Here’s another “shout out” to Charlie Crist for having the fortuitousness of knowing when to be smart about a land deal.
The state of Florida is in the process of purchasing U.S. Sugar, the nation’s biggest producer of sugar cane, and restore the land around Lake Okeechobee. The hope is to not only turn the farmed land back into it’s natural state, but also to help restore the Everglades.
Originally, the deal included the purchase of 187,000 acres, the Sugar Mill, the citrus processing plant, the railroad line, and the processing facilities. But in the recent economic downturn, Governor Crist has renegotiated the deal. Now the state of Florida will purchase 181,000 acres of land only for the sum of $1.34 billion – as opposed to the original sum of $1.75 billion for the entire package.
“U.S. Sugar is allowed to lease back the land at $50 per acre, per year, for seven crop cycles, or six years. After that, U.S. Sugar will still own the processing facilities and could continue to operate them even without farmland. The mill could simply refine raw sugar produced elsewhere or be converted for the production of alternative energy. The company did not say what it planned.” – The Herald Tribune
This deal is still waiting for approval, but the goal is to have it approved by as early as this December. What a nice way to celebrate the new year.
Here’s to you, Governor Crist, for being true to your state and recognizing it’s potential. You have stayed strong on the environment even when it was easier to bring in more revenue from development. It’s no wonder that you are a popular governor, indeed.
