Water Management District Responds to Criticisms for Extending Land Lease

The South Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board recently voted to extend a lease to allow farming to continue on about 16-thousand acres of state owned land that’s going to be used to build the EAA, or Everglades Agricultural Area, Reservoir. The decision came quickly, without advanced public input. Some environmental groups, like The Everglades Foundation, immediately decried the move, saying it will delay construction of the much-needed reservoir, and that the vote was taken without enough advanced public notice. We had The Everglades Foundation’s CEO, Eric Eikenberg, on the show last Wednesday. We did invite the water management district to join that show, but didn’t hear back until afterwards. So, today, we’re going to hear from the district to to get their side of this story. We’re joined by Brian Accardo, Chief Counsel, Jerry Eisenband, Director of Communications, and by John Mitnick, he’s Chief Engineer for the South Florida Water Management District.