Putnam stated "anyone affiliated with Bullsugar or buying lands in the EAA, would be vaporized". Here is a brief explanation of what Putnam said, according to a FB post by Michael Conner -- a spokesperson for Bullsugar.
Adam Putnam is Rick Scott's right-hand man. Aspiring to be Florida's next governor. Putnam, a Republican whose family farm was bought by the state of Florida at a multiple of its appraised value, is the biggest defender of Big Sugar. In 2005, the state of Florida purchased the Putnam family farm for more than $25 million. Only one year earlier, it had been appraised at $5.5 million. "The South Florida Water Management District needed only 600 acres of the ranch in Highlands County for environmental purposes. But it bought all 2,042 acres and did it in a way that arranged for the Putnams a lucrative tax break, while allowing the family to continue grazing cattle on the land rent-free until the district needed the land. After paying the family’s attorney $3.9 million in legal fees, the total deal cost taxpayers nearly $30 million."
Bullsugar is coalescing civic energy -- Florida's Arab Spring -- against a status quo organized around Big Sugar's domination of the Florida legislature and executive branch.
Thanks to Bullsugar, voters are beginning to understand why they pay the price when the legislature gives Big Sugar what it wants, when it wants it.
Big Sugar wants to squeeze the last cent out of the Everglades Agricultural Area, then develop it into zero lot line suburbs.
Bullsugar wants to buy sufficient lands from the Everglades Agricultural Area to protect the rivers, bays and estuaries that contribute billions of dollars of economic value to Florida.
Big Sugar wants to protect two billionaire families, the descents of Charles Stuart Mott who control U.S. Sugar Corporation and the Fanjul families who own Florida Crystals, Flo-Sun and other sugar enterprises.
Bullsugar wants to protect millions of Florida taxpayers. Buy the land, send clean water south.
Big Sugar wants the public to pay for its pollution of the Everglades. In January 2015, Putnam lied to the Palm Beach Post, saying, "As a result of the numerous projects being requested around the state and the emphasis on implementing the shovel-ready projects in South Florida, we have not seen any serious interest in purchasing a large amount of land for which there is no plan or project."
Bullsugar wants to unify voters who will, eventually, overturn Big Sugar's domination of Florida.
Big Sugar wants to divide voters, whether Republican or Democrat, to keep its prerogatives in place.
Bullsugar is using social media to link supporters around the state.
Big Sugar is using newspapers and local business councils -- speaking as advertisers for mainstream media -- to spread disinformation.
Bullsugar is relying on science and facts to press its case for land acquisition south of Lake Okeechobee.
Big Sugar depends on fictions it has used, for decades, to keep agencies and politicians in line.
Bullsugar organizes volunteers and property owners willing to spend after-tax earnings to fight the battle to "buy the land, send clean water south".
Big Sugar is using pretax profits from corporate welfare and subsidies to fund engineers, consultants, lawyers and a PR machine to fight the will of voters.
Bullsugar represents the first effort, in many decades, to confront Big Sugar directly, unequivocally, and without fear.
That's why Ag. Secretary Adam Putnam wants to "vaporize" Bullsugar.org
Adam Putnam is Rick Scott's right-hand man. Aspiring to be Florida's next governor. Putnam, a Republican whose family farm was bought by the state of Florida at a multiple of its appraised value, is the biggest defender of Big Sugar. In 2005, the state of Florida purchased the Putnam family farm for more than $25 million. Only one year earlier, it had been appraised at $5.5 million. "The South Florida Water Management District needed only 600 acres of the ranch in Highlands County for environmental purposes. But it bought all 2,042 acres and did it in a way that arranged for the Putnams a lucrative tax break, while allowing the family to continue grazing cattle on the land rent-free until the district needed the land. After paying the family’s attorney $3.9 million in legal fees, the total deal cost taxpayers nearly $30 million."
Bullsugar is coalescing civic energy -- Florida's Arab Spring -- against a status quo organized around Big Sugar's domination of the Florida legislature and executive branch.
Thanks to Bullsugar, voters are beginning to understand why they pay the price when the legislature gives Big Sugar what it wants, when it wants it.
Big Sugar wants to squeeze the last cent out of the Everglades Agricultural Area, then develop it into zero lot line suburbs.
Bullsugar wants to buy sufficient lands from the Everglades Agricultural Area to protect the rivers, bays and estuaries that contribute billions of dollars of economic value to Florida.
Big Sugar wants to protect two billionaire families, the descents of Charles Stuart Mott who control U.S. Sugar Corporation and the Fanjul families who own Florida Crystals, Flo-Sun and other sugar enterprises.
Bullsugar wants to protect millions of Florida taxpayers. Buy the land, send clean water south.
