Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 11-13-09

FEATURED STORIES

Plan re-emerges to shift water resources across Florida
By Craig Pittman
St. Petersburg Times
Take action now: Sign on to the letter to the legislature via Progress Florida
Six years ago, Florida's business leaders came up with a plan to create a state water commission that could route water from sleepy North Florida to supply the booming development in South Florida.

Florida Waterways Under Scrutiny by EPA (includes audio)
By Concetta DeLuco
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
Related St. Petersburg Times column: Hold polluters accountable for what they do to Florida waters
In efforts to protect Florida’s surface waterways, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection have joined forces and are making efforts to adopt stricter state regulations.

Utilities fight water rules
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post via Miami Herald
Related editorial: Water conservation a must in Florida
A deal to put most of South Florida under permanent, three-day-a-week water restrictions -- among the loosest in the state -- has begun to unravel at the 11th hour amid utilities' demands that they not be forced to reduce water use.

Property rights and sea level rise
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Florida is a unique lens through which to view the dilemma of delay and inadequate response by government to the challenges of global warming.

Wet season not quite rainy enough in Southwest Florida
By Kevin Lollar
Ft. Myers News-Press
Southwest Florida had another dry wet season this year, which is good for some things and not so good for others.

Brown pelicans no longer listed species
By Tom Palmer
Lakeland Ledger
Brown pelicans, whose population declined because of DDT contamination decades ago, have been removed from the endangered species list because of their dramatic recovery.

Florida bristle fern, bonneted bat may be shielded
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
A bat and a fern found only in Florida may be added to the federal list of endangered and threatened species.

Everglades group closes office
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
A landmark environmental group founded by Everglades icon Marjory Stoneman Douglas is closing its Miami office, citing declining membership and donations.

Keep industry out of old jetport site
By Jack E. Davis
Miami Herald
It's like an old wound that some hack doctor keeps digging at.


Endangered wood stork in Fred George Basin, Leon County.

THE BIG OIL ROUNDUP

A drill, a spill, a tragedy
By Waldo Proffitt
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Earlier this week the Herald-Tribune published a letter from reader Rob West of Osprey who wrote, "If state-of-the-art leaking oil rigs burning off the coast of Australia do not become screaming headlines all over Florida, I just plain give up."

Atwater in no hurry on drilling
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Senate President Jeff Atwater hinted Monday that he might not consider opening up Florida waters to offshore drilling in the next legislative session, his last before term limits force him to step down.

Offshore drilling claims by oil and gas industry: lies and half-truths?
By Judson Parker
Tallahassee Environmental News Examiner
Related: Offshore drilling debate heats up in Florida
Related: Is China behind the offshore drilling push in Florida?
The debate about whether or not the Florida state legislature should lift the nearly three decade old offshore oil exploration and drilling moratorium has been heating up lately, and has been fueled by a series of symposiums organized by both the media and the industry over the past few weeks.

Senator Nelson says drilling bad for Florida economy
By Kerry Kavanaugh
ABC Action News Tampa Bay
Senator Bill Nelson says drilling off the coast of Tampa Bay will hurt the state's tourism industry.

Bringing jobs to Florida?

Bill Nelson advises Tampa Chamber of Commerce to fight offshore drilling
By Mitch Perry
Creative Loafing Tampa
Florida U.S. Senator Bill Nelson said today that the Tampa Bay area has taken a big leap in attempting to get high-speed rail to the region, and he placed great hopes on the Florida Legislature conducting a special session on rail issues next month to show Washington that it means business about a a $2.5 billion federal stimulus request for high speed rail.

Nelson says Gulf drilling could curb military training
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico could harm Florida's economy by interfering with military training and testing in the Gulf and cutting activity at Florida bases, Sen. Bill Nelson told the Tampa Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

Some locals lining up against drilling
By John Kennedy
News Service of Florida
Panhandle communities and Gulf Coast chambers of commerce are among the unlikely allies environmentalists and Democratic opponents of offshore oil exploration are gaining as they push to block House efforts to lift the state's 20-year-old drilling ban.

