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WATERKEEPERS FLORIDA NEWS

Statement of Lake Worth Waterkeeper Reinaldo Diaz to EPA on Redefining Waters of the U.S.

Lake Worth Waterkeeper

March 4, 2019

As your Lake Worth Waterkeeper, I advocate for the Lake Worth Lagoon and its watershed, a coastal estuary running along the eastern edge of Palm Beach County in South Florida. The watershed, which is considered the northern...

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Waterkeepers Florida Committed to Protecting Sunshine State Waters

Julia Widmann

March 6, 2019

Regional entity Waterkeepers Florida came together early February for an in-person board meeting to set goals for the 2019 Florida legislative session. They gathered at the 25th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in...

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Lawsuit Launched to Stop Toxic Algae Bloom Releases From Lake Okeechobee

Waterkeeper Alliance

June 11, 2019

Conservation groups sued three federal agencies today for failing to address harm to Florida’s endangered species from Lake Okeechobee releases containing toxic algae.Today’s lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, challenges the U.S. Army Corps of...

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The Everglades’ Forgotten Northern Estuary

Lake Worth Waterkeeper

July 10, 2019

In South Florida, we have fundamentally reshaped nature. Now our challenge is righting the wrongs of the past. As the Lake Worth Waterkeeper, I know this all too well. Lake Worth Lagoon is now an estuary, the tidal mouth of a river, where the ocean meets the...

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Suwannee Riverkeeper Fights to Protect Okefenokee Swamp from Titanium Strip Mine

Julia Widmann

August 23, 2019

Three times last week, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman helped gather locals and organizations across Georgia, north Florida, and beyond to voice concerns about a proposed strip mine alongside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Georgia, home...

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Suncoast Waterkeeper’s “Sick of Sewage” Campaign Resolves Lawsuit Against Sarasota County

Suncoast Waterkeeper

October 16, 2019

Suncoast Waterkeeper, Our Children’s Earth Foundation, and Ecological Rights Foundation are celebrating our third legal victory in the ongoing “Sick of Sewage” campaign focused on cleaning up Gulf Coast waters. After a series of horrific sewage spills in 2016...

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Waterkeepers Florida caps first year with a slate of achievements, new website, and important objectives for the 2020 Florida legislative session

Lisa Rinaman, Jen Lomberk

January 21, 2020

Waterkeepers Florida is pleased to announce the launch of the Waterkeepers Florida website and to present its first annual report. Waterkeepers Florida is a regional entity licensed by the international Waterkeeper Alliance, composed of all 13 Waterkeeper organizations working in the state of Florida. While Waterkeepers have been working to protect Florida’s waters individually...

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PRESS RELEASE: In response to FL Chief Science Officer, letter sets record straight on flawed “Clean Waterways Act”

Lisa Rinaman, Ryan Smart, David Cullen

February 12, 2020

Florida Springs Council, Florida Waterkeepers, and Sierra Club today responded to remarks by Florida’s Chief Science Officer, Thomas K. Frazer, Ph.D., regarding Senator Mayfield’s Senate Bill 712 (SB 712).The three organizations sent a twelve-page letter to Dr. Frazer, copied to Senator Mayfield...

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Florida Senate approves water measure aimed at easing algae blooms

John Kennedy

March 8, 2020

TALLAHASSEE – A sweeping water quality measure sought by Gov. Ron DeSantis was approved Friday by the Florida Senate, with supporters calling it a major step toward easing...

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Re: Twin Pines Minerals

Waterkeepers Florida

April 10, 2020

Waterkeepers Florida submitted two letters in opposition of FDEP's attempts to assume Clean Water Act Dredge & Fill (Section 404) permitting authority from the federal government. The first letter expresses concerns related to the rulemaking and the second letter expresses concerns related to the public comment period proceeding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Take Action: Protect Section 404 of the Clean Water Act

Miami Waterkeeper

April 14, 2020

Recently, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced its intent to assume the federal authority of Clean Water Act permits...

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RE: Proposed Rules Related to State Assumption of the Clean Water Act Section 404 Program: Public Comment Deadline Suspension Request

Waterkeepers Florida

April 20, 2020

Waterkeepers Florida submitted a request to FDEP requesting suspension of rulemaking in the Clean Water Act Section 404 assumption effort. Waterkeepers Florida is deeply committed to ensuring public involvement in this rulemaking process. In fact, public involvement is the hallmark of our collective mission. We do not feel that these rulemaking proceedings have been adequately inclusive for all members of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Toast to Clean Water

Waterkeepers Florida

April 22, 2020

Waterkeepers Florida celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with a virtual "Toast to Clean Water." Waterkeepers from across the state tuned in to give their salute to...

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Waterkeepers holds Earth Day event to celebrate conservation efforts

George White / Special to Islander News

April 23, 2020

Miami Waterkeeper was among the supporters of Florida’s waters participating in an interactive Earth Day Salute Wednesday broadcast on Zoom and Facebook Live...

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Andy Mele's Op-Ed to the Sarasota Herald Tribune

May 8, 2020

Since most of Florida’s agencies began holding virtual meetings in mid-March, there have been questions in the minds of those who believe public participation is a keystone of our democracy: Is a webinar an adequate substitute for a face-to-face meeting that offers time for public input? And are webinars going to become the new normal? Waterkeepers Florida's Andy Mele submitted an Op-Ed to the Sarasota Herald Tribune highlighting concerns over lack of public access to and involvement with major environmental decisions in the State of Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Out of sight, still a blight

Marlowe Starling

May 18, 2020

The Florida Springs Council, Sierra Club Florida and Waterkeepers Florida sent a letter to Florida’s Chief Science Officer Thomas Frazer related to the Clean Waterways Act (SB 712). Among other weaknesses in the Act, they wrote, it does not go far enough in adopting recommendations from the state’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force, including “a septic system inspection and monitoring program” to identify and get rid of malfunctioning systems to “reduce nutrient pollution…and preserve human health.”

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DeSantis signs tougher rules on pollutants, but do they go far enough?

Jim Turner

June 30, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Tuesday measures that include bigger fines for dumping pollutants into waterways and new rules for septic tanks and agricultural runoff, though environmentalists said...To continue reading, subscribe to The Tampa Bay Times...

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John S. Quarterman: Watered-down bill won’t fix water quality issues

John S. Quarterman/Special to The Sunk

July 1, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed into law SB 712, the so-called “Clean Waterways Act,” which falls far short of that mark. This bill has been praised by its supporters as one of the most environmentally progressive pieces of legislation in over a decade. Yet after the cuts and rollbacks to our environmental regulations by the last state administration, that isn’t saying much. The bill pays...

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Clean Waterways Act won’t fix water quality | Commentary

Jen Lomberk

July 1, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed into law SB 712 — the self-proclaimed “Clean Waterways Act” — an ambitious misnomer for a bill that claims to be the solution to our mounting water quality issues, but falls far short of that mark...

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A watered-down bill will not fix our water quality issues

John C. Capece, Ph.D., Kissimmee Waterkeeper

July 9, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed into law SB 712 — the self-proclaimed “Clean Waterways Act” — an ambitious misnomer for a bill that claims to be the solution to our mounting water quality issues, but falls far short of that mark.This bill has been praised by its supporters as one of the most environmentally progressive pieces of legislation in over a decade. But looking back at...

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