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Florida's Phosphate Risk

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Page Updated:
July 18, 2020

 

The Sink or
Swim Newsletter

Sarasota Weather and Climate Analysis Reports:

Watching Out For the Environment

• Protect the Florida Panther   

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• • Hazardous Waste Mixed Into Roads

  Are Our Roads Not Getting
  Enough Radio-Activity?

  June 17, 2021 (Bradenton Times) -If you live next to a road, will you be living next to a hazardous waste site? Unfortunately, this may be a reality for many, especially here in Florida.

  The Environmental Protection AgencyThis is the radioactive waste product left over from the production of fertilizer, and Florida has a lot of it.

• • Red Tide’s Impact on Humans

  Roskamp Institute Awarded
  Federal Grant to Study Red
  Tide’s Impact on Humans

  May 8, 2020 (floridadaily.com) - This week, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., praised the Roskamp Institute in Sarasota for winning a federal grant to study the possible connection between exposure to red tide and neurological disorders in humans.

  “Roskamp is one of the leading scientific research institutes in the nation and I’m thrilled they were able to secure funding to conduct this important review,” said Buchanan on Wednesday. “People need to know if exposure causes long-term damage. This grant of more than $400,000 will allow Roskamp to determine if human exposure to the red tide neurotoxin called brevetoxin causes brain impairment or other problems.”

  In particular, the institute will study why some people have mild reactions to red tide while others react more severely.

• • The Everglades Are Threatened

  By City to the East,
  Salt Water From the West

  (National Geographic), Sept. 2018, -Florida’s famed wetlands, the Everglades, are pinched between a burgeoning Miami to the east and encroaching saltwater to the west. With sea levels rising, the immense freshwater marsh hangs in the balance. By 2100 most of this unique national treasure could be dramatically altered.

  
  Click now for the map.
• • Hey, Sunshine State. Isn’t It Time You Acted Like It!

  Florida’s Utilities Keep Homeowners
  From Making the Most of Solar Power

  July 7, 2019 NY Times - ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida calls itself the Sunshine State. But when it comes to the use of solar power, it trails 19 states, including not-so-sunny Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Maryland.

  Solar experts and environmentalists blame the state’s utilities.

  The utilities have hindered potential rivals seeking to offer residential solar power. They have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying, ad campaigns and political contributions. And when homeowners purchase solar equipment, the utilities have delayed connecting the systems for months.

• • Would You Like a Little Radon With That Home?

  Radon Gas and Florida's Development

  Aug. 11, 2019 (The Bradenton Times) -Radon is found in one out of every four Florida homes. Every citizen, whether they are aware of the problem or not, is affected. All exposure to radon is potentially harmful. Radon is an odorless, colorless, radioactive, gaseous element that results from the breaking down of radium.

  Numerous studies support the clear and simple fact that radon exposure is a serious public health hazard. Indeed, more is known about the adverse health effects of radon exposure than any other environmental pollutant. Indoor radon air pollution is the number one environmental pollutant in Florida.

• • What To Do About Plastic's Affect on Martine Life?

  How Plastic is Harming
  Florida’s Marine Life, and
  What We Can Do About It

  By Joe Land (Greenpeace)- My passion for environmental conservation began when I was inspired by my 3rd-grade teacher to focus on my own interactions with the world around me, and to learn about the impact humans have on the Earth. I started the first Kids for Saving the Earth club in my hometown of New Albany, Indiana, where I became involved in sharing my enthusiasm for the natural beauty of the planet and in talking to people about the importance of protecting our only home. We worked on a recycling program and on stopping the use of Styrofoam in the school cafeteria.

  When I was 12, I took my first trip to Florida where I fell in love with the ocean and knew that’s where I belonged. When I first moved to Florida in the summer of 2007, I watched the release of sea turtle hatchlings, and I decided that I wanted to focus on their protection and coastal ecology. I became certified as an Advanced Florida Master Naturalist and Land Steward through the University of Florida; that program gave me the tools to understand and share the impact we have on Florida’s diverse marine and natural resources. Today I’m pursuing a degree in Marine and Environmental Science.

  Click for the story and a slideshow.

• • Can We Speak Up for Florida's Wetlands?

  Speak Up for Florida's Wetlands

  Aug. 1, 2019 (Center for Biodiversity)) -Florida's wetlands are the state's greatest natural resource. They clean and capture water, help protect against storm surges, and provide essential habitat for protected wildlife species.

