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Keeping It Green

Florida's Phosphate Risk

Southwest Florida
Environmental Action

Gulf Dead Zone

What You May Not Want to
Know About the Gulf Dead Zone

June 13, 2016 -The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its annual forecast for the size of the Gulf of Mexico "dead zone"—an area of coastal water where low oxygen is lethal to marine life. The dead zone averages about 6,000 sq. miles or the size of the state of Connecticut.

The Sink or
Swim Newsletter

Protect the Florida Panther   

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• 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.

  Upset? Click now to read more.

• Sarasota Weather/Climate Analaysis !st Q 2020

  Meadows Rainfall/
  Temperature Analysis
  (Tracking Climate Change)

  This quarterly report tracks rainfall and temperature data for the Sarasota Meadows and Airport districts.

  Click now for the free download.

• 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.

  Click now to read more about this issue.

• 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.

  Click now to read more
  from troubleinparadise.org.

• 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.

  Click now to read the Sierra Club article.

• 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.

• 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.

  Click now to learn the benefits of participating.

• 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.

  Click now for more.

• 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.

  Click now for more from the  Manasota-88.

• 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