Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane will provide testimony on the
Lake Okeechobee freshwater releases before the Florida Senate Select Committee
on Indian River Lagoon and Lake Okeechobee Basin in Stuart, Florida on
Thursday, August 22. The committee is comprised of eight members chosen by Senate
President Don Gaetz, including Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto of Southwest Florida.
Mayor Ruane will testify regarding the significant,
detrimental and economic impacts of the high flow regulatory discharges on
Sanibel Island and the coastal waters of Lee County; the urgent need for the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
and South Florida Water Management District to consider
all short- and longterm storage options; the necessity of
securing federal funding for the C-43 West Basin
Reservoir Project and other long-term solutions; and the importance
of immediate ecological monitoring to determine the full
impacts on the Caloosahatchee estuary.
“Our city’s top priority must be to move the state and
federal governments into fully implementing the long-term
solutions to the Lake Okeechobee releases,” said Ruane.
“If the past years of rhetoric and debate do not quickly move
these capital projects into implementation, we will have
squandered our economy and the jobs and property values of
every person in Southwest Florida.”
Additionally, Ruane will address the tremendous economic
impact of the releases on the area’s businesses, residents
and tourist destinations.
The workshop runs from 1 to 9 p.m. and “will explore
short-term solutions or alternatives to reduce or eliminate current
releases from Lake Okeechobee,” according to the agenda.
This is the first of an expected four hearings as the
committee works toward a November 4 deadline to submit a report
of its findings to President Gaetz.
For more information about the Senate committee, visit
www.flsenate.gov/topics/IRLLOB.
Island Sun (August 23, 2013)
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