  But our wetlands are threatened by state shenanigans — and we need you to speak up.

  Currently only the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the power to authorize the destruction of U.S. waters, including wetlands. But when Rick Scott was Florida's governor, he began the process — still underway — of assuming that power at the state level. And while the Army Corps is far from perfect when it comes to water protection, at least its decisions are made under close federal scrutiny and in compliance with important federal environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act.

• • Legislative Environmental Considerations

  Florida Conservation Coalition Legislative Priority:
  Funding for Conservation Land Acquisition:

  Mar. 4, 2019  Florida Conservation Coalition

  
  • SB 944 Land Acquisition Trust Fund
  
  • SB 1256 Apalachicola Bay Area of Critical State Concern
  
  
  • SB 92 C-51 Reservoir Project
  
  To read all of the bills on this list, click now.
• • The Legislature: Onsite Sewage Treatment

  Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems

  Florida House of Representatives,-Directs DOH to identify certain information for onsite sewage treatment & disposal systems, update database of such systems, & submit report to Governor & Legislature

  Requires periodic inspection of such systems

  Directs DOH to administer onsite sewage treatment & disposal system inspection program & adopt rules; provides inspection requirements

  Provides exceptions; requires owners to pay costs of inspections & pump-outs; requires that inspections & pump-outs be performed by certain registered contractors

  Provides notice requirements; requires system disclosure summary for certain properties & acknowledgement of such disclosures by purchaser before or at execution of contract for sale.

• • Public Notice: Florida Has Got Its Pollution

  Public Notice of Pollution

  -Protecting Florida's pristine environment is the Department of Environmental Protection's top priority. Pursuant to Section 403.077, F.S., the Department is establishing a method for regulated entities to submit Public Notices of Pollution for reportable releases. Additionally, the Department is making available to the public all Notices received to date as well as offering an e-mail subscription service for interested parties to be informed of Notices submitted for their area of interest.

  Reporting entities should be aware that, while submission of a Notice through this website complies with the requirements of Section 403.077, F.S., it does not relieve them of any obligation to report to the State Watch Office.

  Click for more from The Florida
  Dept of Environmental Protection.

• • 6 Key Issues Facing Florida Environment

  Florida’s Environmental Challenges

  With leadership from the late Nathaniel Pryor Reed, Trouble in Paradise is the work product of deeply concerned members of the Florida environmental community who wish to help elected officials and candidates for office better understand six major statewide environmental issues impacting Florida’s natural resources and our residents’ quality of life. Reflecting that ‘one size does not fit all’ this report also identifies four of Florida’s many resource areas meriting specialized treatment.

• • Sarasota To Go 100% Renewable

  Sarasota, Florida Commits
  to Transition to
  100% Renewable Energy

  June 19, 2017 - The Sarasota City Commission today adopted a goal of powering all of Sarasota with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2045. Sarasota joins St. Petersburg as the only two cities in the state of Florida to commit to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy.

• • Florida Schools Ignoring Lead in Their Water

  Most Florida School Districts
  Don't Test For Lead On Campus

  ABC Action News, Nov. 5,2018 -When you're a busy mom of four, unexpected things happen.

  But Daisy Brittain never anticipated what she recently learned about the water where two of her sons go to school.

  “I didn’t have to worry about lead poisoning when I was a child. Now I’m having to worry about it for my children? It just doesn’t seem right,” she told us recently from her Tampa home.

  
  Click to read the rest of the story, if you can stomach it.
• • FPL: Solar Use Illegal During Outages

  Florida Power & Light
  Lobbyists Made It Illegal to
  Use Solar During Outages

  Sept. 18, 2017 - One thing has changed since 2005: solar. Many of the FPL customers who are living through dangerous heat without power now have solar panels on their roofs that could keep them going while FPL repairs its infrastructure. Except doing so is illegal, thanks to FPL's lobbyists, who literally ghost-wrote much of Florida's dreadful solar rules.

  
  Click now to shed some sunlight.
• • Avoid Hurricane Surge Flooding: KNOW YOUR ZONE!

  Know Your Flood Zone

  FloridaDisaster.org, - The greatest killer of people during hurricanes is storm surge – the dome of water pushed ashore by powerful hurricane winds. Entire buildings can be moved, and can cause more damage than the winds of a hurricane itself. Florida is extremely vulnerable to surge flooding because of its coastal and low-lying geography.

