Overview
2008 through 2010 was a bittersweet time for U.S. Sugar - a company that has been farming in the Lake Okeechobee region for more than four generations. It was during this time period when the Company agreed to sell a considerable amount of its sugar cane and citrus acreage to the South Florida Water Management District for the "River of Grass" restoration project. U.S. Sugar is firm in its belief that the sale was for a good cause and is proud to be part of this historic opportunity to make extraordinary progress in Everglades restoration and restore much of the natural footprint of South Florida.
History of the Agreement
2008
In June of 2008, an announcement was made that the South Florida Water Management District would purchase 187,000 acres of U.S. Sugar's land (292 square miles or three times the size of the city of Orlando) located in environmentally strategic areas that would help restoration efforts for Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries and the Everglades. Under the terms of the original agreement, sufficient land would also be available for critical water storage and treatment as well as for allowing sustainable farming in the Everglades Agricultural Area and the Everglades to be sustainable.
Over the course of the next two years, modifications were made to the agreement. In May 2009, an amended agreement provided for the initial purchase of close to 73,000 acres for $536 million, with options to purchase the remaining 107,000 acres during the next ten years when economic and financial conditions improve.
2009
In 2009, a proposal for a scaled down acquisition was made due to the global economic crisis. Under the new contract, U.S. Sugar agreed to sell 72,500 acres of the Company's land for approximately $530 million to the SFWMD. While the SFWMD finalized plans for the land, the Company would continue to farm the 72,500 acres through a 7-year lease that may be extended under certain circumstances. The agreement also provided the SFWMD with an option to acquire the Company's remaining 107,500 acres for up to ten years.
2010
On August 12, 2010, a second amended agreement was reached for the South Florida Water Management District to buy 26,800 acres of land for $197 million along with the option to acquire 153,200 acres in the future.
In October 2010, the agreement for 26,800 acres was finalized and the following month the Florida Supreme Court struck down a challenge to the land acquisition stating that the purchase of U.S. Sugar lands fulfills a valid and extremely important public purpose in providing land for water storage and treatment to benefit the Everglades ecosystem and the coastal estuaries.
2014: moderator note: From SFWMD website: "At present, the South Florida Water Management District is not exercising options to purchase more land or negotiating to acquire more land from U.S. Sugar Corporation. District funds are being used to move critical projects forward that utilize lands already in public ownership, including Restoration Strategies projects as well as the Caloosahatchee River (C-43) West Basin and Indian River Lagoon - South C-44 reservoirs. Collectively, these projects address the District's restoration priorities of restoring water quality in the Everglades, as agreed to by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Interior, as well as sending water south of Lake Okeechobee and reducing damaging excess water flows to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries."
Environmental Benefits
- Increases water storage to reduce harmful freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and estuaries
- Improves the delivery of cleaner water to the Everglades
- Prevents tons of phosphorus from entering the Everglades
- Reduces the need for "back-pumping" water into Lake Okeechobee
- Manages Lake Okeechobee within a more desirable ecological range
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