Date Time
South Florida could be heading toward another summer of slime
A massive buildup of blue-green algae in Lake Okeechobee threatens the state’s East and West coasts. University of Miami phytoplankton and water quality experts address the challenges that another massive red tide outbreak would pose.
Right now, it is just a waiting game. But if the unsightly blue and green gunk that now covers 500 square miles of Lake Okeechobee is any indication, this summer South Florida could be ground zero for a massive algae outbreak on par with, or even worse than, the bloom that contaminated waterways on the state’s East and West coasts three years ago.
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Today’s entry:
Long time listener. I wanted to contact you to ask for an opportunity for you to review and report to your listener base the pros and cons of South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) becoming an Investor Owned Utility (IOU). As a conservationist, I am concerned with the sewage effluent/raw water suggestions being injected below our precious Floridian Aquifer. And as practical realist, I realize that the opportunity to have private companies manage projects means timelines and budgets will get met. I value hearing your analysis and hope you will consider offering your insight.
Bottom Line: Florida’s water wars are anything but new, but they continue to escalate. You have the multiple decade Florida-Georgia battle over the Apalachicola, growing concerns over the bottling of water in Florida’s springs and of course the mack daddy of them all. The one that starts at Lake O’ and ends where the Everglades do. Lake O’s toxic alga
By Brian Mudd
May 20, 2021
Q&A Of The Day – Should The South Florida Water Management District Be Privatized? Part 2
Bottom Line: Florida is already home to two of the largest investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in the country, including the largest – NextEra Energy, FPL’s parent and Duke Energy (which is North Carolina based but is Florida’s second largest investor-owned utility company). NextEra is an annual winner of national and even international awards recognizing environmental policy and good stewardship. And while FPL is typically first nationally, Duke Energy consistently ranks among the best too – checking in at 7th best nationally this year. As we consider whether it makes sense to convert the South Florida Water Management District into an investor owned utility, I think it’s valuable to take a look at the existing example(s) within our state. Clearly our state regulators, in conjunction with leadership at the companies, have crafted