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Essential Guide to Florida Suncoast Living

Apr. 15, 2022,-They break it down to show you the most effective solutions, curated especially for Sarasota and Manatee County residents.

We connect you with local events and experts on energy, food, waste, water, and nature. The Toolkit is designed with options to meet you where you’re at, then help you level up to live smart and future-focused. Every step you take accrues personal and community benefits, now and for future generations.

Florida
Environmental Action

Page Updated:
December 3, 2022

 

The Sink or
Swim Newsletter

Ecology Florida

• • This Florida Chemical Plant is the
  Biggest Greenhouse Gas Polluter in the State

  Turns Out That Laughing Gas is Not That Funny
  
  

  Florida Phoenix, Dec. 1, 2022 -The story talks about the worst climate polluters. They included a coal-fired Alabama power plant that produces more carbon dioxide than any other U.S. facility, a Pennsylvania coal mine that produces more methane than anywhere else and – because there is always a Florida angle to every big story – this plant in the Panhandle.

  It’s a Florida nylon manufacturing plant, and it tops the rest of the country in emitting nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas.

  When it comes to the climate, laughing gas is no laughing matter.

• • Expanding Tree Canopy and
  Environmental Stewardship in Broward County

  From the Lauderdale
  Lakes Garden Club
  
  

  Nov. 10,-Broward County, Florida, is nestled in southeastern Florida, just north of Miami-Dade County with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Everglades to the west. It is Florida’s second-most populous county, has the 6th largest school district in the United States, and is home not only to diverse populations of wildlife, but also an active network of local elected officials, teachers, principals, park professionals, volunteers, scientists, and other community leaders striving to create more resilient places to live for people and wildlife.

• • Is Florida Becoming a Failed State?

  Large parts of Florida Should Be Mangrove Thickets, Prickly Swampland, and Unforgiving Marshy Wilderness—For Our Own Survival
  
  

  Oct. 11, 2022 - Florida will try to kill you. This is the Florida Rule, and it governs one of the most capricious landscapes on earth. Misunderstand the environment at your peril, as we were reminded by Hurricane Ian this past month.

  Parts of our unique paradise lie in ruin, and we will spend months, if not years, trying to process the experience. While Hurricane Ian has left Florida, it remains behind in the flooding and in our governor’s political maneuverings. It persists in the minds of survivors and in the material effects on their lives. Left behind, too, as porous as the sand the storm surge deposited miles inland, are questions about policy, storytelling, and the future of the state.

• • This 100% Solar Community Endured
  Hurricane Ian With No Loss of Power

  And the Damage Was Minimal

  Oct. 2, 2022, (CNN) -Anthony Grande moved away from Fort Myers three years ago in large part because of the hurricane risk. He has lived in southwest Florida for nearly 19 years, had experienced Hurricanes Charley in 2004 and Irma in 2017 and saw what stronger storms could do to the coast.

  Grande told CNN he wanted to find a new home where developers prioritized climate resiliency in a state that is increasingly vulnerable to record-breaking storm surge, catastrophic wind and historic rainfall.

  What he found was Babcock Ranch — only 12 miles northeast of Fort Myers, yet seemingly light years away.

• • Flooding and Power Outages
  Grow as Ian Moves Inland

  Ian Was One Of The Strongest Storms Ever to Strike Florida
  
  

  Sep. 28, 2022 -A storm surge of up to 12 feet submerged cars, knocked over houses and trapped residents near where the hurricane came ashore west of Fort Myers. Some places remained too dangerous for water rescues, officials said, adding that they were taking down addresses to deploy resources once it was safe.

• • 3 Manatees Return to Florida After Completing
  Rehabilitation at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

  Thank You, Columbus Zoo

  DAYTON24/7NOW, Sep. 18, 2022 -Three manatees, Scampi, Acorn, and Einstein have arrived in Central Florida after completing their rehabilitation at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

  These manatees were all rescued off the coast of Florida and have completed multiple rehabilitation milestones before being released back into the wild.

