Opponents of an oil drilling proposal for the Everglades have taken their case to the Florida Supreme Court, asking for a review of a lower court’s order that the state issue a permit for the controversial project.
Broward County and the city of Miramar filed papers asking the court to review a decision by the First District Court of Appeal telling the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to issue a drilling permit to Kanter Real Estate LLC.
The company, which represents the family of banker and developer Joseph Kanter, proposes to drill an exploratory well in the Everglades of western Broward County about five miles west of U.S. 27 and 10 miles south of Alligator Alley, nearest to the city of Miramar.
The basis of the request for review is unclear. A short document submitted by the county and Miramar says the lower court’s ruling “expressly construes a provision of the state constitution and expressly and directly conflicts with a decision of another district court of appeal or of the Supreme Court on the same question of law.”
Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr, who has been the most vocal opponent of the project on the commission, said the oil drilling proposal is worthy of review by the Supreme Court because of the billions being spent to restore the Everglades and the region’s importance to South Florida.
“A lot of people are mortified and aghast at just the idea of drilling in the Everglades,” he said. “I think they recognize that their own water supply is at risk. This is putting a lot of things at risk for very little reward, and almost no reward for the general public.”
John Kanter, president of Kanter Real Estate, declined comment.
The oil drilling proposal sparked intense opposition among environmentalists and local governments. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection denied the permit. But a state administrative judge ordered the permit to be issued, finding that the land in question was already degraded and that the project would not pose a threat to water quality.
During the administrative hearing, the company’s expert testified that there was a 23 percent chance of finding oil, considered high by industry standards, and if oil were found, it could be possible to extract 180,000 to 10 million barrels.
The company defeated an appeal to the First District Court of Appeal. Now the county and Miramar have asked the state Supreme Court to step in. That court has the option of taking the case or not.
The Department of Environmental Protection did not join the county and Miramar in the request to the Supreme Court.
dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4535