September 22, 2008

ISSUE 1237

South Florida Water Management District staff members are continuing with closed door negotiations regarding the purchase of U.S. Sugar Corp. The district is proceeding with the required due diligence including appraisals of land and assets, alternatives for financing, options for the resale of assets that are not needed for the project, legal issues, and a fairness evaluation.

Farmers and local residents have many unanswered questions related to the buyout and how it will affect agriculture in the region and the economies of several communities. While there are very few answers at this point, the district staff and Governing Board members provided assurance that the board’s ultimate decision regarding whether or not to move forward will be made in an open and public process.

District staff also presented three different project configurations that could be used to move additional water to the southern Everglades. These include two options for contiguous flow ways that will require additional lands, and one option that would use existing canals to move water to the south. FFVA will continue to monitor this important land acquisition and will report further information as it is made available.