Big Sugar wants the public to pay for its pollution of the Everglades. In January 2015, Putnam lied to the Palm Beach Post, saying, "As a result of the numerous projects being requested around the state and the emphasis on implementing the shovel-ready projects in South Florida, we have not seen any serious interest in purchasing a large amount of land for which there is no plan or project."
Bullsugar wants to unify voters who will, eventually, overturn Big Sugar's domination of Florida.
Big Sugar wants to divide voters, whether Republican or Democrat, to keep its prerogatives in place.
Bullsugar is using social media to link supporters around the state.
Big Sugar is using newspapers and local business councils -- speaking as advertisers for mainstream media -- to spread disinformation.
Bullsugar is relying on science and facts to press its case for land acquisition south of Lake Okeechobee.
Big Sugar depends on fictions it has used, for decades, to keep agencies and politicians in line.
Bullsugar organizes volunteers and property owners willing to spend after-tax earnings to fight the battle to "buy the land, send clean water south".
Big Sugar is using pretax profits from corporate welfare and subsidies to fund engineers, consultants, lawyers and a PR machine to fight the will of voters.
Bullsugar represents the first effort, in many decades, to confront Big Sugar directly, unequivocally, and without fear.
That's why Ag. Secretary Adam Putnam wants to "vaporize" Bullsugar.org
16 comments:
Wow. This is really a one sided story. The truth is that the south Florida land that Bullsugar wants would do nothing to improve Lake Okeechobee. Lake O is NORTH of the farms - and water flows downhill. Groups like Bullsugar are promoting a lie. The only time water enters the lake from the south is when the Water Management District pumps it back in in times of extreme emergency - and to prevent flooding of south Florida homes. This only happened 8 times since 2008. Everyone knows that solution is storing and cleaning water before it enters the lake and that is what the US Army Corps of Engineers is doing currently with their $16 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.
the REAL solution to this crisis??? QUIT POLLUTING THE WATERS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, and THE WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES... got it? it's just that simple... the polluters are given free rein, and "free" flood control, aka "backpumping"... and we store their dirty water for them until they store too much and Clewiston and vicinity are under the threat of a dike breach at the HerbertHooverDike at LakeO... it is so very simple... KEEP YOUR FILTHY WATER ON YOUR OWN LAND, filter it and treat it until it is up to federal standards, and then we'll talk about what to do with your ultrapure H2O... maybe you could bottle it then, and sell it to us in plastic containers
Obviously a hired cyber-troll working on behalf of Big Sugar. Lake O releases are far more frequent than alleged, destroying lagoon and wetlands habitats with a resulting fish kill that torments homeowners and destroys jobs.
If you look past the propaganda you will see that the water leaving the south Florida farms is twice as clean as when it ran onto the property from spillage off Lake Okeechobee. Also - the fish kill are coming from too much FRESH water and not polluted water. Please do a little more research before trolling these blogs an making misleading comments. Water is being polluted from above lake Okeechobee, not from below.
Oh boy the paid trolls have already attacked this one.. Florida Bay needs fresh clean water it is dying and land north of the lake does nothing to help this. Even of the bottled Evian was poured into Lake O tomorrow the Legacy phosphorous and muck would contaminate the IRL and Caloosahatchee for years. We need land south of the lake to store and clean this water before sending it to Florida Bay
Hey what happened to the real estate article? It showed a day in the life view of the shark infested real estate business, criminal lending practices and they free hand given to them by the state. Should add to that the master slave relationship instituted by Home Owner Association boards and laws.
I have to do a fact check. Sorry.
More BS propaganda from the Everglades Foundation paid hacks. Sugar is south of the lake and is not polluting it, wake up people.
From the Sugar Reform Coalition:
The federal government’s sugar program has created a cartel of 14 rich and powerful sugar companies at the expense of all American consumers and taxpayers. In fiscal year 2013 alone, three big sugar companies received the bulk of the $1.1 billion in sugar loans the federal government doled out. What’s more, the sugar program’s cost to U.S. taxpayers in the same year skyrocketed to nearly $300 million – all to prop up prices for profitable sugar producers.
For far too long the “Big Sugar” lobby has protected its subsidies by running a campaign of distortion, while the program it engineered has cost U.S. consumers and businesses up to $3.5 billion each year, putting 600,000 food manufacturing jobs at risk.
The sugar program may be a sweet deal for wealthy sugar companies, but not for American consumers, taxpayers and businesses. Unwrap the facts for yourself below.
1. MYTH: U.S. sugar prices are lower today than 30 years ago, yet the price of a candy bar has increased 300 percent over that time.
