Letters to the Editor

Focus on Bay

It is frustrating that the Miami Herald’s attention on Florida Everglades restoration reporting has been mostly focused on Lake Okeechobee issues and the proposed land purchase advocated by environmental groups.

The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands project has been part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan since 2000. The project has experienced considerable delays and could be pushed further behind schedule to make room for yet another state land purchase.

The health of Biscayne Bay is in serious decline and is experiencing a significant amount of sea grass die off as well as periodic algal blooms. Miami-Dade County and many municipalities plus the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce have passed resolutions urging the State and Federal government to complete the project in a timely manner.

It would be fitting for the Miami Herald to highlight and actively support a restoration project that directly impacts the community they serve instead of prioritizing a competing and scientifically questioned “solution” for water resources problems in other parts of the state.

Irela Bagué, former governing board member,

South Florida Water Management District

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