Everglades land deal mired in legal issues

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Legal battles in Florida may derail a $197 million Everglades restoration project two years in the making, a water district director said.

South Florida Water Management District Director Carol Wehle, in a letter to U.S District Judge Alan Gold, said pressing for tighter environmental controls, those backed by the Friends of the Everglades group, were "regrettably, not achievable."

The potential $1.5 billion price tag for the controls would be a burden to taxpayers "who alone are expected to carry the heavy financial load to meet the Court's mandates," the letter said, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The deal, originally proposed by Gov. Charlie Crist, has shrunk considerably from its conception two years ago -- a $1.75 billion offer to buy 180,000 acres from U.S. Sugar for Everglade protection pared down to a $197 million deal for 26,800 acres.

The smaller deal is expected to close Oct. 12, but the water district, which would manage the project, has scheduled a meeting for Friday to discuss walking away from the deal if the legal mandates become too costly.

In addition, Gold has rescheduled a hearing for Nov. 3 on the EPA's clean water goals for the project, which the environmental group says is too lax.

The environmental group's attorney Albert Slap said the EPA's plan was flawed. "It has no enforcement deadlines and no money to back it up,'' he said.

At issue is goals for removing phosphorus from storm water that seeps into the Everglades from nearby farmland, the newspaper said.