Gov. Scott Fails Florida, Again ... by gimleteye

“Florida’s 900 freshwater springs bring families, visitors and job creators to our state,” Florida's Governor Rick Scott said on Monday as he made another announcement that papers over the truth; this time, related to the failure of the state to protect Florida's fresh water resources. "Over the last three years," the governor said, "We have invested record funding for Florida’s springs, and the projects we are announcing today will ensure our springs are protected for future generations to enjoy."

Gov. Scott's claim is no more true than his assertion to be saving the Everglades. His top environmental officer, Jon Stevenson, piled on: "I would like to thank Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature for providing record funding for springs restoration, and for securing the recurring funding that will allow us to continue to protect springs in the future," DEP Secretary Jon Steverson said.

For a clearer view, Dr. Robert Palmer, Legislative Chair of the Florida Springs Council, responded, "While these springs projects will probably lead to an improvement over the environmental degradation that would occur without them, it is also true that the projects, individually or in combination, will not result in a single Florida spring returning to health. DEP’s measure of success – pounds of nitrogen reduced or gallons of water saved – is flawed. ... More aggressive and imaginative measures are needed. Where are the State’s plans for buying out polluting activities on those lands in North Florida which are critical to the recharge of the aquifer and to the health of springs? Where are the State’s plans for curtailing water use and fertilizer use at the source, rather than allowing polluting activities to continue and attempting to clean them up after the fact? Where is the State’s blueprint for serious water conservation? Until the State acts on these and other fronts, we will continue to see these lists of projects that make the grant recipients quite happy, but which have little prospect for accomplishing the ultimate goal of clean, healthy springs and a clean, healthy aquifer."

The only fluid that runs pure in Tallahassee is nonsense.