Southwest Florida lawmakers demand changes to Lake O discharge plan

Spencer Roach led a letter demanding the St. Lucie share some brunt of the flow.

While a discharge schedule for Lake Okeechobee left Southeast Florida pols pleased, lawmakers in Southwest Florida express increasing alarm.

A letter from members of the Lee, Collier and Hendry county delegations to federal officials calls for significant adjustments. That comes after the Army Corps of Engineers picked a plan that stops discharges into the St. Lucie River but still has to direct blue-green algae-infested water someplace.

“The preliminary plan falls short in protecting the water resources of the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary,” the latest lawmaker letter reads.

Rep. Spencer Roach, a North Fort Myers Republican and chair of the Lee County Legislative Delegation, led the multicounty effort. It’s co-signed by Sens. Ben Albritton, Kathleen Passidomo and Ray Rodrigues and Reps. David Borrero, Adam Botana, Mike Giallombardo, Lauren Melo, Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Bob Rommel. All the signers are Republicans, who maintain a significant political grip in Southwest Florida.