provided to The Santiva Chronicle
“It is a unifying issue,” said Eric Eikenberg, chief executive officer of The Everglades Foundation Chief at the Oct. 15 SanCap Chamber business luncheon. “We have to get away from this divisiveness. We’re all Americans. But this topic unites people. This is a beautiful story about water. We’re all connected by water.”
Eikenberg delivered his “Everglades Restoration – It’s Worth It!” message of optimism for water quality at Sundial Beach Resort on Sanibel Island. MHK Architecture of Sanibel sponsored the October luncheon meeting.
Starting off with governmental intent for an early completion of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee by 2029, Eikenberg raised excitement about state and local government support of and commitment to Everglades restoration.
“They are going to do it,” he said. “They are finding money in this fiscal year, even with the government shutdown, the Army Corps is working tirelessly to find those dollars.”
Eikenberg traced the history of Everglades restoration from December 2000, when President Bill Clinton first legislated it, through the many years of local water quality challenges, particularly 2016 and 2018. Some 25 years later, it’s finally coming to fruition, thanks to grassroots protest, he said, adding that business owners need to continue their vigilance to meet the 2029 completion date.
“This chamber has made water quality its top priority,” he said, praising the progress made to date, demonstrated by the current conditions in Florida Bay, the best “we’ve seen in a long time.”
“Eric was the one who helped me understand the correlation between economic success and ecological success back in 2016, when I was still running resorts,” said John Lai, president and executive director of the SanCap Chamber. “His familiarity with the political scene has been the impetus behind the chamber’s legislative priority for water quality. We thank him for the ever-optimistic and motivating spirit he demonstrates to this day.”
The next monthly business luncheon will take place Wednesday, Nov. 19, at ‘Tween Waters Island Resort on Captiva Island, featuring a panel to speak on “Resilient Rebuilding.”