If you have Netflix, watch or download Youth v Gov
This documentary follows the journey of 21 young plaintiffs suing the US government for its actions in creating the climate crisis. “YOUTH v GOV”- an independent documentary by acclaimed filmmakers - tells the story of the Juliana youth v. United States and their indefatigable quest for climate justice. This is an enormous opportunity to expand the global community of support for these young climate leaders, reaching new allies, advocates, and supporters all around the world.
This documentary follows the journey of 21 young plaintiffs suing the US government for its actions in creating the climate crisis. “YOUTH v GOV”- an independent documentary by acclaimed filmmakers - tells the story of the Juliana youth v. United States and their indefatigable quest for climate justice. This is an enormous opportunity to expand the global community of support for these young climate leaders, reaching new allies, advocates, and supporters all around the world.
ECOSWF action against Florida Power & Light
Read the Florida Supreme Court appeal of a final order and amendatory order issued by the Commission approving a Settlement Agreement regarding a base rate case as being in the public-interest.
On April 6, 2022, Florida Rising, Inc., ECOSWF, and LULAC appealed of a Final Order and Amendatory Order by the Florida Public Service Commission approving a Settlement by FPL and other parties intended to resolve FPL’s petition for a base rate increase. The Settlement, which includes the largest rate increase in Florida history, R. 34075, disproportionately burdens residential customers while charging more costs to the rate base than even contemplated in FPL’s original petition.
Read the Florida Supreme Court appeal of a final order and amendatory order issued by the Commission approving a Settlement Agreement regarding a base rate case as being in the public-interest.
On April 6, 2022, Florida Rising, Inc., ECOSWF, and LULAC appealed of a Final Order and Amendatory Order by the Florida Public Service Commission approving a Settlement by FPL and other parties intended to resolve FPL’s petition for a base rate increase. The Settlement, which includes the largest rate increase in Florida history, R. 34075, disproportionately burdens residential customers while charging more costs to the rate base than even contemplated in FPL’s original petition.
Neglecting Florida toxin threat
Sarasota Herald Tribune - Your Turn, Howard L. Simon, Guest columnist
Howard L. Simon, Ph.D., executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida from 1997-2018, is president of the Clean Okeechobee Waters Foundation.
Florida legislators spent much of their time this last session restricting discussions about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. If legislators decide to address real problems, let’s start with serious threats to public health caused by environmental pollution.
Arizona researchers recently reported there is enough data to establish a causal connection between BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine), a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The announcement shouldn’t startle – studies have pointed to an elevated risk of illnesses from environmental factors, including BMAA toxin found in the brains of people with the neuro-degenerative diseases ALS and Alzheimer’s. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine neuropathologists found that monkeys fed BMAA developed symptoms of ALS. Another study documented that monkeys given BMAA developed the plaque and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s.
The medical team also detected BMAA in the brains of dead dolphins displaying Alzheimer’s and ALS degenerative damage. Another study found concentrations of BMAA in the brains of dolphins in canals contaminated by algae. Blue-green algae also produces microcystin, which causes non-alcoholic liver cancer. Research has linked liver disease to the location of cyanobacteria blooms. The Stuart area is one of the nation’s 65 liver cancer clusters.
During the 2016-18 outbreak of blue-green algae, microcystin levels in the St. Lucie canal were 300 times more than recommended as safe by the World Health Organization.
A report on responses to the cyanobacteria outbreak noted that those exposed to the bloom 'may experience an increased lifetime risk of liver cancer and/or hepatic dysfunction requiring hospitalization or transplantation.'
If this were not alarming enough, research also indicates that blue-green algae toxins are airborne. One study found cyanobacteria three miles from the Caloosahatchee River.
Recall the tons of dead fish on beaches, the devastating impact on Florida’s economy, including hotel, restaurants, fishing charters and real estate values.
For humans, red tide causes gastrointestinal problems, skin rashes and coughing – and a spike in hospital admissions for people suffering respiratory discomfort. While the long-term health effects are not fully known, exposure to red tide may be especially threatening to those with asthma, emphysema or chronic lung disease.
There are more than two dozen phosphate mines in west central Florida. During the mining process, a radioactive contaminant, Radium-226, is unearthed and piled in mounds – waiting to be blown into the air, water and our lungs. Radium produces cancer-causing gamma-rays that can penetrate the body, increasing the risk of lymphoma and leukemia. As radium decays, it becomes radon, a gas that seeps into homes, creating risks for lung cancer.
It is not alarmist to say that the people of Florida – especially those coming into contact with algae-infested waters or consuming its fish or breathing the air nearby, or who live near a phosphate mine – have been exposed to cancer-causing agents and are at a higher risk for the neuro-degenerative diseases Alzheimer’s and ALS.
But people should be alarmed and angry – about the health threat and the neglect by our legislators.
Sarasota Herald Tribune - Your Turn, Howard L. Simon, Guest columnist
Howard L. Simon, Ph.D., executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida from 1997-2018, is president of the Clean Okeechobee Waters Foundation.
Florida legislators spent much of their time this last session restricting discussions about race, sexual orientation and gender identity. If legislators decide to address real problems, let’s start with serious threats to public health caused by environmental pollution.
