A Times Editorial

Long-awaited goodbye for dam

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 18, 2000

He hemmed, he hawed, he evaded and procrastinated, but Gov. Jeb Bush finally did the right thing and announced that he wants the Rodman Reservoir dam torn down. Now the process of restoring the much messed-with Ocklawaha River can begin.

It would have been a more impressive environmental initiative if Bush had not waited until a federal deadline forced the state to declare its intentions one way or another. Part of the dam occupies land belonging to the Ocala National Forest, so federal forestry officials told the state Department of Environmental Protection that if they had to dismantle the dam, they'd send the state a bill. If, on the other hand, the state destroys the dam, then the feds will help pay for it.

Environmentalists have been advocating the dam's removal for 30 years: It kills manatees and impedes the natural flow of the once-pristine Ocklawaha as the river winds through the Ocala National Forest down to Silver Springs. In 1992, Gov. Lawton Chiles and the Cabinet finally agreed, voting to get rid of it and bring the river back to its pre-Florida Canal state. However, the Legislature, led by Sen. George Kirkpatrick, refused, demanding the that the economic impact be "studied" first. Despite pressure from the state DEP, the federal government and 30 environmental groups, the Legislature dug in on the dam, insisting that it remain. In 1998, lawmakers even renamed it the George Kirkpatrick Dam.

When Jeb Bush was elected governor, environmentalists hoped he would side with them on the dam, while the pro-dam bass fishing lobby was sure he shared their point of view. For two years, it was hard to tell. After all, this is the governor who has sanctioned the construction of a cement plant near the Ichetucknee. Finally, though Bush did not exactly stand up to be counted in favor of bringing back one of Florida's beautiful, wild rivers, he made the correct choice. For Florida's increasingly fragile environment, we'll settle for better late than never. And maybe Gov. Bush can find something else to name for George Kirkpatrick: How about the Ichetucknee cement plant?

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