Buchanan remains a no on drilling
By Jeremy Wallace
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Do not count Rep. Vern Buchanan among the politicians in Florida easing their opposition to oil drilling off the coast.

Senate to go slow on drilling
By Brent Batten
Naples News
The effort to bring oil exploration as close as three miles to Florida’s beaches has encountered a speed bump.

Senate president calls for study of "complicated" drilling issue
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Senate President Jeff Atwater today announced that Senate committee staff would conduct a detailed and comprehensive review of the implications of offshore drilling with no timeline for completion.

Review of Florida oil drilling is the right thing to do
By David Plazas
Ft. Myers News-Press
Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater showed great foresight by calling for a review of several considerations before opening Gulf waters to oil drilling, thus, tempering the rush to extract fossil fuels in state waters.

Not so fast on drilling, Atwater says
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
State Senate President Jeff Atwater is slowing down the oil rush in Tallahassee by insisting on gathering facts before putting the state's beaches and economic health at risk.


Editorial cartoon by Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Click the picture above to urge Senate President Jeff Atwater to oppose state legislative efforts that would allow offshore oil drilling off Florida’s coast.

LATEST ONLINE ACTIONS
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.
Related action: Don't go drill crazy in the Everglades, via Democracy in Action.
Related action: Keep oil drilling out of climate change legislation, via Oceana.

MORE ONLINE ACTIONS
Write a letter to the editor, via Audubon of Florida.
Write your state legislators, via Audubon of 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.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OF NOTE
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.
Hands Across The Sand website.
Environment Florida offshore drilling page.
Skytruth blog, an excellent source of info.
Not the Answer blog, courtesy Surfrider Foundation.
EnergyFLA.com, online hub of drilling proponents; their Twitter page is here.

MORE GREEN NEWS

PSC wants more time to work on conservation goals
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Signaling another shift in direction at the Public Service Commission, state utility regulators ordered their staff Tuesday to come up with "more robust" energy conservation goals that reward customers for using less energy.

Bringing the Developing World to America
By Glen Gardner
Public News Service Florida
They've traveled thousands of miles to carry the message to the Southeast and Midwest this week that what we do - and don't do - in places like Florida to reduce carbon pollution linked to climate change has consequences for people on the other side of the world.

Two Florida DEP heads join opposition to EPA standards
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Opponents of federal water quality standards for nutrients in Florida waterways raised their level of opposition today, unveiling a Web site and two former state environmental chiefs who are on their side.

Florida (gone?) Forever
Editorial
Miami Herald
Look out, Florida lawmakers, four former governors are conducting a full-court press to convince you to resume funding the state's farsighted land-conservation program, Florida Forever.


The Brown Pelican has soared off the endangered list.

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 6-5-09

FEATURED STORIES

Crist signs growth bill, sells Florida down the river
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
In the defining moment of his career Monday, Gov. Charlie Crist sold the state of Florida right down the river.

Bailing Out the Land Speculators
By Alan Farago
Counterpunch
As Democrats approach a filibuster proof US Senate, every race will be a heated battle. In 2010 one of the key contests will be in Florida where a governor perceived to be moderate, Charlie Crist, is locked in a primary against the former House Speaker in the Florida legislature, Marco Rubio.

Group looks to bring drilling vote to ballot
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida via FloridaEnvironments.com
With efforts stalled over whether to allow drilling off Florida's Gulf Coast, the fight may go directly to Florida voters.

FWC sets June 17-18 meeting in Crystal River
Press Release
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Take action: Email turtles@myfwc.com and urge support for the freshwater turtle ban.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will meet at the Plantation Inn in Crystal River June 17-18. FWC meetings are open to public participation.

What next for Florida's springs after bill dies?
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Former state biologist Jim Stevenson said he recently asked a teenager who had grown up in Tallahassee if he'd ever been to Wakulla Springs.


Editorial cartoon by Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

MORE GREEN NEWS

River pipe postponed until dioxin level drops
By Peter Guinta
St. Augustine Record
Georgia-Pacific's paper plant in Palatka will not be allowed to build its proposed new 40-million-gallons-per-day pipeline into the middle of the St. Johns River until the company lowers its discharge of dioxin, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Monday.

