Miami Herald: dry on the water management district, by gimleteye

Ever since Martha Musgrove left the editorial staff of the Miami Herald, there has been a gaping hole in the paper's editorial coverage of water related issues, and especially: the politics of water management.

It is tragic for our community.

The reason is simple. Most people have no idea of the role of managing water resources in the economy of South Florida. What, exactly, is the South Florida Water Management District and how is it influenced by politics? In particular, the politics of Big Sugar?

And what about the local water agency, Miami Dade Water and Sewer, whose relationship with the State of Florida and pollution management is detailed only in a raft of litigation, memorandums of understanding, and consent decrees that rarely filter into mainstream news, and even more rarely, into editorial pages?

When she wrote for the Miami Herald, Martha Musgrove brought a wealth of experience and detailed understanding of that question.

That is not to say under Musgrove's leadership that the Herald was friendly to the environmental side of the equation, on water management: but at least we had an editorial opinion.

In those days, the Herald's "balanced" coverage was very careful to the side of political expediency and for years reflected the influence of the sugar barons through its paid spin machinery like Wragg and Casas. (Joanna Wragg was a Herald executive for many years, before leaving to represent the sugar industry among other clients.)

Fortunately, the readers of the Palm Beach Post get to learn, what Miami Dade readers of the Miami Herald do not: the gross influence peddling and history behind the most egregious lapses of judgment and corruption related to water resource permitting and management.

The Palm Beach Post editorial board is all over the water management district and does a fine job.

If the Miami Herald cannot afford to spend money on cultivating expertise on the District, why doesn't it just pick up what the Palm Beach Post offers opinons on?

An excellent example is today's criticism by the Palm Beach Post of Governor Crist's appointments to fill out the governing board of the South Florida Water Management District, reprinted below.

Under Governor Bush, appointees to the governing board were expected to be faithful to a very rigid set of predetermined outcomes for water management: strongly weighted to economic growth. What special interests wanted, special interests got.

The credibility of water management reached a low point under Bush, as the district approved one measure after another -- like Scripps-- in clear violation of the spirit and often the fact of federal laws protecting water resources.

Governor Crist had the chance to appoint a new governing board and set a new direction for the South Florida Water Management District but only appointed one new board member who has the knowledge, understanding, and history of district decision-making and represents the public interest side of the equation.

The Palm Beach Post criticized Governor Crist for his timid and disappointing appointments. The Miami Herald should, too, instead of coming up dry as Charlie.

Crist comes up dry

Thursday, June 07, 2007

At a time when the region's most powerful agency needs an overhaul, Gov. Crist this week made a pair of political choices to complete his appointments to the South Florida Water Management District board.

Recent news stories in The Post reveal conflicts of interest and entangled friendships, such as district Director Carol Wehle buying vacation condos with board members. People with a high school education or less have served as department heads. An ex-dog groomer was the $50,000-a-year liaison to the Palm Beach County Commission. She has dated former Commissioner Tony Masilotti, who's going to prison for illegal profiteering that involved the district.

Gov. Crist had 26 candidates for the two openings - one from Palm Beach County, one from the Treasure Coast - and many of them were excellent. Herb Zebuth, retired from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, has a lifetime of knowledge about Lake Okeechobee and water issues. Joanne Davis works for 1000 Friends of Florida, the state's leading growth-management advocacy group. Either would have been an outsider with lots of expertise.

Instead, for the Palm Beach County slot once held by Kevin McCarty, Gov. Crist chose Patrick Rooney Jr., whose family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers and operates the Palm Beach Kennel Club. Mr. Rooney's three fine eponymous restaurants serve water, but his background doesn't qualify him for the board, despite Mr. McCarty's defense that not everything the board deals with is water-related.

Mr. McCarty was among those board members who voted to delay Everglades cleanup and to approve an unneeded Palm Beach County golf course that would have sucked 209 million gallons of water from the Everglades each year. At least, after Gov. Crist's five appointments, all the board members responsible for those bad decisions are gone.

Yet the governor could have done so much better. In the Treasure Coast, he could have chosen ex-Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla to replace Lennart Lindahl. Ms. Hurchalla is an expert on regional water policy and the Everglades. She has a record of public service and no conflicts of interest. Of course, Ms. Hurchalla also is a Democrat. So, Gov. Crist chose Melissa Meeker, who was DEP's regional director in West Palm Beach during Jeb Bush's time in office and chaired a planning group organized by Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie. Ms. Meeker has qualifications, and potential conflicts.

Next week, she finishes her job for a consulting company that does business with the district. "When I started my own company back in February," Ms. Meeker said, "I counted on the district being a client. Now I won't work for South Florida or its clients." She also said, "I hope to improve the district's reputation and ... the public's trust, so the district can move forward with its huge agenda." She and Mr. Rooney can start by breaking up the slumber parties.