• • Freshwater Discharges from Lake
  Okeechobee Feed Gulf Red Tide Algae Blooms

  Intense Blooms and Nutrient-Heavy Freshwater Flows May have been Connected

  WGCU, Sep. 16, 2022 -University of Florida researchers partnered with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation to examine about a decade of freshwater discharges and water quality reports. They proved that nutrient-laden freshwater, which is discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, intensifies existing red tide blooms based on consistent patterns.

• • Miami Rejects the 20-Foot Flood Wall

  But Still Must
  Combat Climate Change

  Miami Herald, Sep. 8, 2022 -Miami-Dade County’s hard “No” on the federal government’s proposal to build a 20-foot-tall coastal wall to combat flooding has paid off. The feds have agreed to re-examine that part of the Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Study, and without any cost to the county.

  It was difficult to take the idea seriously from the start. Installing hulking, flood-protection walls up to 20 feet tall along the coast of Biscayne Bay would mean, in essence, exchanging the scenic water views that draw people to this area for the unappealing sight of concrete barriers.

• • Turning Florida’s Rural Lands Into Urban Sprawl

  SRQ Officials Would Break
  Their Carefully Crafted Comp
  Plan For a Big-Bucks Developer

  Florida Phoenix, Sep. 8, 2022 -Florida is home to a lot of imperiled species that are badly in need of protection. That includes the panther, of course, and the Key deer, the manatee, the gopher tortoise, and a whole lot more.

  To this very long list I’d add one more: our remaining rural residents.

  These are the folks who live far from Florida’s madding crowd, grow at least some of their own food, keep some livestock, and know all their neighbors even though they may not live close enough to wave. Their roads are canopy roads, their backyards big pastures, their future a question mark.

• • Florida’s Groundwater is Extremely
  Valuable and Running Low

  Politicians and Water Managers Need to Ensure Its Extractions are Monitored and Paid For
  Plan For a Big-Bucks Developer
  
  

  Sep. 7, 2022 -Florida needs to protect its aquifer. Manatee Springs State Park produces 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily, which meanders through hardwood wetlands to the Suwannee. But the green algae prevalent at the spring has outcompeted native eel grass, a symptom of nutrient pollution in the watershed and overpumping of the aquifer.

• • Mangroves Sucking Carbon

  Rebuilding the Natural Shoreline
  
  

  Sep. 5, 2022 -Gone are the days of game, set, match on this backyard tennis court. The cracks in the sunbleached hardcourt highlight its age. But there’s a new game afoot.

  In place of shoe scuffs and fuzzy yellow balls are rows of square garden beds, each holding as many as 100 potted mangroves of varying ages and species.

• • 340,000 Gallons of Sewage
  Escape into Whitaker Bayou

  This is After Sarasota
  Utility Line Bursts
  
  

  Aug. 29, 2022 - A utility pipe ruptured in Sarasota’s Park East neighborhood Friday night, releasing approximately 340,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the city of Sarasota's storm drainage system, which flows into Whitaker Bayou.

  City officials said utility workers responded immediately to stop the leak and repair the failed section of pipe. The city is advising the public to avoid contact with water in Whitaker Bayou until further notice.

• • Engarde, Swordfish!

  Swordfish Reduction Sends Rippling Fears
  
  

  Aug. 27, 2022 -Swordfish and other sea creatures have used the Florida Straits and Gulf Stream for thousands of years, migrating with the warm current as it gathers in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and then blasts up the East Coast and into the northern Atlantic Ocean.

  But things have changed in the Gulf Stream system. Waters have warmed, and the regional Gulf of Mexico-to-North Atlantic current has slowed, according to some scientific evidence. The data is not complete.

• • Want Clean Water? Be Patient

  Cleaning Florida Waters
  Will Take ‘Decades’
  
  

  Aug. 19, 22022 - That’s the message from Florida’s top water quality experts tasked with recommending solutions to curb the toxic algae bloom crisis that regularly threatens both coasts.

