount of detail. In order to understand the sad sad story of Everglades you have to understand the detail.  You have to understand the plumbing. The Universe created The Everglades. Man screwed it up. We screwed up the plumbing

 

This was suppose to be a storage project yet there is no storage.

 

and he also said “There is no Plan B”

Which is correct. I think I said the same thing yesterday because we never asked (or maybe we did and they just never answered)  them what was their plan to stop the discharges, recharge the aquifers, send water to the Everglades, stop salt water intrusion and prevent sea level rise. What are the people who are in charge of the plumbing doing to protect our water and deal with these issues?

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/05/13/if-its-thursday-its-sfwmd/

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/04/10/so-here-i-am-telling-the-board-of-govenors-about-my-trip-to-the-beach/

 

Also noted Rober Coker     was in the house. Robert is Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, of United States Sugar Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for the Florida Sugar Cane League, the Board of Trustees of BIZ-PAC of Palm Beach County and is a member of the Board of Governors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He lives here. He is also a trustee on the http://www.stuartmartinchamber.org/trustees.asp

(That’s interesting)

 

People got frustrated at the end because they felt Michael was defending big sugar by saying they had a right to be a business, and they have cleaned up their act. (you’ll have to watch the video when its released).

I think at the end it got a little mooshed up and Michael does not quite understand what our particular issues are  here right now.

Yes, big sugar has a right to be a company, but most companies have to live and die by their own devices not on subsidies created by Corporate Wellfare. So Big Sugar pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. We don’t get Medicaid Expansion why should you get corporate subsidies.

Next, we went out there to talk to talk to these  guys and they  vilified us.

When this whole thing happened in 2013 we were told we had to have discharges to protect the people south of the Lake. What has been done to fix this particular spot so these people will be safe and the lake can hold more water? Why is this not fixed two years later?

The Big sugar corporation is the one behind us not getting the land to build the reservoir. It’s their influence in Tallahassee and SFWMD that is in the way of stopping our discharges, recharging the aquifers, stopping salt water intrusion, and sea level rise. Big Sugar is standing in the way of fixing the plumbing.

 

I could write forever and bore you all to tears but the bottom line is the bottom line.

The plumbing has to be fixed and what is the plan to do so?

Thank You Michael for coming! Hopefully one day you can come back and bring your family and go swimming in our lagoon.

Everyone else be sure to look for this video on Bullsugar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May the fourth be with us! Toxic algae, discharging St Lucie locks. We must keep going!

@JaxStrong

@BarackObama

@joenegronfl

@RepMurphyFL

@SteveCrisafulli

May the fourth be with you! Toxic algae, discharging St Lucie locks.

On May 4th our friend Katy Lewey,  river warrior, founder of the River Kidz of St Lucie and Indian River County put together a gathering so we could all be there when the locks open.

st lucie locks may 4, 2015

st lucie locks may 4, 2015

They have been open but were recently closed due to the discovery of Toxic green algae at Port Mayaca.

In the past few years we are blessed to have great news teams that show up and we show up for them.

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In between, the new’s cycle we decided to take a ride to Port Mayaca to see the green toxic algae for ourselves.

When we got there we found Ben, an employee of SFWMD.  I have lots of friends who work or worked for them. Good People. Dedicated Scientists.

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He was taking water samples of both sides of the locks.

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This is what we saw on the inside of the locks.

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Slime crimes.

We all documented.

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Algae buster mammas.

Algae buster mammas.

Then we went to the overpass for a nice wide shot.

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you can see the green by the gates. There is also a section off to the right that is not in the photo.

 

I was not there last week so I have no basis of comparison but I can say the weather has been cooler and this stuff thrives on two things according to my ORCA friend and past Indian RiverKeeper George Jones : Heat and nutrients.  So I have no idea what will come next because of the the cool weather. Will it come down and just hang stagnant until it gets hot and then bloom? George said it sucks the o2 out of the water and at night it goes underwater so it just doesn’t sit on the top it goes to the bottom and it sucks the o2 thus killing everything underneath.

Everything.

A big green blob.

kinda like this

Harmful algae Blooms

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms via production of natural toxins, mechanical damage to other organisms, or by other means.

armful algal blooms have been observed to cause adverse effects to a wide variety of aquatic organisms, most notably marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds and finfish. The impacts of HAB toxins on these groups can include harmful changes to their developmental, immunological, neurological, or reproductive capacities. The most conspicuous effects of HABs on marine wildlife are large-scale mortality events associated with toxin-producing blooms. For example, a mass mortality event of 107 bottlenose dolphins occurred along the Florida panhandle in the spring of 2004 due to ingestion of contaminated menhaden with high levels of brevetoxin.[8] Manatee mortalities have also been attributed to brevetoxin but unlike dolphins, the main toxin vector was endemic seagrass species (Thalassia testudinum) in which high concentrations of brevetoxins were detected and subsequently found as a main component of the stomach contents of manatees.[8]

Immune system responses have been affected by brevetoxin exposure in another critically endangered species, the Loggerhead sea turtle. Brevetoxin exposure, via inhalation of aerosolized toxins and ingestion of contaminated prey, can have clinical signs of increased lethargy and muscle weakness in loggerhead sea turtles causing these animals to wash ashore in a decreased metabolic state with increases of immune system responses upon blood analysis.[10] Examples of common harmful effects of HABs include:

  1. the production of neurotoxins which cause mass mortalities in fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals
  2. human illness or death via consumption of seafood contaminated by toxic algae[11]
  3. mechanical damage to other organisms, such as disruption of epithelial gill tissues in fish, resulting in asphyxiation
  4. oxygen depletion of the water column (hypoxia or anoxia) from cellular respiration and bacterial degradation

so when we get upset there is good reason.