New jobs or healthy river: Which is more important?
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
I'm fearful that we will soon face a classic confrontation - the health of the St. Johns River vs. jobs.

Crist Environmental Enforcement Initiative Fizzles
Press Release
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
The Crist administration's touted 2007 pledge to toughen anti-pollution enforcement in Florida has been a failure, according to an analysis of state enforcement statistics released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Judges: South Florida water managers did not violate Clean Water Act
The Associated Press
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Related: Earthjustice criticizes Okeechobee reversal
A federal appeals court has reversed a Miami judge's ruling that Florida water managers violated the Clean Water Act by pumping contaminated water from farmland into Lake Okeechobee.

Zoning Commission gives nod to expanding rock mining in Everglades
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Rock mining would claim more former Everglades land under a development plan endorsed by the Palm Beach County Zoning Commission on Thursday.

Progress Energy warms up to solar energy
By Robert Trigaux
St. Petersburg Times
Hard to believe, but the electric company that once routinely panned solar power as too expensive and inefficient is about to introduce a whole bunch of new solar initiatives for its customers and eventually market it all here under a brand name called SunSense.

What we think: Kill destructive water bill
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
It's a tough slog getting water managers today to meet or even think about meeting their responsibility to safeguard Florida's water supply.

MORE SB 360 NEWS

Taxpayers will feel the cost of sprawl
By Charles Pattison
Tallahassee Democrat
This year's growth management bill, SB 360, was opposed by most of the leading newspapers and conservation, planning and advocacy organizations, including 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida League of Cities and the Florida Association of Counties. The governor signed the bill Monday afternoon, despite many requests to veto it.

Crist's environmental record hurt by growth legislation, critics say
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Reader poll: Is the governor still green?
Gov. Charlie Crist's long-standing reputation as an environmentalist could take a hit because of his signing this week of a controversial bill on growth management.

Gov. Crist changes his colors
By Mark Lane
Daytona Beach News-Jouranl
Gov. Charlie Crist has worked hard to get out from under his party's image as reflexively anti-environment. Until this week, it kind of worked.

Great news for developers, not so good to everyone else
By Ron Littlepage
Florida Times-Union
Legend has it that Juan Ponce de Leon came to Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth.

Home building and construction is to Florida as opium production is to Afghanistan
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
Opium production is 60 percent of the economy of Afghanistan.

Crist's environmental image takes a hit
By Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
Gov. Charlie Crist waited until 5:05 p.m. tonight to quietly send out a press release saying he had signed a "growth management'' bill that environmentalists say will result in worsening sprawl.

Crist refuels the bulldozers
By Kenric Ward
TC Palm
Gov. Charlie Crist cleared the way for developers by signing Senate Bill 360. Watch out, Treasure Coast.

Governor Gridlock
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist just made it easier to pave over what's left of Florida.

Reckless rollback
Editorial
Florida Today
Brevard County residents, you've just been had. And you can thank Gov. Charlie Crist and Republicans in the state Legislature for guaranteeing that you'll get stuck with the bill for more urban sprawl and traffic gridlock when growth returns to Florida.

Gov. Charlie Crist made a bad call on growth limits
Editorial
Miami Herald
A new growth-management law signed by Gov. Charlie Crist this week broadly redefines ''dense urban land areas'' as land with less than one home per acre.

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 5-1-09

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.

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Urgent action needed to save Florida Forever funding

UPDATE 4/29/09: Here is the latest, urgent update from the Florida Forever Coalition including suggested action/talking points: http://bit.ly/12y9Eb

Please read the important update below from from our friends at the Florida Forever Coalition and take action.

As we enter the final scheduled week of Florida's legislative session, funding for Florida Forever (FF) funding is still in jeopardy.

The Status: The Senate bill that deals with closing the documentary stamp tax loophole is still on track to pass in the Senate. SB 2430 would provide approximately $46M in additional doc stamp revenue for next fiscal year. A portion of this would be used to provide up to $50M in FF bonds and $50M for Everglades bonds for next fiscal year. The bill makes sure FF bonds are safe (assurance) for investors, and allow the state to issue bonds for $250M for FF for this year.

