Gov. Scott announces $2.2 million investment for springs protection

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03-20-2013 12:33 PM
Gibby

Gov. Scott announces $2.2 million investment for springs protection

Nice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2013

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.state.fl.us

GOV. SCOTT ANNOUNCES $2.2 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR SPRINGS PROTECTION
TALLAHASSEE – Today, Governor Rick Scott and members of the Florida Cabinet approved a plan for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to purchase a tract of land in Madison County that will fill a critical gap for springs protection, flood control assistance and groundwater recharge. The Cabinet approved the Department’s $2.2 million purchase of a 599-acre property owned by the Damascus Peanut Company on the Suwannee River, located near Anderson Spring. The property will complete sections of the Ellaville Twin Rivers State Forest and will be managed by the Florida Forest Service. It is part of Florida’s First Magnitude Springs Florida Forever Project.

Gov. Scott said, “This investment signifies our commitment to acquiring critical lands for water quality improvements. A healthy environment is part of Florida’s economic engine and we depend on its health. This investment builds on our Florida Families First Budget which invests $269.5 million to improve water quality throughout the Sunshine State.”

The property marks another land purchase that aids in the Department’s goal of protecting springs throughout the state. On March 7, Governor Scott and the Florida Cabinet approved a $1.5 million purchase of land outside Wakulla Springs and within the Wakulla Springs Protection Zone with Florida Forever money. Purchasing land near springs protects the springs, karst windows and the Floridian Aquifer from the effects of commercial, agricultural and residential runoff.

“The Department saw the springs protection, water quality and water quantity that this property offered, so we worked hard to acquire it,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. “This purchase keeps a key piece of land in state ownership and furthers the Department’s mission of land purchases that benefit springs.”

The property provides springs protection, a 100-year floodplain and surface water protection. The property lies partially within the springshed for Anderson Spring, which is located on state land directly across the Suwannee River from this property. Cave divers have mapped a connecting cave system that moves toward this property, meaning it has high spring recharge protection potential.

A large number of springs are located along the Suwannee River and this property has 1.6 miles of river frontage on the western bank of the river. Those springs are Hardee Springs, Madison Blue Springs, Falmouth Spring and Lafayette Blue Spring.

http://content.govdelivery.com/bulle...d/FLDEP-71f5ef
03-20-2013 01:04 PM
Jay

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gibby

Cave divers have mapped a connecting cave system that moves toward this property, meaning it has high spring recharge protection potential.

The first nice word in print from the government about cave divers.

Cool, would have been nice to have a map though.....
03-20-2013 02:09 PM
TracyN

Yay for governor Scott! He did something good for a change
03-20-2013 02:14 PM
Jont

Gov Scott is a good guy you are lucky to have him, you will see more of this kind of thing from him.
03-20-2013 02:45 PM
OFG-1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jont

Gov Scott is a good guy you are lucky to have him, you will see more of this kind of thing from him.

Well, as a Floridian I doubt this but, on the positive side, if he would wear a turtleneck, he would look like a big penis....either that or Skeletor.
03-20-2013 02:55 PM
GLM

Yeah... I feel sooo lucky. Guess he has actually done something I agree with for the first time.
03-20-2013 03:08 PM
Jont

LOL.......the two that wrote the last posts are entertaining.
03-20-2013 05:02 PM
FW

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay

The first nice word in print from the government about cave divers.

Cool, would have been nice to have a map though.....

Just a guess, but it is directly across the river from Anderson, and the green is Twin Rivers State Forest.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.356...num=1&t=m&z=15

According to the Madison Co property appraisor's website, it is owned by Damascus Peanut Company.
03-20-2013 05:04 PM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gibby

“This investment signifies our commitment to acquiring critical lands for water quality improvements]

I would vote for the acquisition of Telford
03-20-2013 05:07 PM
gasdiver

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

I would vote for the acquisition of Telford

Has this idea ever been proposed?
03-20-2013 05:41 PM
Kelly Jessop

Quote:

Originally Posted by gasdiver

Has this idea ever been proposed?

My understanding the state has first right to refusal
03-20-2013 09:51 PM
vicp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jont

LOL.......the two that wrote the last posts are entertaining.

Unfortunately you are not.
03-21-2013 07:04 AM
OFG-1

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jont

LOL.......the two that wrote the last posts are entertaining.

Thank you, my sole purpose in life is to amuse and entertain others. Now I feel that my existence is worthwhile.

