Category

Water

House Reps propose bill sidestepping DeSantis’s $350 million federal funds veto

In June, Governor Ron DeSantis rejected around $350 million in energy efficiency incentives. WMNF's Chris Young reports.
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How a tiny non-profit startup broke the year’s biggest Florida politics story

Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, appeared on WMNF WaveMakers.
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Barbara Petersen

The Pinellas Legislative Delegation supports a revamp of PSTA; what would it mean for local transit?

A Republican Florida representative has proposed a bill that would change how Pinellas County’s transit organization is governed.
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bus rapid transit BRT St. Petersburg, Florida

Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms For Liberty cofounder, accused of sexual battery by alleged menage a trois lover

Christian Ziegler, Florida’s GOP chairman and husband of Sarasota County School Board member and Moms of Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is under criminal investigation after...
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Christian Ziegler

A decade after Rick Scott refused $1.25 billion from feds, a Florida lawmaker proposes $50 million for private passenger rail between Tampa and Orlando

Florida lawmakers are championing hundreds of projects including $50 million for Brightline to extend rail from Orlando to Tampa.
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railroad tracks train

Here comes the Sun: Talking pro women’s soccer in Tampa Bay

The new professional women’s soccer team has a name - Tampa Bay Sun FC-will kick off its inaugural season in August 2024.
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A yellow and blue soccer team logo unveiling ceremony

Update: “toilet-to-tap” tabled; Tampa City Council will vote on utility rate increase, sewer infrastructure

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...

Water activist opposes Nestlé’s plan to bottle 1 million gallons a day from Florida springs

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...

Florida clean water activists say: it’s not a fracking ban if matrix acidizing is allowed

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...

“Rally to Protect Florida’s Water” in Bradenton

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...
anti-fracking sign

Ron DeSantis directs Florida DEP to oppose fracking and off-shore drilling

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...
Clean Water Rule

Everglades Foundation irate that sugar lease extended on reservoir land

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...

From the Beaches to the Springs How Do We Protect Florida’s Waters?

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...

Manatee deaths on the rise in Florida, partially due to toxic red tide algae

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...
Sargassum algae bloom Puerto Rico Culebra

Is another type of algae bloom – Sargassum – coming to a beach near you?

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...
Algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee algae bloom spreading toward both Florida coasts

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...
plastic straw ban

St. Pete City Council committee favors voluntary plastic straw reduction over ban

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...
Mosaic phosphate

Environmentalist wary of Mosaic moving corporate headquarters to Hillsborough

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...

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