  To stay safe from surge flooding, if you live in a zone that has been ordered to evacuate, get out. The best way to be prepared for a hurricane storm surge is to know your evacuation zone and plan your destination and travel routes ahead of time.

  Flood Zone maps are available if you click now.

• • Good Air in Florida? - Don't Count on It.

  Florida's Air Quality
  Shows Mixed Rankings for
  Ozone, Particle Pollution

  April 21, 2020 (FloridaTrend.com)-The American Lung Association’s 2020 “State of the Air” report found several cities earned mixed rankings for the nation’s most widespread air pollutants—ozone and particle pollution—both of which can be deadly. Gainesville, Lake City, Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Titusville were named on the cleanest cities list for short-term and year-round particle pollution after experiencing zero unhealthy air days.

  The Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville metro tied 14th in the nation for the cleanest city in the nation in year-round particle pollution ahead of the Gainesville-Lake City metro area which tied 23rd.

  However, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, St. Lucie, Orlando, Lakeland, Deltona, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater all experienced more unhealthy air days of ozone in this year’s report.

• • Sarasota County Sustainability

  Defining Sustainability as Satisfying Our
  Present Needs Without Compromising
  the Ability of Future Generations

  Dec. 16, 2020(Sarasota County)-Committed to environmental, social and economic sustainability. To achieve the balance necessary for a sustainable community, this means:
  
  • Replenish the resources we use or consume;
  • Ensure our values guide us into the future; and
  • Invest in our community to ensure future prosperity.

  This is a constantly evolving journey, with countless directions and possibilities. We invite you to join us on this journey, through your choices and actions and by encouraging others in the community. Together we can make a difference – today, and for future generations.

  
  Click now for their Sustainability page.
• • Hey Florida Schools: Get the Lead Out

  Is There Any Excuse
  For Failing to Test
  For Lead in Our Schools?

  July 25, 2019 (mwfDailynews.com)-According to a statewide investigation conducted by WFTS-Tampa Bay late last year, 68% of Florida’s school districts do not test for lead in drinking water, or only partially test. Further, according to this same investigation, Gulf County’s public schools do not test for lead in the water, but, rather, rely on public utilities to perform such testing. However, as the recent public water debacle in Flint, Michigan has shown, and as reputable and independent experts have been warning for more than a decade, public utility testing for lead cannot be relied upon to protect our children’s health.

  Earlier this year, Florida Senator Janet Cruz sponsored a bill, SB 66, that would’ve added water filters in all of Florida’s older schools (including ours in Gulf County) to filter out lead particles from corroded pipes. As Ms. De La Vega’s recent Letter to the Editor pointed out, however, SB 66 failed in Florida’s 2019 legislative session. Admirably, in response to this temporary legislative setback, Senator Cruz has started a $250,000 fundraising effort to add water filters to Hillsborough County’s 136 schools.

• • 1,000 Friends of Florida Webinars

  Upcoming Dr. John
  M. DeGrove Webinars

  June 21, 2017 -Former Senator Bob Graham will be joining the webinar as a presenter

  In 2014 an overwhelming 75% of Florida voters supported the passage of Amendment 1 which allocated a third of the tax on real estate documents to be used for purchasing and restoring conservation lands through programs like Florida Forever. Despite this clarion call from concerned citizens, Florida’s legislators have consistently refused to fund this program in the intended manner, instead siphoning off funds to pay for existing environmental programs previously paid for out of general revenue, and falling far short of the intended allocation for the purchase of conservation lands.

• • NEST - Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team

  The Benefits of NEST

  (Sarasota County wateratlas) —The Sarasota County Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team, or NEST, promotes neighborhood involvement in environmentally-friendly projects to protect and restore our shared water resources. The NEST program operates at the neighborhood level to improve the community and our watershed resources.

  NEST projects focus on both education and hands-on activities like, watershed-friendly landscaping, pond, lake, and bay shoreline restoration, bioswales, rain gardens, pervious pavement and invasive plant removal.

• • Phosphate Mining in Florida Threatens Water & Wildlife

  Significant Threats to
  Water and Wildlife

  Center for Biodiversity -Processed phosphates — little-discussed but widely spread throughout the food chain — pose a serious threat to our environment. Phosphate rock mining, along with the inorganic fertilizers and animal feed supplements for which phosphate is mined, pollute our air, contaminate our water and destroy invaluable wildlife habitat. -Especially in Florida.

