State of Florida rejects Fanjul industrial complex in Everglades wetlands ... by gimleteye

Although common sense says it is a non-starter to plan a major industrial facility on thousands of acres in the middle of Everglades wetlands, any major development scheme attracts Florida county commissioners like moths to a flame. So Palm Beach county commissioners approved a plan by the Fanjuls to build a multi-thousand acre "inland port" on thousands of acres, anyway. Never mind that in Palm Beach County, a quorum of former Palm Beach county commissioners is cooling in jail, having burned themselves flying too close to the fire of another deal for a large rock mine adjacent to Fanjul lands.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection yesterday objected to the proposed change in Palm Beach County's comprehensive plan. "This is politics," Florida Crystals spokesman Gaston Cantens whined to the Palm Beach Post. It snows in Miami more often than the Fanjuls are on the losing side of permitting battle. "It has more to do with our objections to the U.S. Sugar deal than it has to do with the substance." The former Miami-Dade state legislator Gaston Cantens is great friends with former house speaker Marco Rubio who is running against Crist in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. There already has been a lot of money thrown into the Rubio campaign by Fanjul-related sources, and no doubt more to come. If Gov. Charlie Crist can't get beyond Marco Rubio in the primary, trace it to this deal.


Environmental agency rejects Florida Crystals land as inland port site

By PAUL QUINLAN

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 09, 2009

Politically powerful Florida Crystals Corp. was dealt a blow Friday by state environmental regulators, who said a transportation, warehousing and distribution complex the sugar company wants built on its land south of Lake Okeechobee would interfere with Everglades restoration.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection sided with environmentalists in urging the state's growth management agency to reject Crystals' request to build the complex near its Okeelanta sugar mill, refinery and power plant.

The say the Crystals property - 318 of the more than 3,500 acres Crystals has available to develop the complex - sits too close to the 73,000 acres of farmland that Gov. Charlie Crist is working to purchase from competitor U.S. Sugar Corp. for Everglades restoration.

"The department believes that development of a transportation, warehousing and distribution complex that serves heavy diesel truck traffic and rail operations - whether 318 acres or 3,500 acres - is incompatible with restoration efforts in the South Florida Ecosystem and Everglades," Sally Mann, of the DEP's Office of Intergovernmental Programs, wrote in a letter dated Friday.

Crystals has fought the U.S. Sugar land deal in court, arguing that the restoration plans are too vague and public purpose too unclear to justify the taxpayer expense. The case is headed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Crystals spokesman Gaston Cantens called the DEP's letter objecting to this proposed change to Palm Beach County's comprehensive plan, or growth blueprint, as retaliation for the company's opposition to the Crist's land deal.

"This is politics," said Crystals spokesman Gaston Cantens. "It has more to do with our objections to the U.S. Sugar deal than it has to do with the substance."

He said the objections were unsubstantiated and that any concerns could be addressed when the company seeks environmental and other permits.

But Lisa Interlandi, an attorney with the Everglades Law Center, said the land use change would lead to greater development of surrounding land.

"We believe that it is clearly urban sprawl," said Interlandi. "It will result in multiple other future land use changes in the area that cumulatively will have a very negative impact on the region."

Crystals is one of several major landowners vying to develop the distribution complex known as an inland port. Backers of the project see it as a way to add capacity to South Florida's three seaports, offering an off-site location where shipping containers could be broken down and goods reshipped. Interested developers see it as a potential gold mine that could generate millions in rent from big-box retailers.

~'paul_quinlan@pbpost.com