Environmentalists for decades have demonized the sugar industry, accusing it of simultaneously polluting and robbing precious water from the Everglades. ...more

June 25, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH - The state of Florida and U.S. Sugar Corp., the nation's largest producer of cane sugar, are negotiating the sale of thousands of acres of farmland in the Everglades to help restore the wetlands, three officials familiar with the potential deal said Monday. ...more

June 23, 2008

To showcase its long-standing indifference toward the environment, the Bush administration last week announced it will not interfere with Florida's practice of pumping polluted farm water and suburban runoff into the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee. ...more

June 19, 2008

You'll learn this month whether you can turn on your sprinklers an extra day each week. In the meantime, while you're watching the grass grow browner and waiting for water managers to make their decision June 24, consider this: You've got it tougher than anyone else in Florida. ...more

June 6, 2008

A massive Everglades restoration project will be put on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit by environmentalists, a move that could end up costing the state nearly $14 million just for the delays. ...more

May 18, 2008

A prolonged and widespread water shortage can hardly be described as a lucky break. The impacts of below-average rainfall that began in 2006 have been at times severe on South Florida's residents, businesses and local municipalities — not to mention our lawns. ...more

May 8, 2008

SEBRING — In Lake Placid, a hiring freeze. In Sebring, no money for the Boys and Girls Clubs. At the South Florida Water Management District, web casts instead of off-site meetings. In recessionary times, with constitutional budget cuts and reduced sales tax revenues, governments are saving money any way they can. Highlands County Last year, Vicki Pontius, Highlands County's parks and recreation director, closed the R.K. Butler Campground on Route 721. "It's a nice facility," Pontius said. "People can still use the boat launch and the basketball court, and there's a picnic table." ...more

February 15, 2008

From today until Tuesday night, fishing and angling is about as good as it gets. If I had to pick a day and time to spend my angling money wisely, it is going to be Tuesday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. If the weather is changing — barometric drop and calming wind — I'm staying out until sundown. The major daytime feeding migration starts about mid-morning and builds in intensity and duration throughout the entire day. Factor in an approaching weather front for Wednesday and that spells "s-u-c-c-e-s-s." The additional good news is the morning bite is still excellent from the effects of the new moon and the nighttime rains the day after. ...more

February 10, 2008

SPRING LAKE — When is a sinkhole a blessing in disguise? When it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, but saves millions. That's what happened at the Spring Lake pump station, when 19 feet of foundation eroded over 24 years. "The sinkhole actually became a blessing for the (Spring Lake Improvement District)," said Joe DeCerbo, district manager, "because if any more land under the pipes was lost, water would have gone under the pilings and caused the entire structure to collapse, with incredible damage." ...more

February 6, 2008

Low water levels in Lake Okeechobee are forcing the closure of a key navigation lock that allows boaters to cross between the lake and the Kissimmee River. ...more

February 4, 2008