Next Monday the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will hold an open house public meeting; it’s about Mosaic’s renewal request to discharge wastewater. Much of it would go into the Peace River basin. The Peace River begins in Polk County and flows generally southwest through much of the center of Florida until it empties into… Read more »
On Wednesday the U.S. House passed a bill to permanently ban fossil fuel drilling in federal waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast. Nearly all Florida Hose members supported the ban. The only “no” came from Republican Ted Yoho. The House also passed a ban on drilling in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. For reaction,… Read more »
Update to this story, 5 September 2019: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor tells WMNF she’s taken the “toilet-to-tap” idea out of this discussion for now. “Yes, we are going to take that out. But I want to caution the public that water is going to be the number one issue moving into the future. And the… Read more »
Nestlé wants to take more than one million gallons of water a day from Florida springs near Ginnie Springs and the Santa Fe River; the giant multinational corporation plans to put the water into plastic bottles and sell it at a tremendous markup. But environmentalists oppose the move. WMNF interviewed Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, a board member… Read more »
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 »
On Tuesday Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a budget recommendation that includes $625 million to protect water resources and restore the Everglades. But there’s no guarantee the state Legislature will pass a budget that reflects an emphasis on the environment. This Saturday the group Food & Water Watch will hold a “Rally to Protect Florida’s Water”… Read more »
Florida’s new governor, Ron DeSantis, announced several changes to water policy today. In an executive order, DeSantis made moves to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking), dedicate money to Everglades restoration, fight algae blooms, appoint a Chief Science Officer and create an Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency. For reaction, WMNF News spoke with Michelle Allen, senior… Read more »
A reservoir that will clean polluted water coming from Lake Okeechobee and send it toward the Everglades instead of directing dirty water toward the coasts may be delayed because of a recent, controversial decision; last week the land where the reservoir is supposed to be built had its lease to a major sugar company extended… Read more »
From the beaches to the springs to the pristine underground aquifer to the Everglades and the rivers— Florida’s waters are like nowhere else on earth. Two of Florida’s most knowledgeable people about the state of our water join us in a moment to talk about Florida’s water resources. And later—Florida’s economy has mostly recovered from… Read more »
In first 8 months of year, manatee death toll surpasses 2017 By TAMARA LUSH, Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — This year hasn’t been a good one for the Florida manatee. According to state wildlife statistics, there have been more manatee deaths so far this year than all of last year. A total of 540… Read more »
The Gulf Coast of Florida is already dealing with two different algae blooms: a red tide on many beaches south of Manatee County and blue-green algae spilling into the Gulf from Lake Okeechobee; but now outbreaks of a larger species of seaweed have even reached Florida. Beginning about seven years ago, beaches throughout the Caribbean Sea… Read more »
Because of recent heavy rains, huge algae blooms from polluted Lake Okeechobee are once again racing toward Florida’s west and east coast as water is released from the quickly-filling lake. Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch is the former mayor of Sewell’s Point, near where the St. Lucie River empties into the Atlantic Ocean. WMNF News spoke with her… Read more »
Next month, St. Pete City Council will consider an ordinance to comprehensively look at how the city deals with all kinds of disposable plastics: from straws, to bags and polystyrene containers. In a committee today the focus was entirely on plastic straws: should there be a ban – as requested by environmentalists – or a… Read more »
The giant fertilizer company Mosaic announced last week that it plans to move its corporate headquarters from Minnesota to Hillsborough County; the announcement by the Fortune 500 company was greeted by many local leaders with delight. But environmentalists, like Suncoast Waterkeeper Andy Mele, accuse Mosaic of being a detriment to the community. “I think Mosaic’s… Read more »
Every spring, beach lovers across Florida – and in other parts of the world – gather to hold Hands Across the Sand to oppose offshore oil and gas drilling. Jana Wiggins is a volunteer with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Rise Above Plastics and is helping to organize what might be the Tampa Bay area’s… Read more »
Several states are suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for putting on hold an Obama-era rule to protect wetlands and waterways. And this month an organization of wetlands scientists filed a brief with the court in support of those states and the Clean Water Rule of 2015. Royal Gardner,… Read more »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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