Charlie Crist Exploited Everglades Restoration for Political Gain, says Jeb Bush

Former Gov. Jeb Bush ripped into former Gov. Charlie Crist in an op-ed published Monday for abandoning a $1.5 billion plan to clean up and restore the Everglades to pursue his own political goals.

In the op-ed, Bush outlines how he spearheaded the Acceler8 plan which would increasestorage and treatment reservoirs for the Caloosahatchee, St. Lucie and Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) regions.

Bush says the plan was on track to restore the Everglades until Crist came into office -- then the plan came to a halt. Crist stopped Acceler8 midway, leaving several projects unfinished and abandoned.

"Rather than focus on what the Everglades needed and the projects already under way, Charlie Crist had an irresponsible plan to spend $1.75 billion on land and assets that the state could not afford," wrote Bush. "From the day the boondoggle deal was announced, Everglades restoration stalled out, stuck in litigation and political controversy.

"Like many of his failed initiatives while in office, Charlie Crists $1.75-billion proposal to buy out the U.S. Sugar Corp. was nakedly political, lacked a thoughtful plan or vision for achieving results and contained astronomical hidden costs for taxpayers," wrote Bush.

Since Crist decided not to run for re-election, Bush said Gov. Rick Scott took the reins and made the restoration of the Everglades a top priority.

In closing, Bush said the governorships of Scott and Crist are widely different -- and Crist's is one Florida won't want to repeat.

"In an effort to grab headlines, Crist undermined Floridas history of comprehensively and aggressively working to restore the River of Grass," he wrote. "We know exactly what four more years of Charlie Crist would bring -- empty promises, petty political gamesmanship and initiatives Florida cannot afford."