Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-29-09

FEATURED STORIES

Group wants wood stork's status upgraded to threatened
Staff Report
Ft. Myers News-Press
A California-based watchdog group wants the status of the wood stork to be upgraded from endangered to threatened so that Florida can benefit from more development.

Florida growth-management bill awaits governor's signature
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related Howard Troxler column: Governor Crist should veto bad growth bill
Progress Florida action alert: Tell Gov. Crist: Veto SB 360!
A growth-management bill awaiting Gov. Charlie Crist's signature is being hailed by developers as the coveted key to unlocking hundreds of delayed construction projects across the state.

28 Organizations Call for a Veto on SB 2080
Action Alert
Audubon of Florida
We wrote below on Audubon of Florida calling on Gov. Crist to veto SB 2080 and keep the public’s right to comment on and help influence water resource decisions.

Florida's renewable energy efforts have gone nowhere
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
For a year, while the green movement was at its height, Florida environmentalists, new solar companies, utility lobbyists and state regulators spent thousands of hours trying to determine how much of the state's power supply should come from renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

Conservationist running for state agriculture commissioner
By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau
Eric Draper, a conservationist and lobbyist for Audubon of Florida, joined the 2010 race for state agriculture commissioner Thursday, saying he wants to be Florida's ''top environmental steward'' in the Cabinet post.


Endangered wood storks nesting in Fred George Basin, Leon County, Florida

MORE GREEN NEWS

Lawsuit filed to reclassify Florida's loggerhead sea turtles as "endangered"
By Ludi Lelis
Orlando Sentinel
Three environmental groups filed a lawsuit today against the federal government, pressing the question of whether Florida’s loggerhead sea turtles should be reclassified as endangered.

Interior secretary promises to revitalize Everglades
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related: State wants bounty hunters to control pythons in Everglades
Saying the federal government had ''not kept its end of the bargain,'' the Obama administration on Thursday promised to pay its fair share of an Everglades restoration effort now estimated to reach $22.5 billion and to make long-stalled projects a top priority.

Feds Won't Intervene in Three-State Water Battle
Staff Report
Lakeland Ledger
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday the federal government won't try to broker a solution to a bitter three-state battle over water rights, but he urged Georgia, Alabama and Florida to seek a compromise outside of the courtroom.

Corps may release more water to Florida's Apalachicola River
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the agency probably will begin releasing more water in June from its dams upstream from Florida along the Chattahoochee River.

Why does Florida Fish and Wildlife refuse to protect eagles and tortoises?
By Chris Hrabovsky
Creative Loafing
Perhaps FFWCC has become another permit dispensing agency, the same way Army Corps of Engineers and Southwest Florida Water Management District have.

Fee increases for parks, fishing in new state budget
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Some anglers and state park visitors are among those who will pay more to enjoy the outdoors under the 2008-09 state budget signed into law today by Gov. Charlie Crist.

More Florida drivers choosing gas sippers over motorized behemoths
By Angel Streeter
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In car-obsessed South Florida, size matters. Big SUVs, big pickup trucks, minivans and four-door sedans dominate.

Bad times make state less green
By Mark Lane
Daytona Beach News-Journal
There are only two parts of the business cycle when the Florida environment is in danger -- good times and bad times.

Rains boost water supplies, watering restrictions remain
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
What a difference a week of steady rain has made for once-parched South Florida.

Crist's energy goals get a push
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
One of the first things Gov. Charlie Crist did when he moved into the governor's mansion was put solar panels on the roof.

Bill would gut growth management in Florida, hurt recovery
By Ray Judah
Ft. Myers News-Press
In response to Sen. Bennett’s recent commentary concerning Senate Bill 360 (“New bill reforms road mandates, discourages sprawl,” May 22) let us look at the record.

Veto growth bill
Editorial
Bradenton Herald
Just exactly what will state Sen. Mike Bennett’s Community Renewal Act accomplish if signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist? Several negative impacts trump the positive components.


Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-22-09

FEATURED STORIES

Bill to Ease Rules on Development Divides Floridians
By Damien Cave
New York Times
More than 300,000 residential units sit empty across Florida, 64,588 properties were in foreclosure last month, second only to Nevada, and real estate prices are still plummeting.

Governor's office mistaken, Crist won't sign bill to lift growth management limits
The Associated Press
Gainesville Sun
Related: Crist to sign Fla. growth bill Thursday
An announcement by Gov. Charlie Crist's office that he would sign a contentious bill to lift some growth management limits was a mistake.

