Former State Senate President Ken Pruitt to become a lobbyist ... by gimleteye

The Palm Beach Post blog reports: "State Sen. Ken Pruitt has joined a law firm specializing in land use...

Pruitt, who is not a lawyer, is working for Weiss, Handler, Angelos and Cornwell, a law firm with offices in Boca Raton and Port St. Lucie. The firm’s specialties include land use, commercial real estate and zoning, according to its web site. Pruitt resigned from his District 28 seat on the last day of the legislative session for financial and family reasons. The Port St. Lucie Republican served as Senate President from 2006-2008. Pruitt was a well-driller who became involved in real estate during his tenure as a lawmaker. He was first elected to the House in 1990 and joined the Senate in 2002."

I hadn't known much about Pruitt until 10 years ago, or so, when I was researching Florida's dirty secret: the widespread use of underground aquifers to dispose of scarcely treated municipal waste. During the Jeb Bush years, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection held data related to program as a state secret. I tried to pry the secret open, through Sunshine Act requests exactly how much dirty water was being "injected" into Florida's aquifers. I never did get the information until years later, when FDEP grudgingly acknowledged that more than a billion gallons per day of municipal wastewater is injected into Florida deep aquifers. The program, allowed with minimal supervision by federal agencies, was an integral piece of the housing boom. Why?

All those suburban developments needed a cheap place to put their waste water. Municipalities and counties were forced by developers to offer cheap alternatives in order to provide low cost housing to buyers and speculators: that's why Miami-Dade county has been pumping nearly 100 million gallons per day, for decades, deep under Mount Trashmore. What does this have to do with Pruitt?

As a former well driller, Pruitt has been a strong supporter in state government of drilling as a way to "solve" Everglades restoration problems, through aquifer storage and recovery well technology, and underground injection wells. They haven't solved anything. A more moderate, less radical approach to growth might have saved Florida from the considerable pain the state and municipalities are going through. It was the marriage of politics and bad economics that lead to the worst crisis since the Great Depression. Politicians like Ken Pruitt were right in the middle of it.

Not only is Port St. Lucie one of the hardest hit areas in Florida with ghost town suburbs, it is an area hit by enormous pollution problems related to the St. Lucie estuary. It's no surprise that Pruitt will try to capitalize on his relationships by becoming a land use lobbyist. He has lots of company.