Florida Gov. The political motivations of Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward resulted in more successful attempts at canal construction between 1906 and 1920. Sugar lobbyists responded with $24 million in advertising to discourage it and succeeded; it became the most expensive ballot issue in state history. Initially the bill was criticized by conservation groups for not being strict enough on polluters, but the Everglades Forever Act was passed in 1994. [19] The projects of the C&SF have been characterized as part of "crisis and response" cycles that "ignored the consequence for the full system, assumed certainty of the future, and succeeded in solving the momentary crisis, but set in motion conditions that exaggerate future crises". According to one of the lobbyists who characterized it as a "duh moment", Crist said, "If sugar is polluting the Everglades, and we're paying to clean the Everglades, why don't we just get rid of sugar? The Ramsar Convention designated the Everglades a Wetland of International Importance in 1987. Everglades Restoration - Duration: 3:59. Overview. His primary role is to support major projects, transportation and infrastructure business lines, and … Before drainage attempts, the Everglades comprised 4,000 square miles (10,000 km2), taking up a third of the Florida peninsula. [51], The species that is causing the most impediment to restoration is the Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum), introduced in 1965. Bodies of water including Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River, St. Lucie estuary, Lake Worth Lagoon, Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Everglades reflected drastic water level changes, hypersalinity, and dramatic changes in marine and freshwater ecosystems. It noted that though the population had increased by 90% over the previous two decades, registered vehicles had increased by 166%. This page was last edited on 11 August 2020, at 15:43. The remaining 25% of the Everglades in its original state is protected in Everglades National Park, but the park was established before the C&SF, and it depended upon the actions of the C&SF to release water. State voters were asked to support the tax, and environmentalists paid $15 million to encourage the issue. ", Holling, C.S. [38] Governor Chiles initially named it the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act, but Douglas was so unimpressed with the action it took against polluters that she wrote to Chiles and demanded her name be stricken from it. The construction projects include the Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands, Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) South, and Picayune Strand Restoration Projects. Zaneski, Cyril (January 8, 2000). Everglades restoration has its own language of acronyms that abbreviate the various processes, places and projects, like CERP, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project. [20] The last project, to build a canal to straighten the winding floodplain of the Kissimmee River that had historically fed Lake Okeechobee which in turn fed the Everglades, began in 1962. Everglades Restoration is making headway as several large projects are underway including the C-43 Reservoir along the Caloosahatchee River. The Office of Ecosystem Projects is the lead office responsible for implementation of the Department of Environmental Protections responsibilities under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), pursuant to Chapter 373.026(8)(b) of the Florida Water Resources Act, Florida Statutes (F.S.). [57] A cursory environmental study performed by the Air Force was deemed insufficient by local conservation groups, who threatened to sue in order to halt the acquisition when estimates of 650 flights a day were projected. [40] The STAs are intended to treat water until the phosphorus levels are low enough to be released into the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge or other WCAs. [1][2] The degradation of the Everglades became an issue in the United States in the early 1970s after a proposal to construct an airport in the Big Cypress Swamp. From one wet season to the next, fish were unable to reach traditional locations to repopulate when water was withheld by the C&SF. For additional information, see our list of Everglades History Resources. The South Florida Everglades Restoration Project The restoration project is a collaborative effort between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and other agencies. Their most significant threat is disturbance by people. "Florida's Kissimmee River Begins to Recover from Man-Made Damage", Davis, Steven. It is unsafe to continue using an old web browser, and we require that you upgrade to browse this site. [61] On the quality and availability of water, the report stated, "[The] frequent water shortages ... create the irony of a natural system dying of thirst in a subtropical environment with over 53 inches of rain per year". The C&SF established Water Conservation Areas (WCAs) in 37% of the original Everglades, which acted as reservoirs providing excess water to the South Florida metropolitan area, or flushing it into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. It would take 30 years and cost $7.8 billion to complete. By the 1960s, urban development and agricultural use had decreased the size of the Everglades considerably. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on December 11, 2000. The South Florida Everglades Restoration Project. Invasive species now call South Florida home, harming agriculture, tourism, native plants, animals, and our quality of life. The restoration of the Everglades is an ongoing effort to remedy damage inflicted on the environment of southern Florida during the 20th century. The project aims to improve the quality, quantity, timing and distribution of water needed to restore and reconnect the western Everglades ecosystem. Agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. For additional information, see our list of Everglades History Resources. He says the Everglades Restoration project was of vast importance to him and set out to use his “perseverance and doggedness” as well as his support system to get where he is now. The report noted "scant progress" in restoration because of problems in budgeting, planning, and bureaucracy. Studies indicated the airport would have destroyed the ecosystem in South Florida and Everglades National Park. A lack of subsequent action by the Congress prompted Governor Charlie Crist to travel to Washington D.C. in February 2008 and inquire about the promised funds. 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