Bring on the traffic jams
By Joel Engelhardt
Palm Beach Post
Here is a unique way to think about the bill that would gut the state's growth management laws: If mass transit ever is going to work in Florida, the state needs traffic congestion.



Florida's renewable energy efforts have gone nowhere
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
For a year, while the green movement was at its height, Florida environmentalists, new solar companies, utility lobbyists and state regulators spent thousands of hours trying to determine how much of the state's power supply should come from renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

How gulf coast's wetlands mitigate the force of a hurricane
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Seven years ago, a coalition of Louisiana groups launched a save-our-coast campaign called "America's Wetland" with sponsors that ranged from the NFL's New Orleans Saints to the company that makes Tabasco sauce.

Mulch's dirty little secret
By Craig Chandler
Tampa Tribune
Organic mulch is certainly helpful in the home landscape; it suppresses weeds and helps soil retain moisture. But our gain can be a loss for the overall environment.

As numbers grow, so will controversies
By Bo Petersen
Charleston Post and Courier
For two years, microphones in the icy North Atlantic off Greenland have picked up something nobody expected to hear — the deep mooing of the nearly extinct right whale.


Endangered right whale and calf

MORE GREEN NEWS

Florida's Louisiana Purchase
By Eric Buermann
St. Petersburg Times
Everglades restoration has been a priority at the South Florida Water Management District for more than a decade.

Planning chief says "speculative" development requests filed
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The head of Florida's land-planning agency said today the state is being kept busy with speculative development proposals because of concerns about a proposed ballot initiative to require voter approval of local land-use plan changes.

Budget leaves little for land-buying
By Dinah Voyles Pulver and Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
As a new budget reality settles in at the state Capitol, environmental advocates wonder what the future holds for land preservation in Florida.

Activist drops lawsuit over Brooker Creek Preserve
By Mike Brassfield
St. Petersburg Times
Mathew Poling, a 19-year-old who sued Pinellas County to try to stop it from building water treatment plants in the Brooker Creek Preserve, has dropped his lawsuit.

Obama vehicle announcement likely ends Fla. debate
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
President Obama's proposal today for a new fuel-economy standard probably ends the debate over whether Florida should adopt California's more stringent standard -- if the Florida Legislature hasn't already killed the issue here.

FEMA's Craig Fugate stresses hurricane preparedness
By Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Two weeks before the start of hurricane season, Florida's Craig Fugate made his debut as Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, stressing the importance of disaster preparedness at home.

Water Wars
By Mike Vasilinda
Capitol News Service
A legal battle over water that began in 1990 is closer to ending.

Offshore gas rig in Gulf: Will it silence skeptics of drilling?
Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
One huge symbol of the nation's struggle with global warming is a roaring cube of steel that floats in the Gulf of Mexico south of Florida's Panhandle.

As growth dwindles, can FPL persuade Florida to bet on alternative sources of power?
By Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post
The last time Florida Power & Light Co. built a power plant from scratch at a brand-new site, the country was reeling from an energy crisis.

Hay: FPL will go ahead with applications to build 2 nuke plants at Turkey Point
By Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post
Though nuclear power is not drawing strong support from the new administration in Washington, FPL Group Inc. still hopes to build nuclear plants in the coming years, the company's top executive said Friday.

Floridians need more say in development decisions
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
I haven't been a fan of Florida Hometown Democracy, but that's changing.

Crist signs bill giving energy-saving rebates
By Hilary Lehman
The Associated Press
Florida will begin offering rebates on energy-efficient appliances in an environmentally friendly attempt to boost sales under a bill signed into law Monday.

Florida roads rank 3rd in the nation, report says
The Associated Press
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
A new national study says Florida's roads are better than most states.

Everglades invaders targeted
By Lesley Clark and Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Water managers dispatched two experts to Washington, D.C., recently to back a controversial congressional bill targeting an Everglades problem that seems to get bigger every year.

Bill would give power over wetlands and water permits to one board
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
A bill that would make it easier to rip out thirsty sod and put in landscaping that needs less water and fertilizer might seem like something the state's environmental groups would cheer.

Lawmaker fears bill would have negative effect on growth planning
By Will Brown
Tallahassee Democrat
All the talk of reduced concurrency fees in the city of Tallahassee may change if Senate Bill 360 becomes law.

In Legislature, college 'green fees' fizzled
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida legislators raised fees on just about everything this year -- fishing, driving, divorcing, even dying -- but the one fee that seemed to have wide support never made it to a final vote.



Critically endangered Florida panther

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Like sitting in traffic?

Please see the important message below from our allies at Progress Florida regarding SB 360, the "Pave Paradise" bill, and take action! Thank you.


..