  Because in fact, the state of Florida is home to the majority of phosphate-mining operations in the United States — and the United States is the world's third-leading producer of phosphate rock. Thus it's not all that surprising that Florida hosts the world's largest phosphate strip mine —100,000 acres wide.

• • Florida Environmental Issues

  Florida Environmental Issues

  Click now for a free PDF download addressing three of the key environmental issues that South Florida is challenged with today.

• • Florida Offshore Drilling is a No-No

  10 Reasons Not to Drill for Oil Offshore of Florida

  -This reminder from Manasota-88 warns of the ten reasons not to drill for off-shore oil.

• • Radioactive Waste Water Contamination

  Thnk Radioactive Waste Threatening
  Drinking Water is a Bad Idea?

  Mar. 1, 2017 -The drinking water we depend on should be protected from Nuclear contamination. If Florida Power and Light (FPL) has its way, they will be storing radioactive carcinogens below Florida’s Biscayne Aquifer. The Biscayne Aquifer is the primary source of drinking water for millions of people in South Florida. We must stop this dangerous project before it begins.

  Click for a petition to Fl. legislators.

• About Manatee County Flood Zones

  Manatee County Flood
  Zone Information Tool

  My Manatee County - Based on recent studies of the area, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has proposed updates to the County's flood zones. Depending on whether your flood zone has changed, your flood insurance may be affected. Search your address to find information regarding potential changes in flood zone for a property. Some information may take a moment to load.

  FEMA also has a viewer for map changes, you can find the tool and instructions for its use on FEMA's Community Flood Hazard page.

• • What's It All About - Algae?

  More Chemicals Allowed in
  Fl. Waterways, Toxic Algae Blooms
  Continue to Spread Across State

  July 28, 2016 - The Environmental Regulation Commission just voted 3-2 to approve a proposal by state regulators that would set new standards on 39 chemicals not currently regulated by the Sunshine State and revise regulations on 43 toxins, most of which are carcinogenic. State regulators claim the new plan will protect more Floridians than current standards, the Miami Herald reported.

• • The Sunshine State?- Not Quite

  Solar Power Lags in Florida

  July 5, 2016 - Only one tenth of one percent of all Florida utility customers owned a renewable generating system in 2015, according to new data released by the Florida Public Service Commission.

• • Florida Slime Tracker

  Track That Slime Crime

  Florida's waterways are plagued by slime caused by fertilizer, sewage and animal manure. Click now for an interactive map allowing you to view photographs of the muck, in the areas shown on the map.

• • Watershed Excursion

  Take the Excursion

  View a slideshow of the Springs Coast waterways, brought to you by Southwest Florida Water Management District

• • Signs of Red Tide In Area Worsening

  Piney Point Fertilizer
  Plant In Northern Manatee
  County May Be Contributing

  July 15, 2021 (Sarasota Herald-Tribune ) -Experts fear increasing levels of red tide off the shores of Sarasota and Manatee could be signs of a worsening local bloom — reminiscent of 2018 when red tide shuttered beaches, whipped out fish and carried foul odors miles east.

  Samples from Monday show high levels of Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, along the coast of both counties, including Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key, Turtle Beach, Venice Beach and Manasota Key. The southern end of Manatee County also has been impacted.

  In Sarasota Bay, hundreds of dead fish line the shores of Ken Thompson Park.

• • Florida's Sweeping Law to Protect Its Wildlife Corridors

  It Aims to Protect Green
  Spaces, Drinking Water, and Wildlife

  June 30, 2021 (National Geographic) -Florida made conservation history by enacting a bill and securing $400 million in funding to help protect the state’s vast network of natural areas.

  Known as the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, the legislation passed the Florida State Senate and House unanimously in late April. It was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on the evening of June 29.

  The act formally recognizes the existence of the Florida wildlife corridor, an interconnected web of green spaces throughout much of the state that includes forests, swamps, fields, pastures, timberlands, and even the edges of suburbs.

• • Gov. DeSantis, Fl. Regulators Sued for
  Mismanaging Toxic Waste at Piney Point

  It's More Carbon Intensive
  than What the State Imports

  June 24, 2021 (Center for Biological Diversity) -Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today against Gov. Ron DeSantis, the acting secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, HRK Holdings, LLC and the Manatee County Port Authority for the release of hundreds of tons of hazardous pollutants into Tampa Bay and groundwater.

  The toxic releases endanger the public, marine ecosystems and protected species, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida.