  Chief Science Officer Mark Rains, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he’s largely satisfied with the state’s progress in cleaning Florida waterways. That’s despite an Aug. 3 report that underscores how little has been done to curb toxic algae blooms and the pollution that ignites them, according to a coalition of 12 environmental nonprofits.

• • Florida's Forecast Fears

  Extreme Heat Kills More
  People Per Year Than
  any Other Weather Event
  
  

  Aug. 19, 22022 -From Jacksonville to Naples, the hottest, steamiest days of summer will multiply through the next 30 years as climate change makes Florida and much of the country swelter, a big-data forecasting group is warning.

  The state’s west coast faces the most punishment from the shift expected to produce summertime heat index readings topping 125 degrees in more than a dozen Florida counties by 2053, says a peer-reviewed computer model from the nonprofit First Street Foundation.

• • Duke Brings Two Battery
  Storage Projects Online in Florida

  Totaling 17.2 MWh of
  Combined Energy Capacity
  
  

  Aug. 18, 2022, -The recently completed Micanopy battery site in Alachua County is 8.25 MW/11.7 MWh and is located 15 miles southwest of Gainesville. The site provides a cost-effective solution for focused power quality and reliability for the town of Micanopy and nearby neighbors.

  The Jennings battery site, completed in April, is 5.5 MW/5.5 MWh and is located 1.5 miles south of the Florida-Georgia border in the town of Jennings in Hamilton County. This site will continue to improve power reliability through energy storage as an alternative solution to installing new and more costly distribution equipment.

• • The 'Heat Island' Effect Magnifies Temperatures

  It Means Misery for
  Vulnerable Sarasota Residents
  
  

  Aug. 2, 2022 -Brenda and Marcos Steiner wait under a scarce tree for the food service to get started across the street on Dr. Martin Luther King Way. A thermometer shows it's 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun and 97.9 degrees in the shade.

  For the last few months the couple has been getting their groceries from Second Chance Last Opportunity. Food in hand, they'll eventually walk back to their house a few blocks down, which uses window AC units that have run up their electricity bill to $350 a month.

• • Glowing Waters Can Be a Warning

  It's Happening in this
  Bioluminescent Florida Lagoon
  
  

  July 14, 2022 -It’s only a one-hour drive between Orlando’s theme park attractions and Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. The route crosses over one of the most biodiverse habitats in North America—but most people are unaware of the marvels in the waters around them.

  Stretching for some 156 miles along Florida’s east coast, the Indian River Lagoon is an ecosystem of rare flora and fauna. And there’s something special in the water: Here you’ll find the most reliable display of naturally occurring bioluminescence in the United States.

• • Greater Orlando Voters Passed a “Rights of NATURE”
  AMENDMENT to the Orange County Charter, But...

  A Judge Just Threw it Out of Court
  
  

  July 7, 2022 -A Florida judge late Wednesday dismissed a closely-watched “rights of nature” case, finding that state law preempted an amendment to the Orange County Charter passed overwhelmingly by voters in 2020, that granted lakes, wetlands and streams the right to “exist” and “flow” as healthy ecosystems protected against pollution.

  Circuit Court Judge Paetra T. Brownlee’s ruling effectively struck down the entirety of the amendment, which also gave citizens in Orlando and the rest of Orange County the ability to enforce their rights to clean water, while making it unlawful for corporate entities to pollute newly-protected waterways.

• • What? You Don't Like PFAs in Your Oysters?

  Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals'
  Found in Florida Oysters
  
  

  July 7, 2022 -A new study released Wednesday said that dangerous "forever chemicals" were discovered in oysters along Florida's coastline in the Biscayne Bay, Marco Island and Tampa Bay areas.

  Scientists from Florida International University's Institute of Environment said they found perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in the 156 oysters they sampled from those areas.

• •  Manatees Threatened by Red Tide - Again!

  Red Tide Shows Up at Low
  Levels in the Indian River Lagoon
  
  

  June 19, 2022 -In the wake of the worst year for manatee deaths on record, Florida wildlife officials last week found yet another potential killer of the threatened species in the Indian River Lagoon — red tide.

