Florida Plans To Buy, Protect Everglades Land Targeted For Oil Drilling

"A swath of land in the Everglades at the center of a fight between a family determined to drill for oil and a constellation of parties urging them not to might finally have a new future.

The state intends to buy the 20,000-acre tract outright and halt the threat of oil drilling on the protected lands near Broward County’s western suburbs, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday.

The seller, a Miami family who made their fortunes in real estate, won the right to drill for oil on their land last year, despite opposition from the state. If the sale goes through, it’ll be the largest state land acquisition in a decade."

Alex Harris reports for the Miami Herald January 15, 2020.

Source: Miami Herald, 01/16/2020