Florida announced today a plan to buy U.S. Sugar Corporation, the country’s largest producer of cane sugar, so that the Everglades may return to their natural state.   In a $1.7 billion deal touted by environmentalists as the ”largest ecological restoration in the country’s history,” the sugar factory would cease production, allowing water to flow once again from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida bay, which would in turn revitalize the Everglades.   From The New York Times:

Under term of the tentative deal, U.S. Sugar would continue farming and processing for six more years before closing the business and allowing 187,000 acres of land to return to its natural state. For its part the state would pay U.S. Sugar $1.7 billion.

Governor Charlie Crist said the deal was as monumental as the creation of the nation’s first national park, Yellowstone. [...]

Margaret McPherson, a vice president of the Everglades Foundation, said: I’m so proud of my governor and my state. We are doing something smart and thoughtful and something for the future.

This is pretty impressive stuff.   The U.S. Sugar Corporation will be allowed to continue operations for six more years, which will hopefully give its 1,700 workers time to find new jobs.   Following that, the state of Florida will take over all of the company’s holdings, expressly for the restoration of the Everglades.   As it is now, according to a press release, agriculture and development have hindered the flow of water to the Everglades, while after the deal, pollutants and fertilizers will not be dumped into the water supply.

takepart  here to visit the website for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan to see what else is being done to restore the area.