In an advance-planned, last minute maneuver, the House introduced HB 1219 that would allow oil and gas drilling within three miles of Florida's coast. In an effort to give it an environmental spin, the sponsors are proposing to fund FL Forever through oil and gas lease revenues. The Florida Forever Coalition believes oil and gas drilling lease revenues are not an appropriate, reliable solution to Florida Forever funding, and that the leases could not generate sufficient, predictable revenue to support Florida Forever bonds next year or for several years after that.

Recommended Actions:
Senate - need Senate to approve tax loophole bill (SB 2430) that will fund FF next year, let this year's bonds be sold and ensure environmental bond repayments - contact editorial boards, Senators, etc.
House - regarding the drilling bill (HB 1219) - contact House members/leadership and state that FF funding for NEXT YEAR is critical - drilling revenue will not be sufficient or available next year
Governor - contact Gov. Crist to encourage him to come out against drilling and in favor of FF funding for next year.
Overall message - FL Forever funding is not secured yet - support the Senate's approach in funding FF for next year.

Thanks to Sens. Atwater, Alexander, Baker, Lawson, Gelber for their roles in support of Florida Forever. Continue to forward resolutions, news stories, and elected officials' comments regarding Florida Forever to info@supportfloridaforever.org.

A strong, coordinated final hour effort is essential to obtain funding for Florida Forever.

Thank you,

The Florida Forever Coalition Steering Committee

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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Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 4-24-09

FEATURED STORIES

Legislators back lifting ban on oil drilling off Florida coast
By Mary Ellen Klas
St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Related editorial: Shameful oil drilling ploy
In a full-barreled appeal to the House Policy Council, the oil and gas industry persuaded lawmakers to vote, 17-6, along party lines Tuesday for a bill that opens state waters to exploration and taps into new revenues for the state's ailing budget.

On Earth Day, Crist says he's open-minded to drilling
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Celebrating Earth Day outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Crist said he is open minded to HB 1219, which would allow oil drilling off the Florida coast.

Florida House moves to assist developers
By Jim Ash
Ft. Myers News-Press
In the name of economic development, and over the heated objections of environmental groups, the House on Thursday gave preliminary approval to an overhaul of growth-management laws designed to help recession-weary developers.

Developers still salivating over Florida land
The Associated Press
Miami Herald
Despite a rapidly deteriorating housing market and plunging real estate values, Florida is experiencing an unprecedented number of requests to build new homes and develop commercial property.

Develop, bulldoze, fill, pave; repeat
By Diane Roberts
St. Petersburg Times
Related editorial: Growth 'solution' still a problem
It's not Wall Street greed or the housing bubble. It's not our regressive tax structure, the big breaks we gave to the rich in the 1990s, or the way we bet our futures on other people's Magic Kingdom fantasies.

Renewable energy projects in jeopardy
By Russell Ray
Tampa Tribune
Several renewable energy projects in Florida may be scuttled or delayed if lawmakers fail to pass legislation requiring utilities to get 20 percent of their power from renewable or clean energy sources by 2020.


Progress?

MORE GREEN NEWS

USGS: What happened to the Everglades?
By Russell McLendon
Morther Nature Network
The Everglades first emerged in South Florida about 5,000 years ago, after the last ice age ended.

Surprise departure from water board could shift voting margin for Crist's U.S. Sugar deal
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Charlie Crist's proposed half-billion-dollar land purchase from U.S. Sugar Corp. will not be affected by a recent resignation from the regional water board that must sign off on the deal.

Gainesville at the forefront of the future of energy
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
The future of energy as dreamed about by ardent environmentalists would bring a mini-electric plant to every garage or every rooftop.

NRC hearing focuses on environmental concerns
By Lou Elliott Jones
Chiefland Citizen
A coalition of environmental groups has filed a petition with the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking what no one in Levy County has thus far voiced about the proposed two-unit nuclear plant near Inglis.