Like sitting in traffic?

Well, if Gov. Crist doesn't veto Senate Bill 360, you will surely get your chance! This bill would eliminate some of our most important "smart growth" laws. It's a gift from legislators, to Big Developers, only you get to pay the tab. (BREAKING: It was announced this morning that Gov. Crist would sign this bill, then minutes later that announcement was withdrawn – your voice now could make the difference!)

Click here and urge Gov. Crist to veto SB 360 today.

Forcing you to spend more time in traffic isn't all that's wrong with this bill. If it becomes law, SB 360 would count portable classrooms as permanent fixtures at our schools, leave local communities powerless to curb sprawl, and stick taxpayers with the bill for road improvements required by new developments.

Developers claim we have to take away local control over growth decisions because regulatory red tape is tying their hands. What a joke! There are hundreds of thousands of houses, strip malls, and acres of paved parking lots sitting empty in Florida right now. Do we really need to make it easier to build more unnecessary development?

The St. Petersburg Times called this bill, "A developer's dream to build more sprawling suburban housing developments without worrying about paying anything to handle the extra traffic." That about sums it up.

Tell Gov. Crist if he really cares about Florida's future he will veto SB 360 today.

For a better Florida,

Mark Ferrulo and the Progress Florida team


Progress Florida promotes progressive values through online organizing, media outreach, networking with Florida's leading progressive organizations, and empowering citizens (that's you) to push for progressive change throughout the Sunshine State. To learn more and take action visit www.ProgressFlorida.org.



”Progressive Solutions for Florida!”

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-15-09

FEATURED STORIES

Groups call for growth bill veto
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Related St. Petersburg Times editorial: Enough of this
Related Palm Beach Post editorial: Growth management bill a disaster
Action Alert from Audubon of Florida: Urge Governor Charlie Crist to Veto SB 360
Environmental groups are calling on Gov. Charlie Crist to veto SB 360, a growth management bill that critics say will weaken state oversight of new development projects.

Sorting Through the Wreckage in Tallahassee
Advocate Newsletter
Audubon of Florida
Today the Legislature finally concludes work on the 2009-10 state budget.

Florida's warm-up drill
Editorial
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Follow-up editorial: The impact of drilling
Proponents of a recent plan to allow oil drilling off Florida's coast came far too close -- in more ways than one.

Manatees in the Midst
By Nick Jans
Defenders Magazine
Are Florida's iconic and endangered marine mammals truly on the rebound?

Endangered Species Day Educates for Protection
Press Release
Environmental News Service
America celebrates Endangered Species Day today and all this weekend at parks, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, museums, libraries and schools.

Green Cities: The Best Investment to Grow Business, Save Money and Enhance Community!
May 19-21 Orlando Conference Info
Green Cities Florida
Florida stands on the cusp of a tremendous emergence in clean technology, water conservation, green building, innovative business growth and wise land use planning.


Endangered manatees

MORE GREEN NEWS

Alabama, Florida and Georgia face off over water
The Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
The states of Florida and Alabama are meeting Georgia in federal court in Jacksonville over the allocation of water from Lake Lanier, which is the city of Atlanta's water supply.

Worsening drought leads to second-guessing water decisions
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Like wildfires flaring up in the Everglades, worsening drought conditions Thursday sparked South Florida water fights over new restrictions as well as how to divvy up strained backup supplies.

Gov. Crist declares wildfire state of emergency
The Associated Press
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Gov. Charlie Crist has declared a state of emergency and has put the Florida National Guard on alert to help forestry officials deal with a wildfire threat across the state.

New emergency manager: Florida must prepare for hurricane season
By Charles Elmore
Palm Beach Post
Ruben Almaguer wants to stop calling the people who make it through hurricanes "victims."

Climate Change Could Affect Inland Fla.
By Tom Palmer
Lakeland Ledger
When you think of the danger of sea level rise caused by climate change in Florida, you usually don't think of its having any effect this far inland.

Clear UDB message: Don't move it
Editorial
Miami Herald
Even though his split-the-baby decision allowed one project outside the Urban Development Boundary to go forward, administrative law Judge Bram D.E. Canter basically sided with the majority of stakeholders in the ongoing battle to manage growth in Miami-Dade County.

Environmentalists find bright spots in gloomy session
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
In a legislative session marked by major environmental losses, environmentalists say there were a few bright spots among the bills that passed.

Cabinet approves $1.3M purchase for Fla. Forever
By Paul Flemming
Tallahassee Democrat
Florida's Cabinet on Wednesday approved the $1.3 million purchase of 575 acres in the Blackwater River State Forest as part of an ongoing Florida Forever project.

