Discharge Permits Upheld For Everglades Sugar Farms

Water discharge permits for South Florida sugar cane farms don’t violate the state’s Everglades protection laws, despite nearby waters continuing to exceed the allowable phosphorus limit, a state appeals court ruled (Fla. Audubon Soc’y v. Sugar Cane Growers Coop. of Fla., 2015 BL 253871, Fla. Dist. Ct. App., 8/7/15.

In an Aug. 7 opinion, a three-judge panel for Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal upheld a lower administrative order that allowed permits issued by the South Florida Water Management District to sugar cane growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area.

The Florida Audubon Society had sued the water ...