Title: Florida sugar policy and the economics of Everglades restoration

Authors: Ingrid Bartsch, John R. Swinton

Addresses: University of South Florida, USA. ' University of South Florida, USA

Abstract: When environmental issues are on a ballot, often voters decide based on heartfelt convictions but incomplete information. Interest groups use voter ignorance to their advantage. The 1996 elections in Florida featured a set of referenda to determine who would fund restoration efforts in the Florida Everglades. This paper analyses the central proposal, a one-cent-per-pound fee on sugar, to determine its impact. We focus on three areas, the impact of the fee on the price of sugar, the amount of money the fee would raise and the amount of sensitive land that the fee would force out of production.

Keywords: sugar policy; restoration economics; Florida Everglades; Everglades restoration; interest groups; voter ignorance; sugar pricing; environmental tax; environmental issues; voter convictions; incomplete information.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.1999.053847

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 1999 Vol.1 No.2, pp.107 - 128

Published online: 13 May 2013 *

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