FEATURED STORIES
Ruling puts U.S. Sugar-Everglades land buy in perilBy Curtis Morgan
Miami HeraldThe Miami federal judge overseeing Everglades cleanup issued a ruling Wednesday that could prove the final nail in the coffin of Gov. Charlie Crist's controversial Big Sugar land buy -- or serve as a judicial kick in the butt to finally seal the much-delayed, twice-downsized deal.
Florida for sale? Is the state going to start selling off its land?By Bruce Ritchie
Florida TribuneWith Florida facing a budget crisis, some legislators say it's time for the state to put some land up for sale that is no longer needed for conservation.
Water bill raises red flag for environmentalistsBy Kate Bradshaw
WMNF Community Radio TampaEnvironmentalists say a bill that the Florida House of Representatives is slated to take up next week may adversely impact Florida’s water resources.
Cities and counties told there could be no parks money again this yearBy Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.comRepresentatives of Florida cities and counties were warned Tuesday that there may not be state grant money again this year for their park and open space purchases.
Group wants voters to have a say in growthBy Dale White
Sarasota Herald-TribuneThe president of Florida Hometown Democracy, a group pushing a proposed state constitutional amendment that would empower voters to ratify or veto changes in their communities' growth management plans, rallied her local fan base Saturday.
Florida’s government proves itself incapable of managing growth without citizen oversightBy Mariella Smith
Creative LoafingEven after ruining our economy with a drunken spree of speculative over-building, Florida’s political leaders cannot stop digging us further into the hole, irresponsibly dishing out way too many development approvals to their developer-cronies.
No More Fish? Let Them Eat Cake By Alan Farago
CounterpunchA noteworthy report in The New York Times, "In Florida, the Seafood Becomes Less Local", makes the case obvious to anyone with half a brain: the vision of the oceans to be the world's future breadbasket is rapidly fading in the rear view mirror.
Snapper season reduced but catch increasedBy Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.comAnglers from Gulf states including Florida will be allowed to catch more red snapper this year but must do so during shortened season under a new federal proposal.
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary ghost orchid does it again, just earlyBy Kevin Lollar
Ft. Myers News-PressScanning the high branches of an ancient bald cypress with borrowed binoculars Monday in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Robert Firth acquired his target.
'An awful lot of development'Editorial
Tampa TribuneEvery legislative session, pro-growth lawmakers try to weaken growth rules. This year the pretext is to restore lost construction jobs, as if a worthy motive validates the false assumption that state and local governments have somehow stopped developers.
Sneak attack Editorial
Florida TodayThe development industry’s powerful hold on Florida lawmakers is legendary with last year the ultimate proof.
Watch sneaky lawmakersEditorial
Tampa TribuneThe Florida Legislature showed last week why it can't be trusted.
Endangered ghost orchid.
THE BIG OIL ROUNDUP
The Big Oil roundup: news and information about Big Oil’s push to rig Florida’s coastline for the week ending 4-2-10:
Map of areas to be opened for offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling under newly unveiled Obama administration proposal.
Obama moves to open Florida coast to drilling
By Alex Leary and Craig PittmanSt. Petersburg Times
Related: Newt Gingrich in St. Petersburg, supports drilling nowRelated editorial: Obama gives away too much in oil drilling offer
President Barack Obama moved decisively Wednesday to eliminate a hard-fought federal ban on oil drilling off Florida's west coast, drawing mixed political reaction and outrage from environmentalists.
Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time
By John M. BroderNew York Times
The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
Florida environmentalists blast Obama oil plan
By Lesley ClarkMiami Herald
Excerpt: Progress Florida, which has opposed past efforts to lift bans on offshore oil drilling, reacted quickly to the news. "Offshore drilling, especially drilling as close as 4 miles from Florida's Atlantic beaches, tastes bad no matter which president from whatever party is serving it," said Mark Ferrulo, director of Progress Florida. "The President's support doesn't change the facts, expanded drilling won't lower gas prices and it represents a dirty and dangerous activity that risks catastrophic damage to our beloved beaches."
