TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A new plan for Everglades restoration is moving ahead quickly in the Florida Legislature.
The Florida House on March 22 unanimously approved a bill that would help pay for restoration. The legislation will keep intact an existing tax on farmers in the northern Everglades until 2036.
The money from the tax will be used to help pay for restoration projects. The legislation (HB 7065) also calls for spending $32 million a year for the next 10 years.
The bill has the backing of environmental groups and sugar farmers.
The measure is backed by Gov. Rick Scott since it carries out the agreement that he negotiated with the federal government.
There have been legal battles over the fate of the famed River of Grass for the last two decades.
