Bill now moves onto House for consideration.
Clean water advocates, sportsmen and all Floridians got a beneficial shot in the arm this week when SB 10, the bill to build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to help limit damaging discharge flows, passed in the state Senate. Now the bill will proceed to the Florida House of Representatives for consideration, and if enacted, the new law would expedite improvements to South Florida water management to benefit the Everglades and water quality around both coasts. SB 10 was sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island).
“The passage of SB 10 today by the Senate is a positive and science-based step toward the restoration of America’s Everglades, and we praise the Florida Senate for passing this good bill out of their chamber,” said Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg. “This plan will significantly reduce the amount of harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee that have long caused destruction along the east and west coasts of Florida. It will also allow for a significant amount of water to be stored, cleaned and moved south into the Everglades and Florida Bay where it is needed.”
A consortium of advocacy groups and outdoors companies, from the Everglades Foundation, to Captains for Clean Water, to Bullsugar, Simms and Patagonia have supported the bill for months in the ongoing effort to see legislation passed to protect the state’s waterways.
“It’s been somewhat of a grind for those who have been making almost weekly trips from south/southwest Florida for the last two months, but a win is a win and should be celebrated,” said Blair Wickstrom, publisher of Florida Sportsman. “But, as do teams still in the hunt for a championship, you need to keep things in perspective. We haven’t reached our end goal yet. The bill now heads to the House where the challenges will be even greater. Unfortunately for the road weary, more trips, calls and emails will be needed. But,…
