Decision    Makers    Forum


Lake Okeechobee: Headwaters of the Everglades

January 17, 2008


7:45 AM

Registration opens
8:30 AM Welcome by Dr. Beverly Robinson, Provost Palm Beach Community College
8:45 AM Role of the Lake Dr. Thomas E. Lodge, Thomas Lodge Ecological Advisors and author "The Everglades Handbook"
9:00 AM State of the Lake - Dr Susan Gray, South Florida Water Management District
9:15 AM

Facilitated Discussion

Facilitator Janice Fleischer, J.D., FLASH Resolutions
  • Clif Betts Jr., Okeechobee County Commissioner and Chairman of the "Ten County Coalition"
  • Charles H. Bronson, Commissioner of Agriculture (invited)
  • Dr. Paul Gray, Okeechobee Science Coordinator, Audubon of Florida
  • Col. Paul Grosskruger, District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • Kenneth D. Haddad, Executive Director, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Mary Ann Martin, Roland Martin's Marina, Clewiston
  • Thomas G. Pelham, Secretary, Department of Community Affairs
  • Dr. Beverly Robinson, Provost, Belle Glade Campus, Palm Beach Community College
  • Terrence "Rock" Salt, Director Everglades Restoration Initiatives, U.S. Department of Interior
  • Michael W. Sole, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection
  • Malcolm S. "Bubba" Wade, Jr., Vice President/ Sugar Operations, U.S. Sugar Corp. and Governing Board, South Florida Water Management District
  • Carol Wehle, Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District
  • Wes Williamson, Williamson Cattle Company, Okeechobee

Living on the edge: A dialogue on managing Lake Okeechobee

Part: As a regional resource, the lake is subject to complex constraints and demands. This session will focus on the lakei's multiple roles and the challenges of achieving restoration and water-delivery goals. Issues include but are not limited to:
  • water storage and release for agriculture, natural resource and human use south of the lake
  • periodic releases of water affecting estuarine ecosystems on both east and west coasts
  • stability of the dike
  • phosphorus content of lake sediments
10:45 AM

Break for refreshments and networking
11:15 AM

Living on the edge: Adapting to uncertainties to sustain the resource and its people

Part 2: At the local scale, weather extremes, the lake's legacy of pollution, growth pressures and the agricultural base of the region's economy create an operating atmosphere of uncertainty. This session will expand the preceding discussion, focusing on sustainable economic development in the region. Uncertainty includes but is not limited to:
  • the ability of the dike to withstand hurricane pressures
  • the ultimate lake restoration requirements
  • how to plan for education, tourism, fishing and large and small scale agriculture in the region.
12:30 PM

Lunch (provided)
1:30 PM

Forging Alliances for a Healthy Lake and Healthy Communities

Presentations will highlight regional and community initiatives that may serve as resources or models for economic development. After the presentations there will be an opportunity for questions and facilitated discussion.


Pahokee's Marina and Everglades Adventures - J.P. Sasser, Mayor of Pahokee

Main Street - Maureen Burroughs, President, Okeechobee Main Street Inc. and owner, Syble's Flowers and Gifts, Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee Region's Economic Alliance of Palm Beach County - Ken Lutz, President, Belle Glade

Florida Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative - Lynn Topel, Executive Director, Sebring
3:00 PM

Wrap up