Enviros defend Crist’s Everglades deal, criticize NY Times
by Michael C. Bender | March 12th, 2010From WUSF:
The New York Times story hinted the change was meant to benefit U.S. Sugar and its law firm, where Crist’s ally, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, was a partner.
Alan Farago of the group Friends of the Everglades says Crist abandoned the Bush plan because of science.
“Gov. Bush is quite critical of the U.S. Sugar deal, but in fact, the plan that he advocated and committed a billion dollars to was also based on very, very uncertain technologies and investments,” Farago said. “For instance, the largest man-made reservoir in the world, which is now sitting off U.S. 27 in a state of half-completeness.”
Environmentalists are upset that the story targeted Crist’s ties to U.S. Sugar, but failed to highlight the connections involving Crist’s opponent, former House Speaker Marco Rubio.
The WFSU story quotes our blog item pointing out Rubio received more than $14,000 from Florida Crystals, one of the main opponents to the Everglades deal. We updated that number to $24,200 in a blog post yesterday.
Tags: Charlie Crist, Everglades, Florida Crystals, Marco Rubio, The New York Times, U.S. Sugar
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March 12th, 2010 at 11:40 am
I’m quite critical of Crist’s plan on the basis of science and economics. No plan on how to use separate parcels of severely compromised land and no money for project implementation. What about that makes for a responsible plan in any arena. What happens when the state acquires the land, can’t afford to do anything with it and then slowly sells it off to land developers??? And since U.S. Sugar is only hanging on through artificial control of the international sugar market and subsidies, why can’t the FEDERAL gov’t come in and take the land by imminent domain?? All Crist is trying to do is pay off his buddies and make himself look like an environmentalist in the process. Anyone that doesn’t see through all of the smoke is just kidding themselves.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
RDC – Has got it right. CharLIE paying back his buddies and trying to look like he cares about the environment. Just like “Rudy” come to Florida to pay back McCollum for his part in sending $250 MILLION dollars to New York. Hey CharLIE, why don’t you get Rudy to thank you for your part in sending $250 MILLION Florda Retirement funds to New York City. Rudy’s friends really appreciate our Florida money, they even want more of it!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
If the federal government really cared to save the Everglades, a “National Treasure”, they would stop propping up big sugar and allow fair competition with sugar from the central and south american countries, including Cuba. That would severely damage and maybe eliminate US sugar growers, and allow for the state to buy BACK the land at a REASONABLE and FAIR price. US Sugar and Florida Crystals have already made plenty of money at the US taxpayers expense through sugar subsidies and tariffs. Now, we are spending billions of dollars of public money to clean the water that they are polluting. And, if you look way back, you’ll find that these companies acquired that land for next to nothing thanks to the gov. basically giving it away in the early 20th century.
Come on now…enough is enough. Charlie isn’t a hero, he is a phony. He is just another enabler for big sugar to continue to rob the US taxpayers so that he can gain some political clout with the help of big sugar’s money. And all the while he is campaigning as though he actually cares about the Everglades. He is trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.
March 12th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Has anyone actually analyzed the land that Charlie is buying? There is absolutely no way that a flowway will be created thru there in 50 years. Somebody call the FBI! There should be an investigation! This is absolutely criminal!!!!!