Could oil-spill disaster happen in Florida? Aussie rig debacle offers lessons
By Kevin SpearOrlando Sentinel
As the nation's top regulator of offshore drilling, Elmer "Bud" Danenberger was nearing retirement last year when he began to get word of a major rig accident halfway around the world.
Obama's drilling plan stuns Fla. environmentalists, encourages GOP (includes reader poll)
By Michael C. Bender Palm Beach Post
Oil and gas rigs could drill 105 miles closer to Florida beaches under a plan President Obama said today would strengthen national security and boost the depressed economy.
Obama clears way for oil drilling off eastern Gulf coast (includes reader poll)
By Eric StaatsNaples News
The oil and gas industry should first tap the millions of acres opened in 2006, Progress Florida director Mark Ferrulo said Wednesday. "Every time we give them an inch they take a mile," he said. "Our buffer continues to keep shrinking. We think we just need to draw a line in the Gulf and not let them cross it." Ferrulo said the Obama plan is particularly problematic for the state's Atlantic coast, where drilling would be even closer from shore between Fernandina Beach and Melbourne.
Environmentalists blast Obama's offshore drilling plan as a threat to coastal communities
By Sue SturgisFacing South
President Obama wants to open vast expanses of ocean along the Atlantic coastline, eastern Gulf of Mexico and north coast of Alaska to offshore oil and gas drilling -- but concerns are being raised about how the plan would impact coastal ecosystems as well as local economies.
No-take fishing zone is 30 miles from proposed drilling buffer
By Kevin WadlowFlorida Keys Keynoter
A chart showing areas of possible oil exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico looks like a knife blade aimed at the Gulf Stream current -- cutting close to one of the nation's largest marine preserves. “This could come very close to the Dry Tortugas," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida. "In terms of distance to the Keys, this is nothing."
Nelson's stand dismays critics of oil drilling
By Jeremy WallaceSarasota Herald-Tribune
Excerpt: Ferrulo said he is hopeful Nelson will drive a harder bargain when the legislation makes it into the Senate for debate.
Florida's political opposition to offshore drilling erodes
By Alex LearySt. Petersburg Times
"If they were sitting around the White House knowing that Florida would rise up in an apoplectic uproar, chance is this proposal would have looked a lot different," Mark Ferrulo of Progress Florida, which tracks the oil debate, said Thursday.
Risk Is Clear in Drilling; Payoff Isn’t
By John M. Broder and Clifford KraussNew York Times
Related: Obama's Offshore Drilling Pitch Sways Few Fence-Sitters on Climate BillRelated: No Production From Obama's Offshore Drilling Proposal Until at Least 2014, MMS Says
In proposing a major expansion of offshore oil and gas development, President Obama set out to fashion a carefully balanced plan that would attract bipartisan support for climate and energy legislation while increasing production of domestic oil.
Offshore drilling: Did Rahm Emanuel sell out too soon?
By Joe ConasonSalon
With President Obama's announcement that he will reopen offshore drilling, in the absence of any reciprocal commitment from Republicans to support carbon caps and alternative energy development, there is now an unmistakable pattern of White House strategy.
The Risks, Benefits of Off-Shore Drilling for Florida (includes audio)
By Scott Finn WUSF Public Radio Tampa
In the wake of President Obama’s announcement to expand offshore oil and gas drilling, people in Florida are struggling to weigh its potential risks and benefits to the state.
Florida Democrats opinions mixed in on President Obama’s proposal to open eastern Gulf for oil and gas exploration
By Mitch Perry Creative Loafing
Environmental activists are angry, while Florida Democrats more mixed in discussing President Obama’s announcement today to allow for drilling along the eastern Gulf of Mexico as part of his plan to open up a total of 167 million along the Atlantic coastline and the north coast of Alaska
Sea grass protection tangled up in offshore oil drilling
By Dan DeWittSt. Petersburg Times
Last year, we wrote about the mapping of an under-appreciated natural treasure: a 380,000-acre sea grass bed — the second-largest in the nation — off the coast of Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.