Perhaps comparing the Governor to a big penis is harsh, I should have compared him to Lex Luthor.

http://dailyfig.figment.com/wp-conte...luthor_150.jpg
03-21-2013 07:24 AM
Jay

Quote:

Originally Posted by FW

Just a guess, but it is directly across the river from Anderson, and the green is Twin Rivers State Forest.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.356...num=1&t=m&z=15

According to the Madison Co property appraisor's website, it is owned by Damascus Peanut Company.

I thought the Anderson property seemed very small, but if it is the green that is bigget then I thought. Are there any holes in the ground on the Damascus property?
03-21-2013 07:48 AM
FW

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay

I thought the Anderson property seemed very small, but if it is the green that is bigget then I thought. Are there any holes in the ground on the Damascus property?

The green is more than just Anderson, it even continues north of I-10.

When the state actually buys it, we can go look for "holes" :-D
03-21-2013 08:39 AM
Jont

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Jessop

My understanding the state has first right to refusal

HI Kelly,

Florida has much more then that, Telfords an interesting situation, I'll get into it when I see you over the next six weeks or so if you'll be in cave country.
03-21-2013 11:07 AM
Mark Long

This is a good ending to a story that could have been much worse. It's complicated as to how this came about, I will attempt to explain. There are actually 2 pieces of property involved. My wife Annette has been going to water management district meetings now for about 10 years. The WMD has been selling off land they deam as "surplus." The peanut company owned this 600 or so acres across the river from Anderson Springs. The WMD has a piece of property around 600 acres that was aquired in a larger purchase several years ago. This property boarders up to the Damascus Peanut Company property. The current governing board of SRWMD cares little for land that is not part of the flood plain or that does not boarder on the rivers. What they were going to do was "swap" this land they own with the peanut company for the land across the river from Anderson Spring.
The land the peanut company wanted is just west of US90 after you cross over the RR track bridge. The property is on the north and south sides of US90. It boaders property they currently own. They were going to completely clear cut all this land, put circle pivot irrigation on it and grow more peanuts. They owned the land across the river from Anderson (low flood plain land) that wasn't farmable so they wanted to swap their piece for the WMD piece. Well US Fish and Wildlife Service got involved and surveyed the WMD land. They found no less than 4 endangered species. Gophers, indigo snakes etc. There are also huge long leave pines on the property. When this was brought to the attention of the WMD governing board, one of it's members replied something on the order "I don't care if someone offers us 5 milion dollars we are going to swap this land with the peanut company!" Keep in mind this property the peanut company wanted is huge for spring recharge also as there are several close by.
Annette and others "raised hell" about this. Florida Audubon and Florida Wildlife Federation got involved. It would have been unconscionable if this land swap would have happened this way.
The WMD had to back off and what has ultimately happened is DEP bought the land across from Anderson. In the near future they will "swap" so that WMD will have the land across the river from Anderson and DEP will manage this upland land. If Annette and others had not been paying attention we would have lost another valuable piece of land to agriculture. The sad thing is that Rick Scott is the one who has mandated to the WMD's to sell off land. From an environmental standpoint he has been, and contiues to be horrible for Florida. In the end they did the right thing. It could have taken a different turn.
03-21-2013 12:10 PM
vicp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jont

Gov Scott is a good guy you are lucky to have him, you will see more of this kind of thing from him.

Yup, pretty lucky...can't wait to see more!

Quote:

Originally Posted by OFG-1

Well, as a Floridian I doubt this but, on the positive side, if he would wear a turtleneck, he would look like a big penis....either that or Skeletor.

Ayup, that's more complimentary than I would have been...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Long

... The sad thing is that Rick Scott is the one who has mandated to the WMD's to sell off land. From an environmental standpoint he has been, and continues to be horrible for Florida...

Amazing!! How lucky can we get?!
03-21-2013 12:23 PM
Sludge

Stop the presses - liberals don't like the Republican governor.
03-21-2013 12:29 PM
Gibby

The sate has been relatively calm and it is growing economically.
A quiet guBmint is a good guBmint.

Can you imagine the dysfunctional turmoil that would exist is Sink made it?
03-21-2013 12:34 PM
vicp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slüdge

Stop the presses - liberals don't like the Republican governor.

Hoose y'all callin a "l*#@&*l"... - (BTW, I liked Charlie Christ.)