South Florida Water Rules Allow Large Businesses to Avoid Drought Regulations.

Publication: The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News)

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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Miami Herald

Byline: Brad Bennett

Feb. 24--In subdivisions from Deerfield Beach to Homestead, a peculiar silence reigns at daybreak. The vast majority of homeowners, prodded by peer pressure and public service announcements about the drought, have shut down their automatic sprinklers.

But along some side streets, on government-owned boardwalks, on publicly maintained medians, and at malls, car dealerships and many other businesses, it's a different story.

Thanks to loophole-laden South Florida Water Management District rules, large businesses can sprinkle longer than most homeowners, and some cities can water every day.

This disparity has stirred some resentment.

"They should be setting an example," said Jorge Cos, a Miami Beach resident who gnashed his teeth last Saturday when he saw sprinklers spritzing water along the boardwalk on Ocean Drive and 12th Street at 3:30 p.m. in Miami Beach. "If you see government not doing what should be done then why should you...

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