Toxic Algae is also harmful to humans.

This is from the cdc.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/hab/default.htm

Algae are vitally important to marine and fresh-water ecosystems, and most species of algae are not harmful. Algal blooms occur in natural waters used for drinking and/or recreation when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, often in response to changes in levels of chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer, in the water. Algal blooms can deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight that other organisms need to live, and some can produce toxins that are harmful to the health of the environment, plants, animals, and people.

Please also see this blog post about pets and toxic algae.

https://cyndi-lenz.com/2015/05/03/preview-of-coming-attractions-toxic-algae-and-your-pets/

When all else fails. When everyone has closed their doors to us. The legislators, the Governor’s Board of South Florida Water Management.

Rick Scott himself.

What choice do we have then to defend our selves and the creatures of the Indian RIver Lagoon?

Chalksy, the Eco Terrorist

#buytheland

#sendcleanwatersouth

#saveflwater

#stopsaltwaterintrusion

#acoe

This is my friend Ezra.

DSC_0077I met him at our first rally. He was “Mista Big Sugar” You can see him here in this video and you can also see that the locks were closed that day and they have been closed every single time we go out there.

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Except for when Rick Scott was there ( we were not allowed in but he was) and when we did the “Keep them closed “protest.

The issue of “civil disobedience” comes up every one in a while. It usually results in all of  getting  upset. I  personally think if people want to do this then its a issue of free choice. If you want to do this then you tell people about it and you give them a choice of what they want to do. I can’t. I won’t. Because I think if you want to do this, really want to do this ,then you have to be prepared to go to jail. I’m not. I cherish my nursing license too much and  I couldn’t do what I do every day with out without it. All of us that are credentialed have worked to hard to be able to stay credentialed.  For those of those don’t believe me you can go read the nurse practice act.

I also wonder about why anyone would want to do it. I just get never got it as a viable way to do things. I think its born out of frustration and we have so many incredibly smart creative people that are so supportive of each other that we can think better smarter ways to do things as we have in the past. JMHO You have yours. i have mine. RESPECT.

Except this time.

The best things that happen to us happen organically.

Ezra keeps chalk in his car.

So on Sunday, May 3 ,he went to the locks and he wrote

“Buy the land along with his fish symbol that he created.”

Boy did he get in trouble. This upset the policeman so much (our babysitter which is so funny because we have never ever ever ever done anything close to civil disobedience and really insist on being well behaved.

Here he is on government land drawing away with chalk.

photo by Darrel Brand

photo by Darrel Brand

 

Photo by Darell Brand

Photo by Darell Brand

Photo by Darrel Brand

Photo by Darrel Brand

photo by Darrel Brand

photo by Darrel Brand

A Discussion ensued. It’s Government land. It’s Graffiti.

It’s hysterical. and its ironic if its anything.

The chalk will wash away when we get huge amounts of rain tomorrow. (It would wash away with a little sprinkle)

The green toxic the ACOE is going to send us. Well that’s another story.

This is what Ezra said.

“ I was told to stop what I was doing or face being arrested, as it was considered graffiti on Federal Property. Using sidewalk chalk to draw an image of a fish and the words #SENDTHEWATERSOUTH is apparently a no no. Meanwhile toxic algae was deliberately released into our rivers today. Yet for over 60 plus years, no arrests or fines have ever been made: 1972 Clean Water Act, 1996 Fl Polluters Pay Amendment, Our “Lost Summer” of 2012, dying marine life and sea grass beds, real estate values plummeting and economic losses in the millions. Okay I get it. Next time I’ll just draw images of $ and sugar cane fields!”

So today we went out there because the discharges were starting and someone at ACOE actually had to gall to say that the gate was locked due to yesterdays “Eco terrorist” activities. Seriously. Are you kidding me?

apparently there is an issue with sidewalk chalk. Who knew?

http://www.care2.com/causes/the-american-war-on-sidewalk-chalk.html

 

While these charges are clearly political (chalk, after all, washes off sidewalks harmlessly) – a scary article from Mother Jones reported recently that at least 50 people have been arrested across the US in the last five years for drawing on sidewalks.

Many of these aren’t political protestors. They’re the parents of four and six-year-old children engaging in fun and harmless summer activity. One mom in Richmond, Virginia was arrested and sentenced to 50 hours of community service for letting her child draw on rocks in a local park – and reports that her daughter is now “very nervous around cops” and “very scared of chalk.”

Apparently writing with Chalk is a gateway crime. Please people keep the chalk away from your children.

Thousands of us have been at these locks. We have had numerous events,

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renting out the campgrounds, leaving it cleaner than what we found it, and like I said before the locks have been closed to us every time but once. Which really sucks because the best shot it from the other side. Camera shots people. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.