 Broward asked James O. Wright — an engineer on loan to the State of Florida from the USDA 's Bureau of Drainage Investigations — to draw up plans for drainage in 1906 . Two dredges were built by 1908 , but had cut only 6 miles ( 9 @.@ 7 km ) of canals . The project quickly ran out of money , so Broward sold real estate developer Richard J. Bolles a million dollars worth of land in the Everglades , 500 @,@ 000 acres ( 2 @,@ 000 km2 ) , before the engineer 's report had been submitted . Abstracts from Wright 's report were given to the IIF stating that eight canals would be enough to drain 1 @,@ 850 @,@ 000 acres ( 7 @,@ 500 km2 ) at a cost of a dollar an acre . The abstracts were released to real estate developers who used them in their advertisements , and Wright and the USDA were pressed by the real estate industry to publicize the report as quickly as possible . Wright 's supervisor noted errors in the report , as well as undue enthusiasm for draining , and delayed its release in 1910 . Different unofficial versions of the report circulated — some that had been altered by real estate interests — and a version hastily put together by Senator Duncan U. Fletcher called U.S. Senate Document 89 included early unrevised statements , causing a frenzy of speculation . 
 Broward asked James O. Wright — an engineer on loan to the State of Florida from the USDA <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>Bureau of Drainage Investigations — to draw up plans for drainage in 1906 . Two dredges <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> built by 1908 , but <a href='been_done' title='3'><mark>had</mark></a> cut only 6 miles ( 9 @.@ 7 km ) of canals . The project quickly ran out of money , so Broward sold real estate developer Richard J. Bolles a million dollars worth of land in the Everglades , 500 @,@ 000 acres ( 2 @,@ 000 km2 ) , before the engineer <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>report <a href='been_done' title='5'><mark>had</mark></a> been submitted . Abstracts from Wright <a href='null_genetive' title='6'><mark>'s</mark></a>report <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> given to the IIF stating that eight canals would be enough to drain 1 @,@ 850 @,@ 000 acres ( 7 @,@ 500 km2 ) at a cost of a dollar an acre . The abstracts <a href='uninflect' title='8'><mark>were</mark></a> released to real estate developers <a href='null_relcl' title='9'><mark>who</mark></a>used them in their advertisements , and Wright and the USDA <a href='uninflect' title='10'><mark>were</mark></a> pressed by the real estate industry to publicize the report as quickly as possible . Wright <a href='null_genetive' title='11'><mark>'s</mark></a>supervisor noted errors in the report , as well as undue enthusiasm for draining , and delayed its release in 1910 . Different unofficial versions of the report circulated — some <a href='null_relcl' title='12'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='13'><mark>had</mark></a> been altered by real estate interests — and a version hastily put together by Senator Duncan U. Fletcher called U.S. Senate Document 89 included early unrevised statements , causing a frenzy of speculation . 
Broward asked James O. Wright — an engineer on loan to da State of Florida from the USDA  Bureau of Drainage Investigations — to draw up plans for drainage in 1906 . 2 dredges was built by 1908 , but done cut only 6 miles ( 9 @.@ 7 km ) of canals . The project quickly ran outt of money , so Broward sold real estate developer Richard J. Bolles a million dollars worth of land in the Everglades , 500 @,@ 000 acres ( 2 @,@ 000 km2 ) , before tdaengineer  report done been submitted . Abstracts from Wright  report was given to the IIF stating that eight canals would be enough to drain 1 @,@ 850 @,@ 000 acres ( 7 @,@ 500 km2 ) at a cost of a dollar an acre . The abstracts was released to real estate developers used them in their advertisements , and Wright and the USDA was pressed by the real estate industry to publicize thdaeport as quickly as possible . Wright  supervisor noted errors in the report , as well as undue enthusiasm fa draining , and delayed its release in 1910 . Different unofficial versions of thedaport circulated — some done been altered by real estate interests — and a version hastily put together by Senator Duncan U. Fletcher called U.S. Senate Document 89 included early unrevised statements , causing a frenzy of speculation .