Benefits of a 'smart' power grid in South Florida debated
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
When Kevin Linn of Coral Springs received a special power meter last October, he was able to check his usage day by day and hour by hour via the Internet. He found spikes in midday when no one was home -- the water heater was churning away.

Slow pace on energy bill could slow Babcock solar array
By Michael Peltier
Naples News
Babcock Ranch developer Syd Kitson said Tuesday that reluctance on the part of state lawmakers may dim the chances that Babcock Ranch's solar array will see the light of day this year.

Environmental, farming groups concerned about tax breaks
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
A House committee on Wednesday passed a bill that would exempt conservation lands from being taxed as approved by voters last November.

Proposal may avoid shut down for longline grouper fishermen
By Stephen Nohlgren
St. Petersburg Times
Commercial longline grouper fishermen, facing a devastating shutdown because of loggerhead turtle deaths, gained a possible reprieve Friday — but only in the long run.

Sea turtles need help now
By Carl Safina
Tallahassee Democrat
Sea turtles will soon start crawling ashore to nest on Florida's shores in a ritual that's millions of years old. But unless we make changes, fewer turtles will reach the beaches.

Florida Legislators Are Not Making the Environment a Priority, According to Audubon of Florida
Press Release
Reuters
According to the Audubon of Florida, state legislators are not acting in the spirit of Earth Day or in the interests of Florida residents as two environmental issues make their way through the legislature.

Nature Conservancy Applauds Legislators for Advancing Creative Solution for Funding Florida Forever
Press Release
Nature Conservancy
Closing corporate tax loophole would generate documentary stamp tax revenue to fund state’s conservation program.

Want to pay $35 million to help T. Rowe Price destroy our wetlands in the middle of a drought?
By Chris Hrabovsky
Creative Loafing
Want to pay $35 million to help T. Rowe Price destroy our wetlands in the middle of a drought?

Riverkeeper pledges continued river protection
By Jimmy Orth
St. Augustine Record
On Monday, April 13, our St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) demonstrated how far it has drifted from its mission when it approved a permit application from Seminole County to begin withdrawing water from the St. Johns River for irrigation purposes.

The Quicksand Economy
By Alan Farago
Counterpunch
When Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner spoke to the Economic Club in Washington yesterday and said the United States bears a substantial share of responsibility for a global economic crisis and its multi-trillion dollar costs, he might have pointedly singled out the epicenter of the housing market crash-- the state of Florida-- where the absence of regulations governing financial derivatives matched laws designed to fail: in particular, regulations protecting the public from the excesses of suburban sprawl.

Gone: Mass Extinction and the Hazards of Earth's Vanishing Biodiversity
By Julia Whitty
Mother Jones
By the end of the century, half of all species on Earth may be extinct due to global warming and other causes. Who will survive the world's dwindling biodiversity, and why?

'Most Wanted' list seeks environmental criminals
Staff Report
Miami Herald
It's not just the FBI that has a Most Wanted list; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has one, too.

Drilling off Florida coast still a bad idea
Editorial
Miami Herald
A bill passed by the House Policy Council on Tuesday was the first crack in the heretofore impenetrable wall against oil and gas drilling off Florida's coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Supporters, however, used a stacked deck to get the job done.

New drilling bill is a preposterous giveaway
Editorial
South Florida Sun Sentinel
Rep. Dean Cannon's plan to open Florida's coast to oil and gas drilling deserves all the ridicule it's getting, given its sheer preposterousness.


Florida wetlands

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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Help save Florida Forever

Note: Wildwood Preservation Society assisted Leon County in the acquisition of a $2.35 million dollar matching grant to conserve sensitive land including endangered wood stork foraging habitat in Fred George Basin. The grant was obtained via Florida Forever, the state's successful land conservation program. See the message below from Progress Florida and take action to save Florida Forever from shortsighted, unnecessary budget cuts. When taking action you will be asked for your zip code so the message will be sent to the appropriate lawmakers – you must be a Florida resident to participate. More background and info is at the Florida Forever Coalition website. Thank you!



Our sandy white beaches, magnificent springs, wetlands teeming with wildlife, these are the natural treasures that define our state. Unfortunately, Florida's flagship land conservation program that protects these gems, Florida Forever, is in serious trouble. If the legislature's budget is approved as currently written, our hallmark land conservation program will receive NO FUNDING.


