Florida's plan to save the Everglades by buying United States Sugar's land could depend on the cooperation of Florida Crystals, a family-run sugar company that owns 35,000 acres that the state needs to recreate the water flow from Lake Okeechobee south to the Everglades, the New York Times reports.
The state hopes to trade some of United States Sugar's assets for the property owned by the Fanjul family. While the owners have said their "on board," the issue has raised some interesting questions about how business, government and environmental groups can align environmental and economic efforts.
“We really want to be as green as we possibly can be,” said Alfonso Fanjul, the company’s chief executive. But, J. Pepe Fanjul added, “You have to have a balance between the environment and economic development. Something has to be done for the humans, too.”