Yacht owner fined $150,000 for smuggled exotic animal pelts
By Jose Pagliery
Miami Herald
Inside the $26 million yacht: a striped pelt of zebra lined a child's bed, heavy cigar boxes were wrapped in elephant hide and large carved ivory tusks lined the entrance to main quarters.

Jacksonville man charged in bear killing
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
A Jacksonville man has been charged with killing a Florida black bear in the Osceola National Forest.

U.S. Sugar OK's land sale for Everglades restoration
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
The board of U.S. Sugar Corp. voted Friday in favor of Gov. Charlie Crist's latest proposal to buy much of its farmland for use in Everglades restoration.

Water managers approve historic $536 million land buy for Everglades restoration
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
South Florida water managers today approved Gov. Charlie Crist's twice-downsized but still monumental deal to buy farmland from the U.S. Sugar Corp. for future use in Everglades restoration.


The River of Grass

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-8-09

FEATURED STORIES

Groups bemoan loss of Florida Forever money
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Related: Money for Everglades, petro tanks but not Fla. Forever
Florida Forever Coalition statement: No New Funding for Florida Forever in 2009-2010
Environmental groups this afternoon issued statements expressing regret that the state's land-buying program next year will receive no state money or bonding authority.


Editorial cartoon by Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

Crist urged to veto new growth management law
Bu Mitch E. Perry
WMNF Community Radio
Today Hillsborough County Commissioners voted to send a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist, asking that he veto a new Growth Management Bill that critics say would no longer require developers to add road capacity in nearly half the state's municipalities, as well as several entire counties.


Editorial cartoon by Jim Morin, Miami Herald

Obama's budget shows support for Everglades and beach restorations
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Dealing with other buyers could help state get all of U.S. Sugar's land
The Everglades came out a big winner for the third time this year when President Barack Obama submitted his proposed budget to Congress on Thursday.

U.S. Curbs Use of Species Act in Protecting Polar Bear
By Andrew C. Revkin
New York Times
The Obama administration said Friday that it would retain a wildlife rule issued in the last days of the Bush administration that says the government cannot invoke the Endangered Species Act to restrict emissions of greenhouse gases threatening the polar bear and its habitat.


The government says the Endangered Species Act cannot be invoked to fight emissions blamed for loss of polar bear habitat.

MORE GREEN NEWS

Everglades land deal faces six-month delay
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
The economy's recent nosedive could push Gov. Charlie Crist's monumental land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. back at least six months.

Clean Energy Bill Backed by Crist Dies
By Brendan Farrington
The Associated Pres
One of Gov. Charlie Crist's top priorities died Friday as lawmakers failed to take up a clean energy bill before going home.

Lobbyists gush over progress on drilling
By Joe Follick
Ocala Star-Banner
Once political taboo in Florida, prospects for offshore oil drilling have roared back with a secretive group forcing the issue into the center of political and public debate for months to come.

Progress Energy seeks rate hike despite nuclear plant delay
By Asjylyn Loder
St. Petersburg Times
Progress Energy announced Friday a 20-month delay in building its $17 billion nuclear plant, but its customers will continue to pay for it.

Sen. Alexander defends septic tanks budget language
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Sen. JD Alexander is defending proposed budget language that would prevent the Florida Department of Health from implementing "any nitrogen reduction strategies" for a year until a septic tanks study is completed.

Environmentalists sue again over Fla. water rules
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
Environmentalists again have sued the federal government for allegedly letting Florida flout federal clean water requirements.

Pinellas County allocates Brooker Creek Preserve land for water treatment plants, pipelines
By David DeCamp
St. Petersburg Times
Over the objections of some environmentalists and residents, Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday designated part of Brooker Creek Preserve for water treatment plants, storage tanks and pipelines.

House to probe drywall fallout
By Gary Taylor
Bradenton Herald
The U.S. House on Thursday voted to study the effects of tainted drywall on housing, and an area construction consultant nodded to the action as a needed first step.

Audubon Calls on Law Enforcers to Pursue Penalties in Rookery Bay Bird Shooting Case
Blog entry
Audubon of Florida
Audubon called on state and federal law enforcement agencies and the Navy to continue to pursue charges and disciplinary action against one woman and six men suspected of participating in an incident in February in which 21 protected wading birds were shot out of the sky as they flew to roost for the night in a secluded rookery.


Florida black bear

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 5-1-09

FEATURED STORIES

Future of Florida Forever depends on sugar's support
By Jim Ash
Pensacola News Journal
The fate of Florida Forever now rests in a few powerful hands.


