by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Shortly after being elected to the State Legislature a little over a year ago, attorney Charles McBurney was asked by the Duval Delegation to dig into the issue of Central Florida looking to withdraw millions of gallons of water a day from the St. Johns River.
A business attorney by trade, McBurney was immediately thrust into a position of having to learn as much about the St. Johns River, who owns it and who has rights to it as quickly as possible.
It’s no wonder then that McBurney was asked to give the opening address at Thursday’s Northeast Florida Environmental Summit 2008 — a collaborate effort between host Jacksonville University and Florida Coastal School of Law.
The day-long educational summit was divided evenly between the scientific and environmental side of the proposed withdrawal and the legality of the withdrawal by Central Florida, particularly Seminole County.
“I am only here representing myself and the 16th District, which I represent,” said McBurney. “Right now, there is litigation between the City of Jacksonville and the Riverkeeper vs. Seminole County and the St. Johns River Water Management District. Seminole County is looking to withdraw 5 million gallons a day. That’s a lot less than the (proposed) 262 million gallons a day, but it could be the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent.”
After spending months researching the issue, McBurney said two things became fairly apparent: the State needed to pursue the construction desalination plants and, in the Northeast Florida area, there needed to be a dedicated source of funding for the protection of the river.
“There are some alternatives out there and we need to be aggressive,” said McBurney, who cosponsored legislation that would look into desalination plants. “We need to think out of the box. We are faced with the severe budget constraints.”
McBurney said since the St. Johns River bisects his district and he grew up in and around the river, anything affecting the health of the lower St. Johns will get his attention.
“Any proposal that impacts the river, has to be met with scrutiny,” he said. “The greatest challenges have come with increased development. The water in the St. Johns River is the property of the citizens of Florida and we are presently in the middle of a water war.”
McBurney also said he looked into the creation of a specialty license plate that would help generate funding for the river on an annual basis. However, due to the number of specialty plates already in use, he said the State Senate has put a two-year moratorium on new plates.
The summit was the second of its kind and JU President Kerry Romesberg said the current topic is something everyone – from his students to local businesses – should be interested in.
“This year is particularly poignant because we are talking about water,” said Romesberg, whose Arlington campus sits on the St. Johns River. “It is so timely and we are hoping to provide students with good discussions so they can learn there are alternatives available. On the legality side, there are requirements that must be met and state restrictions.”
Romesberg said the debate over who owns the water in the river is something he calls “crucially important to the community” and entire state.
“We could hardly find a better topic,” he said.
The summit included panel discussions involving geography professors from universities all over the state, various water use experts and several law professors and practicing lawyers from Coastal Law, the University of Florida and area law firms.
If all goes according to plan, next year’s summit may be the last held inside JU’s Davis College of Business building. Romesberg said the school is looking to break ground on its new riverfront marine research institute after the first of the year and it could be done in time for the 2010 summit.
“What a place to host summits like this in the future,” said Romesberg.
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