Scott Signs Bill Paying For Everglades Restoration
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – A tax on farmers in the northern Everglades will continue to pay for the long-term costs of the restoration of the River of Grass under a bill signed into law by Governor Rick Scott Tuesday.
Sugar farmers and environmental groups praised the bill that maintains the existing tax until the mid 2030's. However, the tax rate will begin to decline in the mid-2020's.
The money will be used for water quality restoration projects that are part of an $880 million plan that was negotiated between Scott and the federal government.
The law also calls for spending $32 million a year for the next 10 years in an effort to reduce the amount of phosphorus that enters the Everglades.
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