Hands Across the Sand protests at Newt Gingrich’s Town Hall
By Heidi Lux Creative Loafing Tampa
Hands Across the Sand — a Florida anti-offshore drilling movement — staged a protest in front of Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions town hall meeting at the Vinoy in Downtown St. Petersburg.
Powerful restaurant and hotel group says don't take up drilling
By Bruce RitchieFloridaEnvironments.com
The Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association is opposing offshore oil and gas drilling and is asking the Legislature not to take up the issue before the session ends on April 30.
Fool's gold
By Patrick FerryNorthwest Florida Daily News
Now that oil lobbyists have showered sufficient money upon Florida’s legislators to render many of them analytically brain-dead, they are taking their case to “the people,” assuring Floridians that opening coastal waters to oil drilling will improve domestic security and lower gas prices.
Wrong way on energy
EditorialSarasota Herald-Tribune
President Barack Obama's proposal to expand offshore oil and gas drilling shows a disappointing lack of foresight and creativity toward meeting our nation's future energy needs.
Drilling plan: Good politics, bad policy
EditorialMiami Herald
President Obama's expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling in Florida may be good politics, but it's bad policy.
Black gold, Florida snake oil
Editorial Daytona Beach News-Journal
So, as Florida's drilling supporters drool over royalty millions, they will do well to remember that beach-related tourism accounts for roughly $50 billion a year, or 10 percent of the state's entire economy.
Shelve state drilling plan: Push might be off for this year, back on for next year
EditorialPalm Beach Post
Five weeks remain in the legislative session, and until the handkerchief drops on April 30, Tallahassee remains capable of mischief.
Oil spills kill.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Write Your State Senator: Big Oil's Promises Are "Empty"
Big Oil and their hired hands in Tallahassee have sworn that drilling Florida’s coast would be “invisible” – that there would be no unsightly rigs just a few miles off our coast. We know different – and a recent eye opening story in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune has proven Big Oil’s promises completely “empty.” Click the picture above – keeping the pressure on by letting our State Senators know people like you are paying attention is how we’ll beat Big Oil.
ACTIONS OPPOSING OBAMA’S DRILLING PLAN
President Obama, Drilling Is Not the Answer, via Friends of the Earth.
Tell President Obama You Oppose Offshore Oil Drilling, via Endangered Species Coalition.
Don’t Sacrifice the Oceans in the Name of Climate Change, via Oceana.
MORE ONLINE ACTIONS
Pass a Resolution To Protect Florida's Beaches Now, via Audubon of Florida.
Urge President Obama’s Ocean Policy Task Force to recommend against offshore drilling within any previously protected coastal waters, via Defenders of Wildlife.
Tell Obama: Offshore Drilling is NOT the Answer to Energy Crisis, via Oceana.
Help Drill for Solutions Not for Oil, via Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Let us decide! Petition to Governor Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, via Civic Concern.
Contact Your Officials About New Drilling Off Florida's Coasts, via Civic Concern.
Ask your state legislators to keep the rigs out, via Save the Manatee Club.
Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida.
Write your state legislators, via Audubon of Florida.
Urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose offshore oil drilling, via Progress Florida.
Tell Sen. Atwater Not To Allow Oil Drilling In Special Session, via Audubon of Florida.
Sign the petition against oil drilling, via Protect Florida’s Beaches.
Tell Salazar: No drilling off Florida's Coast, via Environment Florida.
Tell new Senator LeMieux to Repower America, via Environment Florida.
Related action: Don't go drill crazy in the Everglades, via Center for Biological Diversity.
Related action: Keep oil drilling out of climate change legislation, via Oceana.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE
Hands Across The Sand website; their Twitter page is here.
Protect Florida’s Beaches, recently launched coalition website.
Protect Florida’s Beaches on Facebook.
Think, Baby, Think blog via Protect Florida’s Beaches.
