Big Sugar

US 27 in S. Florida is lined with sugar cane farms owned by the Big Sugar companies. They have always been controversial for one reason or another. I suppose I grew up thinking they supplied jobs. My family is business minded, my parents were real estate developers and I am in real estate.

Lately, the problems created by Big Sugar has been reaching a crescendo.

It is unfortunate that the Everglades was misunderstood decades ago and the natural flow of water was impeded. Big Sugar took over marshy areas and turned them into farmland along with the associated pest control. Now their runoff harms Lake Okeechobee. When the water levels are high, because our dike is weak, they release water from the lake, thereby harming other rivers along the way. http://www.riverscoalition.org/. I know the State has an option to buy up many of these acres, but so far have not exercised that option. I wonder if the Everglades will ever be restored and the water supply as God made it?

Imagine my surprise when I drove past their plant And the sign said: Domino Sugar: producer of natural and organic products, plus green energy.

[Henri Russell]

Great collage.

[Kareen King]

Nice collage and very informative! Thanks for sharing.

[Carole Imes]

I was recently off Hwy 27 at the Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales. It's been decades since I was much further south. Lovely collage and very interesting!

[mittens (Marilyn)]

Very interesting, Danette. Great collage, too.

[bkb in the city]

Great collage and informative as well thanks

[Gena Pegg]

Lovely collage and an interesting story....sometimes we just feel helpless. But it does help to have iinformation.

[Karen]

aha, from the thumbnail, I thought you had captured a twister in the lower part of your shot.

[Shirley]

nice collage......makes me want to get back to visit the Everglades (not so much the sugar refineries)

[SquamLoon]

A really well-developed presentation. Thanks!

[Danette Thompson]

@dreams Funny you say that. About an hour later, we were under a tornado watch. You can see the storm to the west.

[Timothy]

nice

[Skip Tribby - ​🖖]

Thanks for the information on the sugar industry in Florida! Where I live was once supported by mills where many residents were employed. Mills used to do a lot of harmful things to the environment in their manufacturing of their products , but were over looked because of the huge number of jobs involved. Environmentalists became active demanding stringent measures be taken to clean the air and the mills began to shut down because of the tremendous cost burden of scrubbers and conforming to bureaucratic red tape. All of which created a huge number of lost jobs that were never recovered. All the product the mills made were sold so there was a demand and now many of those same products are being made in foreign countries. So where do you draw the line? Is there a happy medium? Not trying to start a fight, just fodder for thinking.

[Danette Thompson]

@skipt07 I totally agree with you. Where is the solution? I think the environmentalists take it way too far. Somewhere, there should be a middle ground. From what I understand, Big Sugar was granted a really sweet deal back in 1934 as a result of the Depression. I think it bears looking into. In another instance, they are considering building a bridge along the Tamiami Trail to allow water to flow under it but if they do that, there is a long term business that would suffer. I think in these cases, both parties need to have a voice. I am almost always pro-business, but I think we should be good stewards of our Earth. I suppose that is where i am--on the fence!

[joey d.Muli]

wonderful collage and very informative! Thanks for sharing.

[bardejov]

Interesting information and collage. I had no idea so much sugar cane is grown in South Florida.

[Danny G.]

Very interesting and informative - and nice collage!

[❀ Lynn]

Wonderful collage and info....I wonder how they produce their energy...maybe they are self-sufficient by burning the canes after they have taken the sugar?