  While only at background levels now, the toxic algae's presence in the sea cow's most important habitat in Florida portends a tough summer ahead for the threatened species.

• • Duke Energy Completes First
  of 10 Community Solar Projects in Florida

  This is Part of a New Program
  
  

  June 13, 2022 - The 75 MW Fort Green Renewable Energy Center is now supplying clean energy and savings to customers in Hardee County, which marks the launch of the Clean Energy Connection community solar program.

  The Fort Green project was built on approximately 500 acres of repurposed mining land. The project consists of nearly 265,000 solar panels, utilizing a fixed-tilt racking system that will produce enough carbon-free energy to effectively power more than 23,000 average-sized homes at peak production.

• • PFAS Chemicals Are ‘Everywhere’ in Lagoon

  Indian River Lagoon Has Not Been Spared
  
  

  June 11, 2022 - Everywhere scientists look in the Indian River Lagoon, they find so-called 'forever chemicals,' in some places at almost four times the levels of what’s safe in drinking water, according to a recently published scientific study by the University of Florida.

  UF researchers have been measuring the presence of these potentially cancer-causing compounds in the lagoon for years, but with greater focus over the past two years.

• • Algae Blooms Are Killing Our Manatees

  Hundreds of Them Have Starved to Death

  Mar. 25, 2022, (ZME Science)-Nearly 1 in 10 died last year.

  A wildlife official in Florida said hundreds of manatees have starved to death along the state's east coast due to the algae blooms and contaminants that are killing seagrass resources they eat, The Associated Press reported.

• • Coral Reef Monitoring & Assessment

  Coral Reefs Must Be
  Protected Against Bleaching

  October, 2021, (Mote Marine)-Coral bleaching is the corals’ loss of their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae), which give them their color. Bleaching is a natural event that occurs to some extent annually in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS).

  Records show that coral bleaching has been occurring for many years in the Florida Keys and also indicate that the frequency and severity of these events has steadily increased since the 1980s. Large-scale mass coral bleaching events are driven by unusually warm sea temperatures and calm seas. The effects of these mass events are potentially devastating to ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

• • History Of Phosphate Mining
  In Florida Fraught With Peril

  Accidents Like the Spill at the Piney
  Point Plant Fill the History Books

  Jun. 16, 2021, (WUSFPublic Media)-At the construction entrance to the Piney Point phosphate plant - off Buckeye Road in northern Manatee County, just south of the Hillsborough County line - the smell of phosphate and gypsum hangs heavy in the air.

  A bulldozer is busy pushing sand into a hole from which more than 200 million gallons of tainted water flowed into Tampa Bay. This isn't the first time this has happened. Accidents like this fill the history books in Florida, including two here at this very site.

• • 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.

• • 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.

• • 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.

• • 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.

• • How Florida’s Springs are Threatened

  The Amount of Water they
  Discharge are Threatened by Both
  Human Activities and Natural Factors.

  (Southwest Florida Water Management) -Increases in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus due to development in springsheds, excessive fertilizer use, wastewater treatment plant discharges and failing septic tanks.

  Excess nitrate levels in water can be harmful to aquatic insects, amphibians and fish. If algae have an unlimited source of nitrates, excess growth may occur. Large amounts of algae growth can cause reduced water clarity and extreme fluctuations in dissolved oxygen, which is stressful to aquatic life.

• • 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.

• • NEST - Neighborhood Env. 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.

• 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.

• • 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

• Experiencing Climate Change in Sarasota Florida

• Sarasota Climate Change Report (Local Study)
• Plenty of Great Weather

Important Florida Links	Solar in the Sunshine State
Sarasota Solar Co-op	Florida Asbestos

   
  

Watching Out For the Environment

• Protect the Florida Panther   

(PowerPoint is Required to See Information)

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

Name

Power Source

Location

(County)

Owner

Output (Mw)

Homes
Powered

When
Built