Joined by surrounding counties and environmentalists, Jacksonville is firing the first legal salvo in the war over the St. Johns River.
The goal is to keep fast-growing Central Florida from siphoning off millions of gallons of water each day from the river that meanders north from the Orlando area to the Atlantic Ocean in northeast Florida.
"There's not a scenario where a withdrawal is good for the environment and health of the river," Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton said Thursday.
He said his city would ask the state to hold a legal hearing over the dispute. The first target of legal challenges is an effort by Seminole County to draw river water from near Sanford.
Earlier this week, Seminole County sought unsuccessfully to discourage a water war.
"Costly lawsuits benefit no one," Seminole County Commission Chairwoman Brenda Carey wrote in a letter that includes plans for a summit on the river next week. "Before we consider litigation, we owe it to our citizens to work together on a viable solution."
Among others gearing for battle, both Clay County and St. Johns County commissioners this week gave their attorneys a go-ahead to join Jacksonville's legal assault.
Orlando Sentinel
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