Clewiston Florida “The sweetest town in the Nation” will be loosing their identity. The countries oldest sugar company, will go out of business after a 6 year transition 
and will be turned over to the government for everglades restoration.
Hippies pressured the Florida government to buy out the company due to an influx of hazardous waste into the everglades. The buyout is going to cost the government 1.7 billion, money that they budgeted out for the river of grass restoration plan. The large sum of money will now have to be re-budgeted after this investment. The company’s mill held 400,000 acres worth of the states everglades, and now will be reduced to nothing. For the everglades a great deal, but the towns people don’t know what to think. “I used to tell people where I live now in Arizona that I was from Clewiston and they would say, the sugar town? How can they take that away from us?” says a community member. As we drive through the town signs read, sugar reality, cane stadium, just about everything was sugar. Not to mention half of the town worked at these mills. It was their whole economy. The city manager says they do realize the economic impact of this deal and have been planning on finding other ways to create jobs and keep the economy stable, 
like the commerce park currentlyin contruction. Crist says this is a historic moment for the state and the everglades, but am alittle ashamed by his decision to pick grass over humans. These people dont know what to do. “Whats more important, the enviroment or the people who live in it” said a mill worker. For now the town that was once known as the Sweetest town in America will have lost their jobs, their money, and their identity. It’s sad when we forget out roots isn’t it.
