We've written exhaustively about the lawsuit and its implications: that Maggy Hurchalla (nee Reno) -- born and raised in what is now Kendall -- finds herself on the tip of a spear used by Big Sugar and its proxies to privatize Florida's water supply.
Tampa Bay Times journalist Craig Pittman adds to the record of a dismal case: George Lindemann v. Maggy Hurchalla.
Hurchalla and her legal team, including Sandy D'Alemberte's firm, are appealing on first amendment grounds.
The case is Kafka-esque, (read our archive for more detail), and here is a key take-away: the lawsuit and its outcome against Hurchalla would NEVER have happened if the South Florida Water Management District stood up for taxpayers instead of special interests who control the state.
This is on Gov. Rick Scott. The governor appoints the board of the South Florida Water Management District. Throughout eight years in the executive office, Scott used his authority to turn the District into a cudgel against civic leaders with the temerity to push back against distortion of fact, science and policies intended to deliver safe, affordable water to Floridians and to protect the environment.
The weapon was freely wielded at public meetings of the board, led for most of Scott's tenure by his former counsel: Peter Antonucci. Antonucci had plenty of assistance from other Scott appointees, culled from the regulated communities. ie. Big Sugar.
During Scott's terms, any pretense of fair and equitable management of Florida's water future was abandoned. (What Scott claims as his major accomplishment -- $900 million for Everglades restoration projects -- was only the result of a Clean Water Act lawsuit by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and Friends of the Everglades.) One had to be among the community of civic activists -- like Hurchalla, today -- and environmentalists who attended District meetings in West Palm Beach to experience the Kafka-esque story unfold.
Among its ironies: in his second run for governor, Maggy Hurchalla was the only environmentalist who Gov. Scott personally reached out to, for support. He made a quiet visit to Hurchalla's home in Martin County to respectfully solicit advice, hoping word would spread that he was not such a bad guy after all.
Managing water in Florida is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is a good old boy network that Gov. Scott turned to this purpose: to maximize political power and outcomes to his own ends. That includes becoming the next US senator from Florida.
At Eye On Miami, we speculated that George Lindemann was put into the Lake Pointe deal by Big Sugar friends; formidable inside players deploying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland south of Lake Okeechobee to whatever purpose turns the highest profit. Until he invested in Lake Pointe, Lindemann had no traffic with wetlands, with the Everglades, or with Florida politics. But he was familiar with the Fanjuls.
Selling rainfall to Floridians is part of the ultimate scam of Gov. Scott and his Republican cronies, including Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam.
Putnam has been aiming for over a decade to be the next Republican nominee to be governor of Florida. (For further insight to Putnam, read our archive here.)
Farming water is not new to Florida, but morphing into a private right -- and socializing the risk -- has occurred with virtually no attention by the media. For example, the most recent water-future related state legislation, a 10,000 acre, 30 foot deep, $2 billion Everglades reservoir now heading to Congress for approval of its share for funding, turned into a Trojan Horse for Big Sugar through -- among other faults -- a provision requiring taxpayers to fund engineering and design for water storage and cleansing marshes owned by the Fanjuls west of West Palm Beach that could then be used to sell rainwater to Floridians. For the most part, the mainstream media missed this little poison pill.
Craig Pittman, who co-wrote the book on wetlands loss in Florida -- a massive scheme during the Jeb Bush years -- is a bright exception. Pittman and Matt Waite's 2009 book, "Paving Paradise: Florida's vanishing wetlands and the failure of no net-loss" should have won a Pulitzer and could be required reading in Florida civics classes, if the Florida legislature ever gets around to requiring them.
We are fortunate to have the Times' contribution to the public record on Lindemann v. Hurchalla.
Only in Florida: Battle over water, free speech pits billionaire vs. activist
Tampa Bay Times
Craig Pittman
Published: May 10, 2018Updated: May 10, 2018 at 05:59 PM
(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Billionaire George Lindemann Jr. says he regarded Lake Point as a way to do good while making money. When two government agencies backed away from their agreements with the company, he sued.
(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Maggy Hurchalla, a former Martin County commissioner, spoke out against the county's deal with Lake Point -- and wound up being sued by the company, which claimed she had interfered with a legal contract.
(Courtesy of Maggy Hurchalla)
This is a story about free speech, government secrecy and a fight over tens of millions in taxpayer funds. The players include a billionaire who once had a hit man kill his horse, two politicians charged with breaking the Sunshine Law and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno�s sister.
But the most important aspect of this story is about Florida�s water supply and how a lawsuit involving a company called Lake Point Restoration may upend a fundamental rule about Florida water � namely, that water belongs to the public, not wealthy businessmen.
