"TALLAHASSEE -- Persuaded by testimony from the leaders in the Glades agriculture community that sugar burning is not harming their residents, the Florida House on Thursday sent to the governor a bill that gives the agriculture industry protection from lawsuits related to long-term health damage.
Opponents argued that the measure, (SB 88) isn’t really about protecting farmers from nuisance lawsuits as proponents claim but about giving them immunity from current and future lawsuits alleging harm. Under the bill, only people within half a mile of the agricultural operation will be able to bring a claim, and if they succeed they will be limited to compensation for only the reduction in their property values.
“If you live near the Everglades Agricultural Area and have inhaled black ash and smoke from sugar cane burning, which we are learning through research and more data that is causing long-term health problems, and you want to sue based on those grounds, if this bill becomes law, Florida legislators are essentially saying you can’t do that,’’ said Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat."
Mary Ellen Klas reports for the Miami Herald April 22, 2021.
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