Florida Crystals' Okeelanta Files Action to Enforce Water Supply Rules

Since Governor Ron DeSantis (R) assumed office in 2018, environmental concerns have plagued the Sunshine State. The Governor has asserted that his Administration is committed to continuing to respond to the concerns as issues linger. As a response, Congress developed the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, which aims for environmental preservation along with safeguarding water supplies. In the most recent development, Okeelanta, a Florida Crystals subsidiary, has filed with a Court to enforce water supply rules.

Okeelanta's filing "Thursday asking the Court to direct the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to follow Congress’ mandate that ensures water supply from Lake Okeechobee for existing stakeholders.” This includes “agriculture and urban water users, which is critical to protecting the food supply and drinking water during dry periods.”

In a statement, Jaime Vega, Florida Crystals’ Vice President of Agriculture, commented that “farms need a secure supply of water, and all farmers need certainty as we plan and manage our planting schedules and crop rotation.” Vega “oversees a team of more than 50 agronomists, engineers, crop nutritionists and farmers that manage more than 75 farms.”

Florida Crystals “has publicly and privately supported the EAA Reservoir since its inception as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan,” and the complaint filed is not expected to directly “affect the timeline of the EAA Reservoir’s construction.” In the organization’s FAQs, it informs that “the complaint does not take issue with the physical design or construction of the EAA Reservoir.”

The filing however is expressed as “a result of the ACOE’s failure to ensure that existing stakeholders receive the appropriate levels of water supply as the ACOE planned and modeled the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) and its key component, the EAA Reservoir.”

Florida Crystals Corporation is a cane sugar company that “farms sugarcane, rice, and vegetables on 190,000 acres in Palm Beach County, Florida.” Moreover, it “owns two sugar mills, a sugar refinery, a packaging and distribution center, a rice mill, and the largest renewable power plant of its kind in North America.”