Click the picture above to visit the Florida Forever Coalition.

Environmental bills die as House, Senate adjourn
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
No renewable energy bill. No money for Florida Forever land-buying or Everglades restoration. No California auto emissions bill. No springs bill.

Clean energy bill backed by Fla. Gov. Crist dies
By Brendan Farrington
The Associated Press
One of Gov. Charlie Crist's top priorities died as lawmakers failed to take up a clean energy bill before going home Friday with plans only to return to vote on a budget next week.

Progress Energy seeks rate hike despite nuclear plant delay
By Asjylyn Loder
St. Petersburg Times
Click here to visit NoNuke.org.
Progress Energy announced Friday a 20-month delay in building its $17 billion nuclear plant, but its customers will continue to pay for it.

Record of 39 calves born to right whales
By Jim Waymer
Florida Today
North Atlantic right whales had a banner year for breeding and several lucky escapes from perilous entanglements.

Gov't revokes rule limiting species protections
By H. Josef Hebert
The Associated Press
The Obama administration's move means scientists, not bureaucrats, once again must determine threats to endangered species.


Endangered species, such as the rare Florida panther, are expected to receive more protection following the reversal of a Bush-era regulation.

MORE GREEN NEWS

$96 million more approved for Everglades restoration
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Everglades restoration got $96 million of economic-recovery money on Tuesday, mostly to pay for construction of a storage reservoir in Palm Beach County and improved water flow through Picayune Strand in Collier County.

River of cash: Stimulus aid for Glades
By Curtis Morgan and Lesley Clark
Miami Herald
Consider the sluggish effort to save the Glades officially stimulated.

High costs delaying nuclear power
By Mark Williams
The Associated Press
A ghost from the nuclear industry's early years has reappeared.

Florida House votes to weaken growth regulations
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related Howard Troxler column: Is Florida without growth management what you want?
After Republican lawmakers openly chastised the governor's growth management chief Wednesday, the House passed a bill that weakens the state's growth regulations in return for encouraging tighter development in urban areas.

Offshore drilling passes first hurdle in House
By Jim Ash
Florida Today
Related editorial: Big Oil's ambush
A bitterly divided House gave preliminary approval today to a controversial plan by Republican leaders to allow oil and gas drilling as close as three miles from Florida's beaches.

Powerful gulf oil drilling lobby faces strong resistance in Florida
By Lucy Morgan and Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Dangling the promise of millions for the state's dwindling budget, a group of mostly unidentified oil and gas companies is bankrolling a last-minute fight to bring offshore drilling to Florida's coastline.

Community Affairs chief opposes Fla. growth bills
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
Florida's top planning official has declared his opposition to a pair of growth management bills awaiting floor votes in the Legislature.

Zoning action arouses anger
By Laura Figueroa
Miami Herald
Local activists are upset by the Sunrise City Commission's creation of a new zoning designation to smooth the way for developing a tract bordering the Everglades.

End of leaking tanks cleanup could threaten water
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Florida's cleanup program for protecting groundwater from leaking underground tanks at gas stations will effectively end under a budget agreement between House and Senate leaders, Sen. Carey Baker said today.

FPL canals criticized as health risk
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Environmentalists and national park managers plan to fight FPL's push for rock mining approval at a county hearing, saying Turkey Point plans will put supplies of fresh water at risk.

Threatened Sea Turtles Receive Long Overdue Protections
Staff Report
Foster Folly News
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an emergency closure of the bottom longline sector of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery today in an effort to protect sea turtles from injury and death.

Local black bears are on the move
By Joe Seelig
Highlands Today
According to Pat Behnke, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman, young Florida black bears are on the move leaving their mother's home range and venturing out on their own.

Falcon to be removed from endangered list
By Mark DeCotis
Florida Today
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is finalizing a management plan for the peregrine falcon that would allow the bird of prey to be removed from the state's endangered species list.

Ecologists band together for the birds
By Yvette C. Hammett
Tampa Tribune
Determined ecologists intent on saving America's migratory songbirds from landing on the endangered species list are studying how they use part of Tampa Bay's restored shoreline as a temporary stopover on their long migratory journey each year.

'Just build, baby' should be Legislature's new slogan
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
Florida sure has done a bang up job of managing growth.

Unrestricted growth no solution to state's stagnant economy
Editorial
Miami Herald
The Florida Legislature is at it again, tinkering with the state's growth-management laws at the behest of builders.

Head off Florida land rush
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The growth-at-any-cost Florida House wants to return to the bad old days when a developer could plop down a new town just about anywhere in the state.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"