FACT: What’s ironic is that sugar producers have demonstrated they have no qualms in defending a program that has cost consumers and food companies billions of dollars. Moreover in FY 2013, U.S. sugar processors began forfeiting on their nonrecourse loans, also costing taxpayers nearly $300 million. The fact is, the price of any product reflects the cost of making it, and sugar is not the only driver of a product’s price.
2. MYTH: Food manufacturers pocket the windfall from falling sugar prices—down 50 percent since 2010—instead of sharing the savings with consumers.
FACT: U.S. refined sugar prices were at record highs between 2009-2012 because of the sugar program. Raw sugar prices have fallen some recently, and could easily go up again — hurting small- and medium-sized businesses the most. Meanwhile, the sugar program is benefitting a small group of already profitable sugar producers — several of which have more than $300 million in annual revenue and don’t need a federal handout.
3. MYTH: The press has reported dozens of major U.S. expansion projects by candy makers since 2012.
FACT: As the U.S. economy recovers, candy makers, like manufacturers across a range of industries, have slowly begun returning to previous production levels. The question is, why is the U.S. government making it harder for manufacturers to compete by keeping in place a program that drives up the cost of a key ingredient in so many foods?
4. MYTH: Manufacturers of sugar-containing products have added jobs since 2006, while employment by other food manufacturers has fallen 3 percent.
FACT: Census data show an estimated 127,000 jobs were lost in sugar-using industries between 1997-2011. The Commerce Department estimates that for every sugar-producing job saved through high U.S. sugar prices, approximately three American manufacturing jobs are lost.
Orlando flushes it toilet down the Kissimmee. That's Disney folks Reedy Creek.All the farmers along the Kissimmee flush their runoff into and down the Kissimmee. Then you hit Big Sugar mixed with some vegetables which is 770,000 acres. All of the crap is flowing downhill and destroying South Florida.Sorry Jan but saying we only back pumped 8 EIGHT TIMES since 2008 is EVERY YEAR. Do the Math its 2016. Lake Okeechobee was never supposed to be used as it has been The South Florida Weapons of Mass Destruction (SFWMD)got rid of the scientists and or hired or appointed hacks spewing nonsense like No Net Lose we'll shoot poisoned water out to tide (Ocean Outfall) or Deep Well inject it, better yet we'll call it reclaimed water shooting the very crap were fighting from going into the Everglades, our estuaries, canals, and Lake Okeechobee. There is 9 feet of silt in Lake O so when they cry that it is at 16 feet were really worrying about 7 feet of water. Go back to April of 2004 one really strong rainstorm had quite a few pretty worried when all that silt shifted in one afternoon.The facts are CERP is to get water to people drinking water. We have salt water intrusion going 8 to 20 miles inland and we need to stop building period. Until we fix the existing problems we will never fix any problems.Rock mining , all of it needs a moratorium. FPL needs to shut down Turkey Point. Quite frankly I think seventh graders could come up with better ideas then the engineers, doctors , lawyers and idiots I have encountered in the last 40 years. I asked for dye tests in 1977 in Miami at the Rock Mining operations they finally did them in 2007. Guess what in 1977 I knew the water would move that dye in minutes not months. So the voodoo science needs to stop the compromising needs to stop.Hell if the polluters are right then they can stop for 5 years and prove they weren't the polluters the land will still be there. Wade Hopping once asked what I had a degree in my reply I have a Masters Degree in BULLSHIT I know it when I see it.
He ain't a Bushist Adolf Hitler Putschnam fer nuthin' !
These Big Sugar sympathizers that keep on saying "its not a polluted water problem its a freshwater problem of too much" are really full of it. Red Herring you idiots. Lets say the water is pure and fresh it STILL DOESN'T BELONG IN THE ESTUARIES IT BELONGS IN A RESTORED NATURAL FLOW-WAY TO THE SOUTHERN EVERGLADES AND EVENTUALLY THE FLORIDA BAY!!!
The fresh water discharges almost never occur. IT's not worth doing anything about and paying any money on for a problem that happens once every year or two. Its foolish to spend any money on these stupid programs that do nothing. We should NOT interfere with the federal and state plans that are already underway.
We really need to accelerate funds to complete existing projects such as CERP and CEPP. The land purchase in the south would have done very little to decrease the discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers and would eliminate critical funding needed on current Everglades projects on lands that have already been purchased.
How about you give this a look over and tell me how much you care for BULLSUGAR.
http://treasurecoaststar.com/26370/188513/a/bullsugar-bull
Fresh water discharges are the biggest issue! That is what is destroying the fish and the environment. Also all the talk of this land purchase down South is a complete lie made up by these fraudulent activists groups like Bullsugar.
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