Now the Republicans are coming for your water (FL of course)

[JCMach1]

Worst fears realized

The plan to create a Florida state water commission makes no sense - economically or environmentally.

The Florida Council of 100 last week issued the final version of its controversial proposal for handling the state's future water supply needs.

The report, called "Improving Florida's Water Supply Management Structure," unfortunately fulfilled our worst expectations by proposing the creation of an all-powerful statewide water commission and cross-state water transfers as, get this, "good economic and environmental sense."

In recent weeks, we have lamented the Council of 100's suggestion that piping water from water-rich, rural counties - that is, North Florida counties - to water-poor, urban counties - that is, South Florida metropolises - is good for the state.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031003/EDITORIALS/210030316

FLORIDA IS BEING TURNED INTO A VAST WASTELAND AT THE BEHEST OF JEB AND THE BIG DEVELOPERS. ONCE MORE PYRRHIC VINDICATION OF THE MESSAGE I WAS GETTING OUT IN THE 2002 RACE.

:grr:

[Birthmark]

1. Hell, I'm already paying $80/month for water.

I don't even water my lawn. I don't have that kind of money.

[JCMach1]

2. The truth is that the water supply in FL is not sustainable

without a massive investment in desalinization plants, especially in S. Florida.

Instead, developers are content to drain the rest of the State dry first.

In the process, they will privatize your water bill (just wait).

[havocmom]

3. the water supply in the world is not sustainable

Methinks oil was not the only reason Iraq got whacked.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Florida's fresh water comes from an aquifer that runs north to south.

I happen to know that at least one section of this aquifer has shown signs of contamination from industrial seepage. Does Bush care? Heck no. He was proposing to inject contaminated water into the aquifer not too long ago.

If the world were over-taken by aliens that were bent on destroying the environment and the human species, they would be called Bush Republicans.

[paradox]

5. ok

"Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the plan - and North Floridians should be sounding the alarm if they hope to protect their own dwindling water supplies".


Well, if your wondering if anyone in north florida will do anything about it I wouldn't hold your breath. North Florida is HIGHLY conservative and the word liberal is the same as anti-christ around here(jacksonville).

The longer I live in florida the more I can't stand this state.(appologies to all DU'ers that live in this state with me.)

[soup]

6. Preachin to the choir because

nobody else seems to be listening.

Part of the problem (as I see it) is applying the 'ecology' tag -
Goll-durned tree huggin' alarmists gettin' in the way of progress.

Another is the power structure in FL-
A Bush in charge is enough to frighten anyone with any sense at all.
Add that the Florida congress is Republican. (sorry for the rather broad brush, when there are some that are actually speaking out against jeb)
Our own shadow government in the form of the extremely powerful Council of 100.

Add that-
people just don't seem to care, and we've got ourselves a trifecta.


For those that don't know, these are the people setting policy and making decisions for the future of FL:

The Florida Council of 100
Current officers and members of the Board are as follows:

Officers

Chairman
Al Hoffman
CEO, WCI Communities

Vice Chairman
Chris Sullivan*
Chairman & CEO, Outback Steakhouse

Treasurer
Dave Wenner
Former Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company

Elected Members
Lee Arnold* Chairman and CEO, Arnold Companies
Barney Barnett Vice Chairman, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
Bob Beall Chairman and CEO, Beall’s Inc.
Hugh Brown President and CEO, BAMSI, Inc.
Peter Carpenter Former Vice Chairman, CSX Corporation
Mike Cascone President and CEO, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida
David Clarke President and CEO, CSR America, Inc.
Chuck Cobb CEO, Cobb Partners, Ltd.
Nancy Davis Chairman, McArthur Management Company
Remedios Diaz-Oliver President and CEO, All American Containers
Philip Handy Partner, Winter Park Capital
Alberto Ibarguen Chairman, The Miami Herald Publishing Company
Thomas James* Chairman, Raymond James Financial, Inc.
George Koehn Chairman, President & CEO, SunTrust Bank of Florida
Joseph Lacher* President – Florida, BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.
Patricia Moran Chairman and CEO, JM Family Enterprises, Inc.
Bob Soran President and COO, Uniroyal Technology Group
Rusty Stephenson* President - Florida Banking Group, AmSouth Bank
Stew Turley Retired Chairman and CEO, Eckerd Corporation
Al Weiss President, Walt Disney World
* -- Task Force Chairs

Task Force Chairs
Leerie Jenkins* Chairman and CEO, Reynolds, Smith, and Hills, Inc.

FOLLOW THE MONEY.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.

http://www.whoseflorida.com is an excellent site for research and news articles. Here's just one, a Must Read, for anyone interested in this issue.

Bad Idea for Florida's Water Supply
>snip<
According to council documents, Hoffman established the water task force in May 2002 after he had "had several conversations with members of the Council of 100 about the water supply and distribution issues facing Florida."

After Bush approved that as a topic for study, Hoffman says he picked Arnold to head the 30-member task force, which Arnold describes as "made up of every walk of life."

The members include Fred Bullard, developer of Feather Sound in mid-Pinellas; Gary Morse, developer of a retirement community south of Ocala called the Villages; and Llywd Ecclestone, developer of PGA National Resorts in Palm Beach.

Other prominent members include citrus magnate Ben Hill Griffin III; sugar mogul Alfy Fanjul, chairman of Florida Crystals; former Florida Attorney General Jim Smith; the publishers of the Lakeland Ledger and Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union; and Andrew Barnes, chairman and chief executive officer of the St. Petersburg Times.
>snip<

FOLLOW THE MONEY.

paradox :hi: - No apology needed. We're all in this together. *sigh*
on edit- JMach - excellent article. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.