Land Development

The latest attack on the Everglades is the development of land for residential and urban use. As a result of misdirected attempts to accommodate the ever increasing population of South Florida, more and more land from the Everglades area is being considered for ambitious development projects. Sugar companies are considering developing thousands and thousands of acres of land currently designated for agricultural use. As the sugar industry shifts focus to development, Everglades restoration is again jeopardized.

The sugar industry is facing the need to compensate for the decreasing demand for sugar and the international competition for lower prices. With the major sugar producers as owners of significant amounts of the land in the Everglades Agricultural Area, some sugar companies, such as Florida Crystals and United States Sugar Corporation, have already initiated development of their land. Repurposing the land for residential and commercial use, rather than agricultural use, may reverse or interfere with the effects of the multi-billion dollar Everglades restoration effort. Buildings and streets would interfere with this project which is currently designed to include water flows off the sugar cane land. Developing sugar cane land means not only more pollution but also sabotages critical restoration.