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April 29, 2005
 

 House OKs FGCU addition (c) Ft. Myers News-Press

TALLAHASSEE A new engineering school for Florida Gulf Coast University moved a big step closer to reality Thursday when a bill creating the program passed in the House.

The measure still must clear the Senate, but the sponsor there, Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, said he expects no problems because new language was added by House sponsor Rep. Trudi Williams, R-south Lee County.

Without the additional wording, which specifies the bill will not take effect until the school gains approval of the university system's Board of Governors, Senate leaders objected to the measure, Saunders said.There was no specific objection to the new school, but there is a pending lawsuit over which governing body can create new schools at universities.

Some state officials, including Senate education staff, said the Legislature should not pass the bill with the lawsuit ongoing.But beyond that issue, state law also requires any degree program involving licensed professionals, including engineers, have legislative approval.

That part, at least, can be settled with the legislative action, Saunders said.

He expects the House bill to pass in the Senate next week.FGCU already has hired staff for the engineering school even though it has not yet been approved, but FGCU officials said that's not an unusual practice.

Williams herself an engineer and Saunders said the new program is needed to fill the unmet demand for engineers in Southwest Florida. The program would grant bachelor of science degrees in bioengineering, environmental and civil engineering and engineering management.FGCU already has about 25 students ready to enroll in the program, and expects 100 in 10 years. The school also has already received a $5 million private grant to help build facilities for the school, and about $5 million for the program is included in budget proposals, pending final approval by the board.

Because the bill was not controversial among House members, it passed on a voice vote that is relatively rare for final passage, with no recording of an exact count.

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 October 12, 2005

Money should flow to Lake -© Ft. Myers News-Press

A $200 million, four-year proposal from Gov. Jeb Bush to clean up Lake Okeechobee along with the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers will have to survive major legislative changes in Tallahassee.

New Republican leadership will take over the House and Senate next fall.

With that will come changes in the committees that make key funding decisions in the Legislature.And Bush himself has little more than a year left in office.

Still, lawmakers this week say the project will receive plenty of support."I think it will be real easy to (get) the money," said Rep. Trudi Williams, R-Fort Myers. "Our biggest industry is tourism, and nobody's going to want to come here if we can't clean up the water quality. Time is of the essence."

The plan to restore Lake Okeechobee and the two rivers willcome at a cost of about $137,000 a day for the next four years.

Williams said everyone in South Florida will support the plan, along with many lawmakers elsewhere in the state.

Miami alone has 20 of the House's 120 members.Plus, the two men set to take over legislative leadership at the end of 2005 state Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-St. Lucie, and state Rep. Marco Rubio, R-Miami come from districts impacted by Lake Okeechobee's water quality or runoff.

Current leaders of both houses represent Panhandle districts."It doesn't hurt that (they) are in the on-deck circle, so to speak," said Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon.

The project has widespread legislative support, is of statewide importance and Bush has reached out to lawmakers during planning, Lee said.

"I think it's a good proposal. We've agreed going in that Lake Okeechobee needs to be restored," he said. "It's a precious natural resource in Florida and needs to be protected."Townson Fraser, spokesman for House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, said lawmakers earmarked $25 million in funding for the lake last year and will continue to be supportive.

Bush expressed confidence the funding will be there."There is an incredible sensitivity now among people of the Treasure Coast, South Florida and Southwest Florida about how our ecosystem is totally linked to their ability to pursue happiness," the governor said. "I think that's how you can rest assured it will stay on track. Out of a crisis has come a heightened sensitivity and awareness of the importance."

He said Pruitt, the incoming Senate president from St. Lucie, where the river suffers problems similar to the Caloosahatchee, will be an invaluable asset.

"Thanks to Senator Pruitt ... I can also assure you the funding in the Legislature will continue on," Bush said.Reached on the road on Tuesday, Pruitt said the financial commitment will be made because of the lake's statewide importance.

"Lake O is a statewide resource," Pruitt said. "That's how significant it is."Rep. Joe Negron, R-Stewart, chairman of the House Fiscal Council, agreed the money will be there.

"The governor painted a broad picture," Negron said. "I'm committed to spending whatever it takes."

He said water-district and federal funding could account for about half the $200 million, leaving the rest to come from a state budget of $67 billion."I think that's a reasonable effort at this point in time," he said.

Negron said he also would like to work with owners of farmland near the lake to identify areas where water could be discharged in the short term when lake levels are high. That would provide a temporary alternative to pumping the water into the rivers."Right now we have an environmental crisis on our hands," he said. "The long-term solutions are promising, but I think we need to do some short-term things right now."

The South Florida Water Management District is looking at options, said spokesman Kurt Harclerode.

He countered critics that said the plan's impact lacks short-term promise."We are looking for different areas for storage," Harclerode said. "I don't know that we are looking at another four or five years of dumping water into the rivers."

He said last year's hurricane season generated 5.5 feet of water in three months, which will never be easy to handle."We are reacting to the extreme conditions we had last year," he said. "It will certainly be a vast improvement on what we have today."

He said the water district will never be able to "engineer ourselves" out of extreme weather.

"What we believe we are engineering in the short- and long-term is a much better plan to protect the estuaries and the Caloosahatchee," he said.

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