We can't allow that to happen. Click here to contact your legislators in support of the Florida Forever program. Then, please forward this message to your friends and family.
Sprawling development has carved wildlife habitat into smaller and smaller pieces, divided by highways or paved over altogether for shopping malls and office parks -- threatening state symbols such as the Florida panther and the Florida black bear. The Florida Forever program has been a success story in the fight to protect Florida's remaining open spaces, protecting more than two million acres throughout the state.


A new poll released by The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Land shows that 81% of Florida voters hold a favorable impression of land protection and 67% support continued funding of Florida Forever. Yet despite such overwhelming public support, the legislature is very close to suspending this critical program, and that's why we need your help right now.


Please take a moment and urge your representatives to continue funding Florida Forever. Then, please forward this message to your friends and family.




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 4-3-09

Wildwood Preservation Society in the news

Fred George Basin Clean-Up
Reported by Kelsey Johnson
WCTV CBS News Tallahassee

Folks from around the capital city gathered to get a little dirty in order to pick up after litterbugs.

The Wildwood Preservation Society and Family Tree teamed up to grab a garbage bag in order to pick up trash that has collected around the Fred George basin.

About fifteen people showed up to lend a helping hand to their community.

"That's my favorite thing is the fact that you can have so much community come together and understand how everything is connected." says Founder of the Wildwood Preservation Society, Misty Penton.

Organizers say cleaning the basin of debris helps to prevent contamination in our drinking water, flooding, and helps protects endangered wildlife that live nearby.


WPS founder Misty Penton with WCTV reporter Kelsey Johnson

FEATURED STORIES

Department of Community Affairs: What happens to Florida if this growth management gatekeeper goes away?
By Craig Pittman
St. Pete Times
Take action: Sign on to Progress Florida’s letter to the legislature
Think of it as the Gatekeeper. When a developer wants to fill in an Everglades marsh, or a condo builder wants to toss up a couple thousand units on a flood-prone beach, local officials may say yes — but the Florida Department of Community Affairs steps in to say, "Whoa."

Neither Chamber Likely to Fund Florida Forever
By Bruce Ritchie
The News Service of Florida via Wakulla.com
Take action: Support Florida Forever
Gov. Charlie Crist and environmentalists said Wednesday they're not giving up on the state's land-buying program despite there being zero money for it so far in the House and Senate versions of the proposed 2009-10 state budget.

Smarten up naval sonar to save the whales
By Jean-Michel Cousteau and Joel R. Reynolds
Christian Science Monitor
The Bush administration may be gone, but whales and other marine life along our coasts will be hearing from it for years to come – literally.

New sugar deal: Crist announces 72,500 acres for $533 million
By Michael C. Bender, Paul Quinlan and Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Charlie Crist still proposes buying a huge swath of U.S. Sugar Corp.'s farmland to save the Everglades.

Nuclear, coal are "clean" energy in Senate bill
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
A proposal to require Florida utilities by 2020 to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from "clean energy" sources including nuclear and coal was approved by a Senate committee today.

Ample evidence Florida's feeling effects of climate change
By Georgia Tasker
Palm Beach Post via Miami Herald
Maybe the fish are on to something. Don Hammond, who catches, tags and releases dolphin-fish (also known as mahi-mahi), says those Florida natives are being hooked in some unusual places.

Florida should end Ponzi scheme based on growth, economist says
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
"It is now obvious that the reason we're experiencing a simultaneous meltdown in the financial system and the climate system is because we have been mispricing risk in both arenas-- producing a huge excess of both toxic assets and toxic air that now threatens the stability of the whole planet."


Editorial Cartoon by Jim Morin, Miami Herald

MORE GREEN NEWS

Advocates concerned for bay amidst budget cuts
By Laura Morales
Miami Herald
At least $10 million for water managers to buy endangered Biscayne Bay wetland is gone, and more than $140,000 has been slashed from the Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas program.


