Everglades restoration: Water storage, political will key to success

Michael Grunwald, a journalist who works as a senior writer for Politico Magazine, gave the keynote speech Friday at the 27th annual Southwest Florida Water Resources Conference at Pelican Preserve in Fort Myers.

He is the author of “The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise.” He addressed what’s happening with the Everglades more than a decade after his book was published in 2006.

Grunwald, who spoke for 40 minutes, provided a few quick history lessons and personal anecdotes along the way, painting a picture of how politics has mostly gotten in the way of significant progress.

First, it’s important to understand the importance of water resources, which he called “the most precious resources that Florida has.”

“Getting the water right — it’s a really big deal,” he said. “I think the fate of Everglades restoration will tell us a lot about this crazy experimentation of human habitation on Earth.”