Don’t Drill Florida website.
Don’t Drill Florida Facebook page.
Save Our Shores Florida website; their Twitter page is here.
Floridians Against Big Oil social network.
Save Our Shores Florida Facebook page.
Florida Coastal and Ocean Coalition website.
Environment Florida offshore drilling page.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy offshore drilling page.
Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info.
Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation.
Eye-opening map of oil and gas leases and infrastructure in Gulf of Mexico, via MMS.
EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here.
MORE GREEN NEWS
Amendment 4 empowers citizens to vote on their community’s future
By Andrew DickmanNaples News
Florida’s 1985 Growth Management Act was a promise to all Floridians that they would have a fair say in decisions about the future of their communities.
Carl Hiaasen backs Hometown Democracy
By Abel HardingFlorida Times-Union
Carl Hiaasen, the legendary Miami Herald columnist, has endorsed the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment, more commonly known as Amendment 4.
Pasco County Commission Approves Huge Coastal Development
By Kate Bradshaw WMNF Community Radio
Today the Pasco County Commission voted unanimously to approve a large development in the county’s northwest corner.
Survey shows most Floridians support 'Hometown Democracy' amendment, oil drilling
By Jeff Burlew Tallahassee Democrat
Most Floridians support the “Hometown Democracy” constitutional amendment but not in high enough numbers to pass the controversial measure this fall, according to the fourth annual Sunshine State survey, released today.
New poll shows Hometown Democracy has majority support, but not enough to pass
By Mitch Perry Creative Loafing
One of the most interesting state wide races this year will Amendment Four, the Hometown Democracy Amendment.
Florida Association of Counties opposition to Amendment 4 is no surprise to Florida Hometown
Staff ReportThe Bradenton Times
It’s no surprise that the Florida Association of Counties voted yesterday to oppose Florida Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4, a citizen’s reform which will appear on the November ballot.
Did TBARTA break the law in voting to oppose Hometown Democracy?
By Mariella Smith Creative Loafing Tampa
It’s not surprising that TBARTA (Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority) passed a resolution opposing Amendment 4, also known as Florida Hometown Democracy.
Feds thinking of new protections for newts of North Florida, South Georgia
By Steve Patterson Florida Times-Union
The striped newt is adaptable enough to breathe through gills in small ponds, then shed its gills, breathe straight air and head for the forest when the ponds dry up.
Group Wants to Stop Swims With Crystal River Manatees
By Barbara BehrendtSt. Petersburg Times
Citing record manatee deaths this year, an environmental watchdog group wants to close the popular Kings Spring in Crystal River to swimmers and divers.
Boating restrictions may be tightened in Broward to protect manatees
By David FleshlerSouth Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hated by many boaters and defended by environmentalists, slow-speed zones on Broward County's waterways may soon see their first changes in 17 years.
Florida sugar growers sue to stop regulation under Clean Water Act
By Paul QuinlanPalm Beach Post
Two of the nation's largest sugar growers, Florida Crystals Corp. and U.S. Sugar Corp., are fighting a new push from the federal government to regulate them under the Clean Water Act.
Judge orders restart of Everglades reservoir project and questions governor's massive land-buy plan
By Paul Quinlan Palm Beach Post
The federal judge overseeing Everglades cleanup issued a ruling Wednesday that could be the death knell for Gov. Charlie Crist's controversial Everglades restoration land deal with U.S. Sugar Corp.
Water worries for area
By Nathan CrabbeGainesville Sun
Gainesville residents are being confronted with a choice: Ease off the tap or prepare to get your drinking water from the Atlantic Ocean or Ocklawaha River.
Florida Legislature must keep Department of Community Affairs in its current form
Editorial TC Palm
The state of Florida’s most important agency in the effort to properly manage growth is under scrutiny. Again.
Florida's lagging
EditorialTallahassee Democrat
The South as a region, and Florida in particular, are trailing behind most of the nation in setting basic standards and goals for renewable energy.
Threatened striped newt.
Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.
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