• • Dust Yourself Off and Start All Over Again

  Clouds of Dust Like This Have Plagued Residents of Sarasota’s Central Cocoanut Neighborhood for Years

  June 22, 2021 (Sarasota Herald Tribune) - On some days, it seems like the dust is inescapable. h Gray clouds escape from the U.S. Recycling Company, a concrete and metal recycling facility, less than 50 feet from the houses that line 15th Street in north Sarasota, residents say.

  Because the 100-year-old Central Cocoanut neighborhood lies directly in the path of the facility’s emissions, what appears to be potentially toxic concrete dust blankets the homes, the cars, the leaves on trees, the gutters that line the streets, and the playground equipment at Mary Dean Park three blocks away.

• • Sarasota Bay Seagrass Losses

  Tampa Bay Also
  Undergoing Significant Losses

  May 23, 2021(Sarasota Herald-Tribune), -The past two years have been especially brutal on seagrass populations in Southwest Florida waterways, seagrass mapping surveys show.

  Between 2018 and 2020, Sarasota Bay lost 18% of its seagrass, which equates to roughly 2,313 acres, according to preliminary research by the . It’s a high percentage scientists haven’t seen in decades.

  “In 2018, we saw the second of two really wicked red tides,” said David Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. “And that ride tide gave us the biggest single seagrass loss in 30 years.”

• • Florida's Latest Regulatory Nightmare

  A Glaring National Failure Exposed

  Apr. 7, 2021 (THE HILL) -As environmental regulators and politicians nervously saluted efforts to prevent the catastrophic release of millions of gallons of wastewater from the aging Piney Point phosphogypsum wastewater storage pond near Tampa, Fla., this week, there was scarce little talk of how we got here.

  Or of how we’ll prevent similar disasters moving forward.

• • Florida Crisis Highlights a Nationwide Risk From Toxic Ponds

  Thousands of Open-Air Waste Pools
  Near Power Plants, Mines and
  Industrial Farms Can Pose Safety Dangers

  Apr. 6, 2021 (NY Times Climate Forward) -They are ponds the size of city blocks: Wastewater pits that hold the hazardous byproducts of coal. Lagoons brimming with diluted pig excrement. Vast pools atop stacks of radioactive tailings.

  The risks posed by pools of waste like these, a common feature at thousands of industrial and agricultural sites across the country, have been brought into sharp relief by a giant wastewater pond in Piney Point, Fla., that in recent days had appeared in danger of catastrophic failure.

• • Piney Point: Not the Only Threat to Tampa Bay

  Other Floria Estuaries
  are Also in Trouble

  Apr. 6, 2021 (FLORIDA PHOENIX) -Even if you live outside of Florida, you’ve probably heard of Tampa Bay. It’s a popular, if if somewhat vague, sports team “location.” The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning play in Tampa, but the World Series also-ran Tampa Bay Rays play in St. Petersburg (at least for now).

  There’s also a real Tampa Bay, a 400-square-mile body of water that separates Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. It’s the state’s largest estuary, meaning it’s full of fish and crabs and seagrass and dolphins and manatees, not to mention seabirds of every kind.

  And right now, they’re all facing a potential disaster.

• • Accountability Questions Swirl Around Piney Point

  Piney Point Continues to Wreak Havoc

  Apr. 3, 2021 (Sarasota Herald-Tribune) - As yet another potential environmental disaster connected to the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant along Tampa Bay in Manatee County unfolds, questions about accountability for the repeated problems loom.

  Elected officials and regulators at both the local and state levels have long grappled over the best way to close the Piney Point facility once and for all.

• • The Stain of Piney Point

  Contaminated Water Continues to
  Be a Hazard to the Surface
  and Groundwater of Tampa Bay

  (Herald-Tribune), Oct. 13, 2020 - When a serious local pollution problem continues to exist after repeated delays and inaction by local and state officials, citizens look to their federal government for relief.

  ManaSota-88 has requested that the Environmental Protection Agency immediately initiate an investigation for the operations located at the former Piney Point phosphate plant in Manatee County, Florida.

  Increased water entering into the gyp stacks at Piney Point, mainly due to rainfall, has increased the risks of a catastrophic failure of their earthen impoundments. The contaminated water at Piney Point continues to be a hazard to the surface and groundwater of Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, and Bishops Harbor.

Asbestos is a proven human
carcinogen, and all forms of
asbestos can cause cancer.

• Read All About It

• Florida is not Alone

• Why is Asbestos Used
in Power Plants?

Asbestos Exposure Treatment

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