Flamingo Report Final Cut

Herald reports small farmers oppose U.S. Sugar deal

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:19:25 +0000

Posted on Tuesday, 12.02.08

Small farmers oppose state deal with U.S. Sugar

BY CURTIS MORGAN

cmorgan@MiamiHerald.com

Calling it a ”bad business deal,” a group of small farmers urged water managers Tuesday not to rush into approving the state’s $1.34 billion proposal to purchase nearly 300 square miles of fields from the U.S. Sugar Corp. for Everglades restoration.

The Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, in a letter to the South Florida Water Management District’s governing board, said the deal would give the company an unfair business advantage at the expense of other growers and taxpayers — particularly a key provision that allows U.S. Sugar to lease back most of its lands for at least seven years at $50 an acre.

”The deal — as currently constructed — would imperil the very livelihoods of the small and medium-sized companies who make up the cooperative by turning [U.S. Sugar] into a super competitor,” wrote George Wedgworth, the group’s president.

The cooperative, comprised of 47 small growers in the sprawling Everglades Agricultural Area southeast of Lake Okeechobee, said it would be willing to pay three times as much to lease the same land from the state — an offer it argues would help offset the cost to taxpayers.

The district, which is supported by property taxes from 16 counties, plans to bankroll the purchase by issuing bonds.

The cooperative intended to present the letter to the district’s governing board, which began what are expected to be three days of discussions this month about the landmark land deal. Under the terms of the contract, the governing board and the company’s board of directors both must approve the deal by Dec. 16.

Lawsuit Update

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:18:18 +0000

-Steven Gurian

There has been action regarding the US Sugar matter. 1) The Judge denied the motion for preliminary injunction; 2) the Defendants filed a motion to dismiss; 3) Plaintiff’s filed a consolidated response to the motion to dismiss and 4) the trial date has been rescheduled to June 22, 2009 and 5) The South Florida Water Management District has proposed a deal to purchase US Sugar, the proposed date of the “Deal” is sometime in April of 2009.

The Lawrence offer would be better for the shareholder employees as well as the State’s deal financially and otherwise, according to the firm.

Here are the supporting documents.

order_denying_plaintiffs_motion_for_preliminary_injunction

plaintiffs_response_to_defendants_motion_to_dismiss

omnibus_order_on_continuance_of_trial

Players Involved

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:14:15 +0000

PLAYERS INVOLVED

Monique White

Gov. Charlie Crist

Member of the Republican Party and current Governor of Florida
Alma Mater: Florida State University and Cumberland School of Law
Born: July 24, 1956
Campaign Contributions

Brian Ballard

Former lobbyist for Gov. Charlie Crist
Member of the Republican Party
Member of Gov. Crist’s Florida Inaugural Committee
Born: July 6, 1961
Alma Mater: University of Florida
Ballard’s Contributions

J.M. “Mac” Stipanovich

Member of the Republican Party
Adviser to the Crist campaign
Influential lobbyist and political strategist
Alma Mater: University of Florida
Born: November 26, 1948
Campaign Contributions

Robert Buker (Left)

President and CEO of US Sugar Corp
Campaign Contributions
Alma Mater: Wheaton College and University of Florida
Statement from Buker signed by Gov. Crist

Michael Sole

Named Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection by Gov. Crist
Gov. Crist appointed Sole as Chairman of the Florida’s Governor’s Action Team on Energy and climate Change
Campaign Contributions

Diana Sawaya-Crane

Environmental Adviser
Alma Mater: University of South Florida
Worked for Gov. Crist when he was attorney general

Carol Wehle

Executive Director of South Florida Water Management District
Attended Harvard University and Northeastern University
The SFWMD is in charge of negotiating the US Sugar buyout

Robert Coker

Senior Vice President, Public Affaits, of US Sugar Corp/
Alma Mater: Florida State University
Member of the Board of Governors for the Florida Chamber of Commerce
Member and President of the Clewiston Chamber of Commerce
Sent two lobbyists to Crist, Brian Ballard, and Mac Stipanovich to help him better understand the deal
Campaign Contributions

Eric Buermann

Member of the Republican Party
Vice Chair of Governing Board of the SFWMD
Appointed by Crist
Alma Mater: Brown University and University of Miami
Campaign Contributions

Eric Eikenberg

Gov. Crist’s chief of staff
Oversees many of the governors agencies that includes the Departments of Environment Protection, Community Affairs and Transportation.
Member of the Republican Party
Alma Mater: The American University

Paul Tudor Jones II

Born: September 28, 1954
Well-known commodity trader
Ranked by Forbes in 2007 as the 369th richest person in the world
Member of the Republican Party
Three weeks before Crist’s Election, Jones gave $400,000 to the Florida Republican Party
Campaign Contributions

Ruth Clements

Director of land acquisition for South Florida Water Management Distict

Shannon Estenoz

Appointed by Gov. Crist as the South Florida Water Management District’s governing Vice Chair and as the National Park Conservation Association, Suncoast regional director.
Alma Mater: Florida Keys Community College and Florida State University
Campaign Contributions

SFWMD Meeting on Dec. 2

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:01:27 +0000

by Monique White

At the meeting on Tuesday, there were a lot of unanswered questions and opposition regarding the revised deal. Here are a couple articles on the meeting.

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Residents start letter writing campaign

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:58:18 +0000

By Tavia Levy

After Governor Charlie Crist announced the first U.S. Sugar deal, Clewiston officials wrote a letter on behalf of the residents asking Gov. Christ to include economics incentives to help the town of Clewiston after U.S. Sugar Corporation is gone. Governor Crist sent a non-committal reply to their letter. He made no promises.

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation also took to the letter writing business. They called on Gov. Crist to give back the excess land not used for the proposed flow-way to the private sector for agricultural production.

The people of Hendry and Glade County were aslo concerned with how the closure of U.S. Sugar would affect them. So county officials wrote a letter to Secretary of Florida Michael Sole asking him over 20 questions about the U.S. Sugar deal. Their letter included questions such has what’s the yearly planning and design for the everglades restoration, what’s the total cost of the project and what’s U.S. Sugar going to do so that the sale does not adversely affect the two counties.

Many letters have been written, but few replies have been had.

us-sugar-letters

Deal Commentary

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:55:27 +0000

by Charles Grau

Mike Sole comments on the U.S. Sugar deal

mike-sole-3_0001

Governor Crist commenting on the U.S. Sugar deal

crist-interview_0002