Shoreline at Biscayne Bay

Senate Passes Bill on Growth Management
By Bill Kaczor
Lakeland Ledger
Related Palm Beach Post editorial: Keep checks on bad growth
The sponsor of a growth management law intended to curtail urban sprawl apologized because in the real world it had the opposite result as the Senate on Thursday passed a new measure he filed to fix that mistake.

Uproar over Chinese drywall; Floridians say it's making them ill and hurting home values
By Paul Owers
South Florida Sun-sentinel
Homeowners in Florida and other states are mounting a charge against defective Chinese drywall, saying it's making them sick and damaging their homes built during the housing boom.

State urged to win race for energy
By Sara Kennedy
Bradenton Herald
At a time of tremendous urgency in energy policy, states with an “open for business” sign on the door have a chance to create the next generation of jobs and profits in renewable energy, expected to be among the largest new markets on the planet, environmentalists say.

Is energy reform fizzling?
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
For two years Gov. Charlie Crist has championed energy reform, saying Florida must turn to alternative and renewable power sources and rely less on coal, gas and oil.

Florida renewable energy lobby opposes 'nuclear' in definition
By Staff Writer
St. Pete Times
The renewable energy lobby — including environmentalists, energy companies and even farmers — called on Florida legislators in a letter sent Friday to pass a strong renewable energy requirement.

Florida Forever? Not this year
By Aaron Deslatte
Orlando Sentinel
Florida's heralded land-conservation program that has preserved millions of acres of green space during the past two decades is going away — at least for a year.

Swiftmud agrees to swap bear habitat for developer's land
By Jodie Tillman
St. Pete Times
Water district officials Tuesday approved a controversial land swap that gives SunWest Harbourtowne developers 90 acres of bear habitat in exchange for a nearby 400-acre parcel.

Dry weather brings South Florida a bumper crop of wading birds
By Jennifer Sorentrue
Palm Beach Post
South Florida's wading birds are resilient. After a dismal nesting season last year, scientists have seen a surge in the number of great egrets, white ibises and endangered wood storks breeding in western Palm Beach County marshes and other parts of the Everglades.

Take Extra Care on Waterways as Manatees Migrate After a Rough Winter
FWC Press Release
Wakulla.com
The FWC urges boaters to follow the posted speed zones and watch for manatees as temperatures warm.

The 30 Year War on the Environment
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
Fifty years ago, Rachel Carson wrote the clarion call of the environmental movement, "Silent Spring", and was attacked by the chemical industry.

Don't take away the DCA
By Ernie Padgett
Pensacola News-Journal
Some interesting and negative things are happening in the Legislature relative to the best way to manage growth in Florida.

Don't destroy Florida's key watchdog on growth, land use
Editorial
TC Palm
The state of Florida's key growth management agency is under attack in the 2009 Legislature.

Out of the ground, bottled into profits
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
The fresh water beneath Florida is an ever more precious public resource as demand outstrips rainfall's ability to replenish the aquifers.

Endangered in Brevard: White House should rescind Bush-era rules that threaten many species
Editorial
Florida Today
The success of the Endangered Species Act can be seen in our own backyard, where it has helped save animals by protecting the lands and waters where they live.

From brink of extinction
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
If the Endangered Species Act were a polar bear, it would look eviscerated and bleeding on ice.


Fred George Pond, Leon County

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 3-27-09

FEATURED STORIES

Gov. Charlie Crist to downsize Everglades-U.S. Sugar deal
By Curtis Morgan and Mary Ellen Klas
Miami Herald
His hand forced by a failing economy, Gov. Charlie Crist is poised to dramatically downsize his proposed Big Sugar buyout -- and his vision for Everglades restoration.

Alliance urges action on renewable energy
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Environmental News
A coalition of environmental groups and businesses today urged legislative leaders to take action on a proposed renewable energy requirement for utilities.

DCA Could Be On The Chopping Block
By Gary Pinnell
Tampa Tribune
Take action: Click here to sign on to Progress Florida's letter to the Florida Legislature.
Jim Polatty has fought for decades with the Department of Community Affairs. But Highlands County's chief planner doesn't want the state agency dismembered.

