State legislature approves bill changing Lake Okeechobee water distribution rules

A bill that started out being widely condemned by environmental interests, and even prompted questions from the Governor, has now been passed by the Florida Legislature.

After a series of amendments on the floor and revisions by a House-Senate conference committee, SB 2508 came out from the conference committee stripped from its attachment to the state budget and won quick approval from lawmakers.

Ryan Rossi, the Director of the South Florida Water Coalition, is pleased with the outcome.

“Well I think that the passage of 2508 is a great thing for south Florida communities. There are cities like West Palm Beach that rely heavily on water supply from Lake Okeechobee, it’s one of the primary backup resources," he said. "So this bill ensures that the city of West Palm, in the event that we get a drought, at least knows that they have some assurance that they’re going to get the water that they need.”

Gil Smart, the policy director for Friends of the Everglades is not so pleased. While acknowledging changes have gotten rid of the worst, Friends of the Everglades he said still believes it’s a bad bill.

"It creates a pathway for modernizing water shortage rules as they currently exist," said Smart. "So it’s better in that respect, but we still got a lot of questions. The base line is why politicians in Tallahassee meddling in south Florida water management water shortage rules?”