The Florida Legislature is considering bills to outlaw certain types of fracking in Florida; but advocates for clean water warn that the ban excludes one oil and gas extraction technique that could harm the environment because of Florida’s limestone geology. Jorge Aguilar, the southern region director with Food and Water Watch, wants the method called… Read more »
"Rally to Protect Florida's Water" in Bradenton
Read MoreRon DeSantis directs Florida DEP to oppose fracking and off-shore drilling
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Everglades Foundation irate that sugar lease extended on reservoir land
Read MoreFrom the Beaches to the Springs How Do We Protect Florida's Waters?
Read MoreManatee deaths on the rise in Florida, partially due to toxic red tide algae
Read MoreIs another type of algae bloom - Sargassum - coming to a beach near you?
Read MoreLake Okeechobee algae bloom spreading toward both Florida coasts
Read MoreSt. Pete City Council committee favors voluntary plastic straw reduction over ban
Read MoreEnvironmentalist wary of Mosaic moving corporate headquarters to Hillsborough
Read MoreHands Across the Sand 2018 preview
Read MoreWetlands scientists support states' lawsuit to save Clean Water Rule
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Remodeled Riverfront Park is backdrop for Bob Buckhorn’s State of the City address
Tampa unveiled its newly-remodeled Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park Friday morning for Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s State of the City address. Buckhorn praised the $35 million renovation and the city staff who worked on it. Before his speech, the City showed a polished video with the theme “Finish Strong” that looked back at a tough year… Read more »
Zinke: “no new oil and gas platforms off the coast of Florida”
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said again Thursday that there will be no new oil and gas platforms off the state of Florida; his position on drilling off the coasts of Florida has been confusing this year. He was challenged Thursday in a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen regarding draft regulations… Read more »
A young person suing Florida Governor Rick Scott on climate change inaction: on WMNF’s MidPoint Monday
On MidPoint Monday we heard from one of the young people suing Florida Governor Rick Scott and others in the state government over their inaction on climate change. We had two guests: 18-year-old college freshman and climate activist Delaney Reynolds and Tampa-area attorney Guy Burns, a Managing Partner at Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, LLP. Reynolds is… Read more »
St. Pete businesses unveil voluntary plastics-reduction program; environmentalists want more
This Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council will begin to discuss how to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in the city; and Tuesday morning a coalition of restaurant owners and civic groups unveiled a new campaign for businesses to voluntarily reduce the use of plastic straws. But for some environmentalists, that doesn’t go far… Read more »
UPDATED: Will Rick Scott sign “toilet to tap” legislation?
UPDATE, Friday 6 April 2018: Governor Rick Scott has vetoed this bill. In the veto statement, Scott said “I’m not convinced that this legislation will not muddle Florida’s protection of our aquifers.” A Florida bill recently passed by the state legislature would allow more treated sewage to be pumped into the aquifer; it’s a bill that… Read more »
Industry still dumping pollution into Florida waterways: report
In less than 2 years industrial facilities dumped more pollution than allowed into Florida waters 270 times; that’s according to a new report from the Environment Florida Research & Policy Center called Troubled Waters. During a press conference Thursday morning along the shore of Hillsborough Bay at Ballast Point Park, Tampa-area Congress member Kathy Castor… Read more »
Students find low levels of lead in South St. Pete water
Journalism graduate students at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg have found low levels of lead in drinking water samples taken in the homes of middle school students in South St. Pete. WMNF News interviewed one participant, Andrea Perez, a Master’s student at USF St. Pete. “Dr. Bernardo Motta, he is the director of… Read more »
Will Floridians be able to vote on whether offshore drilling is allowed?
Putting a ban on offshore drilling in the Florida Constitution Florida voters may get a chance to ban oil and gas drilling in waters near the state’s coast. The Florida Constitution Revision Commission will take a final vote by May on whether to enshrine a ban in the state constitution on the 2018 ballot. Sixty-percent of… Read more »
Residents struggle for quiet with shooting range near environmentally important land
In northwest Hillsborough County there’s a 400-acre chunk of land that environmentalists hope to save as a way to keep recharging the drinking water aquifer; Monday night in the Hillsborough County Center there’s a land use meeting, in part to talk about the future of this land near Keystone that also includes a shooting range…. Read more »
The health & environmental effects of all that plastic in Florida waters
The Florida Microplastic Awareness Project has found plastic pollution in waters across nearly all of Florida; so, what does that mean for human health and the environment? To find out, WMNF News spoke with David Hastings, a marine scientist and chemical oceanographer. He’s a professor at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. Listen: Watch: … Read more »
NIH study: BP’s use of dispersants harmed human health
The first scientific study has just been published connecting human health problems with the dispersants used by BP after its 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster; our guest on WMNF News’ MidPoint was Tampa Bay Times staff writer Craig Pittman. In April of 2010 an explosion rocked BP’s oil rig, killing 11 people and setting off an… Read more »
Some Tampa Bay rivers still under Flood Warning after Irma
The National Weather Service has extended Flood Warnings for several area rivers after Hurricane Irma, including the Anclote River at Elfers, the Little Manatee River at Wimauma, the Hillsborough River near Hillsborough River State Park, the Hillsborough River at Morris bridge and for the Horse Creek near Arcadia. On Thursday WMNF News interviewed Robin Caton, a… Read more »
Tampa mosque organizes Hurricane Harvey relief drive
A Tampa mosque and allied organizations are gathering supplies to bring to Hurricane Harvey survivors in Texas Thursday. Here’s the Facebook event page for the supply drive organized by the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay, Penny Appeal, and Love Has No Borders. To find out what types of supplies are needed and how people can… Read more »