Bill would limit state's ability to stop wetlands destruction
By Craig Pittman and Matthew Waite
St. Pete Times
A bill that would drastically limit the state's ability to stop wetlands from destruction has passed a legislative committee.

Bill making it easier to pave over Florida's wetlands called 'recipe for fraud'
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Developers who want to fill in wetlands would find getting the necessary permits much easier under a bill working its way through the legislature.


Editorial Cartoon by Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

MORE GREEN NEWS

Gov. Crist promotes polices to curb gases but trips leave big carbon footprint
By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
In March 2007, Gov. Charlie Crist took a 45-minute flight on a state-owned Cessna Citation Bravo from Tallahassee to Bradenton, where he congratulated a school district for purchasing hybrid-electric buses.

Lawmakers power down Crist's climate proposals
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Gov. Charlie Crist's proposals to fight global warming are gasping for air.

Jailed Activists Seek to Free Enslaved Environment
By Howard Lisnoff
ZNet
Looking east from the top stories of the Palm Beach County Courthouse, the sea is singular and impressive, filling the entire horizon and appearing to play teasingly with the land.

Bill introduced to have nuclear power included as "clean" energy
By Asjylyn Loder
St. Pete Times
So what is "clean" energy? Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, thinks nuclear power should count.

Florida's Bright (Green) Idea: Renewable Standards
By Russell Ray
Tampa Tribune
Thirty-one states have one. Florida may be the next state to adopt a standard for generating electricity from renewable resources.

As Florida shifts to solar, a fight looms
By Zac Anderson
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Billions of dollars are at stake in a battle under way in Florida over who profits from the pending expansion of solar energy: Big energy companies or individuals and businesses with extra roof space.

The Rooftop Revolution
By Mariah Blake
RenewableEnergyWorld.com
A little-known policy is turning sleepy central Florida into a green energy hub. Could it do the same for America at large?

Florida Celebrates Oceans Day
Press Release
Florida Oceans Council via Wakulla.com
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) joined a host of public and private partners today to celebrate Florida Oceans Day at the Capitol.

Revised U.S. Sugar deal could drop price to $500 million
By Paul Quinlan and Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post
Related editorial: Reality on U.S. Sugar deal
Gov. Charlie Crist is scaling back considerably his extraordinary bid to save the Everglades, as a worsening economy has rendered the $1.34 billion deal with U.S. Sugar Corp. unaffordable, people familiar with the negotiations say.

A rare sight: Wood storks, other wading birds enjoy feeding frenzy at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
By Eric Staats
Ft. Myers News-Press
Mother Nature is putting on her greatest show in years at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary as endangered wood storks and a host of wading birds stage a feeding frenzy.

Commissioners share vision on growth plans
By Will Brown
Tallahassee Democrat
Commissioners at the city and county level want smart, well-planned growth, not a collection of commercial entities that are as unorganized as the moss that collects on Tallahassee's oak trees.

Protecting land and water is good for business
By Jeff Danter
Miami Herald
When my family and I pulled into Bahia Honda State Park in December, the parking lot was packed, and the beach was filled with bathers -- all of whom had paid park entrance fees.

Negative Bond Ratings Hurt Florida Forever Chances
Florida Audubon News
A report on tax revenues linked to Florida Forever bonds downgrades the state’s credit ranking.

The Strip Mall Protection Act of’09
By Daniel Ruth
St. Pete Times
Here's the problem with all of these annoying wetlands: They're so …so … uh, well, they're wet is what they are.

Anti-environment bills a dangerous ruse
Editorial
Miami Herald
Granted, the seven groups composing the Florida Forever Coalition have a vested interest in conserving undeveloped state land, so their latest study naturally reflects their views.

Another really bad bill
Editorial
Pensacola News Journal
Every spring, the Florida Legislature flowers with reborn efforts to reverse hard-won environmental protections with really bad legislation.

Stop Florida turtle harvest
Editorial
St. Pete Times
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission next month will consider banning commercial harvesting of wild freshwater turtles. So it should.

End water giveaway
Editorial
St. Pete Times
Bottled water companies have quite the deal.

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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