Read more �
Tampa Bay Times journalist Craig Pittman adds to the record of a dismal case: George Lindemann v. Maggy Hurchalla.
Hurchalla and her legal team, including Sandy D'Alemberte's firm, are appealing on first amendment grounds.
The case is Kafka-esque, (read our archive for more detail), and here is a key take-away: the lawsuit and its outcome against Hurchalla would NEVER have happened if the South Florida Water Management District stood up for taxpayers instead of special interests who control the state.
This is on Gov. Rick Scott. The governor appoints the board of the South Florida Water Management District. Throughout eight years in the executive office, Scott used his authority to turn the District into a cudgel against civic leaders with the temerity to push back against distortion of fact, science and policies intended to deliver safe, affordable water to Floridians and to protect the environment.
The weapon was freely wielded at public meetings of the board, led for most of Scott's tenure by his former counsel: Peter Antonucci. Antonucci had plenty of assistance from other Scott appointees, culled from the regulated communities. ie. Big Sugar.
During Scott's terms, any pretense of fair and equitable management of Florida's water future was abandoned. (What Scott claims as his major accomplishment -- $900 million for Everglades restoration projects -- was only the result of a Clean Water Act lawsuit by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians and Friends of the Everglades.) One had to be among the community of civic activists -- like Hurchalla, today -- and environmentalists who attended District meetings in West Palm Beach to experience the Kafka-esque story unfold.
Among its ironies: in his second run for governor, Maggy Hurchalla was the only environmentalist who Gov. Scott personally reached out to, for support. He made a quiet visit to Hurchalla's home in Martin County to respectfully solicit advice, hoping word would spread that he was not such a bad guy after all.
Managing water in Florida is a multi-billion dollar industry. It is a good old boy network that Gov. Scott turned to this purpose: to maximize political power and outcomes to his own ends. That includes becoming the next US senator from Florida.
At Eye On Miami, we speculated that George Lindemann was put into the Lake Pointe deal by Big Sugar friends; formidable inside players deploying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland south of Lake Okeechobee to whatever purpose turns the highest profit. Until he invested in Lake Pointe, Lindemann had no traffic with wetlands, with the Everglades, or with Florida politics. But he was familiar with the Fanjuls.
Selling rainfall to Floridians is part of the ultimate scam of Gov. Scott and his Republican cronies, including Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam.
Putnam has been aiming for over a decade to be the next Republican nominee to be governor of Florida. (For further insight to Putnam, read our archive here.)
Farming water is not new to Florida, but morphing into a private right -- and socializing the risk -- has occurred with virtually no attention by the media. For example, the most recent water-future related state legislation, a 10,000 acre, 30 foot deep, $2 billion Everglades reservoir now heading to Congress for approval of its share for funding, turned into a Trojan Horse for Big Sugar through -- among other faults -- a provision requiring taxpayers to fund engineering and design for water storage and cleansing marshes owned by the Fanjuls west of West Palm Beach that could then be used to sell rainwater to Floridians. For the most part, the mainstream media missed this little poison pill.
Craig Pittman, who co-wrote the book on wetlands loss in Florida -- a massive scheme during the Jeb Bush years -- is a bright exception. Pittman and Matt Waite's 2009 book, "Paving Paradise: Florida's vanishing wetlands and the failure of no net-loss" should have won a Pulitzer and could be required reading in Florida civics classes, if the Florida legislature ever gets around to requiring them.
We are fortunate to have the Times' contribution to the public record on Lindemann v. Hurchalla.
Only in Florida: Battle over water, free speech pits billionaire vs. activist
Tampa Bay Times
Craig Pittman
Published: May 10, 2018Updated: May 10, 2018 at 05:59 PM
(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Billionaire George Lindemann Jr. says he regarded Lake Point as a way to do good while making money. When two government agencies backed away from their agreements with the company, he sued.
(Courtesy of George Lindemann Jr.) Maggy Hurchalla, a former Martin County commissioner, spoke out against the county's deal with Lake Point -- and wound up being sued by the company, which claimed she had interfered with a legal contract.
(Courtesy of Maggy Hurchalla)
This is a story about free speech, government secrecy and a fight over tens of millions in taxpayer funds. The players include a billionaire who once had a hit man kill his horse, two politicians charged with breaking the Sunshine Law and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno�s sister.
But the most important aspect of this story is about Florida�s water supply and how a lawsuit involving a company called Lake Point Restoration may upend a fundamental rule about Florida water � namely, that water belongs to the public, not wealthy businessmen.
