Historically adversarial players in the Everglades restoration effort joined forces yesterday to support a plan working its way through Congress. Florida’s sugar industry, a number of environmental groups, the office of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), and South Florida’s water utilities announced their backing for a plan that passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee earlier this summer. It would authorize the first phase of an $8 billion federal-state plan to save the Everglades, proposing $1.4 billion to fund 35 initial projects. But the bill’s prospects are uncertain as there are only a few weeks left in this session of Congress and the House has yet to take up any Everglades legislation.
