U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga told the South Fla. Water Management
District that its 30-yr practice of backpumping runoff from sugar farms into
Lake Okeechobee (for seemingly good reasons) was nonetheless contrary to the
1977 Clean Water Act and that it would need federal permits for its pumping
stations, which SFWMD said weren't necessary and, besides, were burdensome.
As a result, "billions" of gallons of water containing phosphorous and
pesticides flowed into the lake, decimating fish and wildlife and
compromising drinking water in towns close to the lake. Environmentalist
plaintiffs said it was a decisive step, but just the first one on a long
road. [Miami Herald]

Oh, This'll Help Attention Deficit Disorder Kids to Focus The state education commissioner ruled that all high school kids will have
to declare "majors" (which they can change at will), choosing from 440 options
that pretty much cover everything that's legal. Some ("assistant
landscape technician") are reserved for special-ed students. Advice: Pick
the major called "blogger of Florida bad news"; it's for losers, but it's a
growth field. [Associated Press via Bradenton Herald]

Follow-Up Pinellas-Pasco Judge Crockett Farnell, a Republican who retires in three
weeks, recused himself from the Dept. of Children and Families cases about
mentally ill prisoners' right to treatment within 15 days of incarceration.
Who knows whether his substitute will toss the DCF Secretary or others in
jail or fine them big, as Farnell had threatened. Next on tap to lower the
boom: a Broward judge. [St. Petersburg Times]

Your Daily Loser It's bad enough there are fellas like Tony Brest who really, really get off
on pretending to be cops, acting all authoritarian and preachy. But then
from time to time, like Tony, they screw up, put the siren on, and
inadvertently try to stop someone who's a real cop. [WKMG-TV (Orlando)]

More Things To Worry About Today A motorist was hospitalized after he crashed through the front door last
night at the Altamonte Mall in Seminole County an hour and a half after it
closed; he didn't stop there, though, riding the car down an escalator
(probably intentionally but we breathlessly await more info) [WKMG-TV
(Orlando)] . . . . . David Johnson, 26, was charged in St. Augustine with
killing two people as the culmination of recent paranoia, including trying
to block out surveillance by running tape over his walls and ceiling and
giving away his computer because the BET channel was monitoring him [Florida
Times-Union] . . . . . Robert Craig Knievel, er, Evel, of Clearwater, filed
a federal lawsuit against Kanye West for ripping off his image with his
rocket-riding performance in the video for "Touch the Sky" [St. Petersburg
Times] . . . . . After a drug deal gone bad in Jacksonville, one car chases
another on I-295 with guns a-blazin', just like the wild West [Florida
Times-Union] . . . . . Nat'l Public Radio reported yesterday from Briny
Breezes, the 43-acre, oceanfront trailer park just south of Palm Beach,
whose 488 residents will vote soon on which developer gets the privilege of
buying them out for at least $500m [NPR] . . . . . Lorenzo "Fat Cat"
Williams pleaded guilty last week in Miami to running an elaborate
steal-and-retitle luxury car ring from his prison cell, and also
implicated was another lifer, "White Boy Rick" Wershe, a notorious pal of
Kid Rock [Miami Herald] . . . . . A $traight man and his $traight
son (i.e., they're not in it for the sociology) announced that they'll start
the country's first over-the-air gay TV
station, in Key West in February. [Miami Herald]