Arizona researchers recently reported there is enough data to establish a causal connection between BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine), a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The announcement shouldn’t startle – studies have pointed to an elevated risk of illnesses from environmental factors, including BMAA toxin found in the brains of people with the neuro-degenerative diseases ALS and Alzheimer’s. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine neuropathologists found that monkeys fed BMAA developed symptoms of ALS. Another study documented that monkeys given BMAA developed the plaque and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s.
The medical team also detected BMAA in the brains of dead dolphins displaying Alzheimer’s and ALS degenerative damage. Another study found concentrations of BMAA in the brains of dolphins in canals contaminated by algae. Blue-green algae also produces microcystin, which causes non-alcoholic liver cancer. Research has linked liver disease to the location of cyanobacteria blooms. The Stuart area is one of the nation’s 65 liver cancer clusters.
During the 2016-18 outbreak of blue-green algae, microcystin levels in the St. Lucie canal were 300 times more than recommended as safe by the World Health Organization.
A report on responses to the cyanobacteria outbreak noted that those exposed to the bloom 'may experience an increased lifetime risk of liver cancer and/or hepatic dysfunction requiring hospitalization or transplantation.'
If this were not alarming enough, research also indicates that blue-green algae toxins are airborne. One study found cyanobacteria three miles from the Caloosahatchee River.
Recall the tons of dead fish on beaches, the devastating impact on Florida’s economy, including hotel, restaurants, fishing charters and real estate values.
For humans, red tide causes gastrointestinal problems, skin rashes and coughing – and a spike in hospital admissions for people suffering respiratory discomfort. While the long-term health effects are not fully known, exposure to red tide may be especially threatening to those with asthma, emphysema or chronic lung disease.
There are more than two dozen phosphate mines in west central Florida. During the mining process, a radioactive contaminant, Radium-226, is unearthed and piled in mounds – waiting to be blown into the air, water and our lungs. Radium produces cancer-causing gamma-rays that can penetrate the body, increasing the risk of lymphoma and leukemia. As radium decays, it becomes radon, a gas that seeps into homes, creating risks for lung cancer.
It is not alarmist to say that the people of Florida – especially those coming into contact with algae-infested waters or consuming its fish or breathing the air nearby, or who live near a phosphate mine – have been exposed to cancer-causing agents and are at a higher risk for the neuro-degenerative diseases Alzheimer’s and ALS.
But people should be alarmed and angry – about the health threat and the neglect by our legislators.
|
Florida lawmakers again failed to protect its environment
Sarasota Herald Tribune Guest Editorial by Ryan Smart, executive director of the Florida Springs Council. Tracking legislation is part of my job at the Florida Springs Council, and I believe it is critical that Floridians understand what happens during the legislative session in Tallahassee – and how the decisions made during those 60 days impact us and our environment. Going into the 2022 legislative session, I was optimistic that this year would be different. (Optimism is as much a job requirement as being able to type if you want to work in Florida environmental advocacy.) It was an election year, water issues and manatees were on the top of people’s minds, and the Legislature appeared poised to take action on at least one top environmental priority. I was wrong. Once again money and greed won the day in Tallahassee, thanks in no small part to campaign checks handed out by industry groups like Associated Industries of Florida and to campaign fraud linked to some of Florida’s most powerful corporations. With that wrapped up, let’s look at what did happen this year: Rooftop solar in Florida was killed off to benefit utility executives and shareholders. In what may be the clearest case of pay-to-play ever written down in statute, utilities seeking permits to destroy wetlands are now allowed to pay the Department of Environmental Protection to 'expedite' their applications. When one legislator’s preferred candidate for a seat on a local Soil and Water Conservation District was beaten by an environmentalist, the Senate initially proposed eliminating all of the districts across the state, eventually settling on only restricting who could run for these seats to candidates paid by agricultural producers. One current leader in the Legislature and candidate for state agriculture commissioner loaded up the budget of the agency he hopes to lead, while prohibiting the use of those funds until after the next election. A massive bill impacting many areas of Florida environmental policy was filed at the 11th hour, skipped the normal committee process and eventually passed with only minor amendments to appease the governor’s wealthy donors. The sad truth is that Floridians and Florida’s waters would be better off if the Legislature just passed the state budget, the one thing they are required to do each year, and went home. Unlike the hot-button social issues and culture wars that dominate politics today, clean water isn’t a red vs. blue issue. It’s a corporate greed vs. public good issue. And despite the fact that almost every Floridian I know would pick the latter, and Florida voters again and again vote in favor of environmental initiatives with numbers that even the most popular politician could only dream of, the public good still loses in the Capitol. We can’t change the outcome without changing the process. And we can’t change the process without changing who we elect. I can’t tell you who to vote for. Even if I could, I would tell you not to take my word for it. And, even if you did want to take my word, many of you won’t have a candidate from either political party on the ballot worthy of your vote, if you value what I value about Florida. But maybe I can help you ask the right questions of the candidates. These are admittedly simple questions with simple answers. They are so simple that every candidate for the Florida Legislature should be able to easily answer 'Yes' or 'No.' Do you accept campaign contributions from corporations or special interest political action committees? Should corporations be allowed to pump millions of gallons of water each day for free from Florida’s springs? Is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection doing a good job of protecting Florida’s waters? A candidate who doesn’t answer 'No' to these questions on the campaign trail is unlikely to tell polluters, developers and corporate lobbyists 'No' in the Capitol. They won’t have my vote, and they probably don’t deserve yours. |
Florida’s awful Bert Harris Act is for the birds - Craig Pittman (excerpts from linked commentary)
I have lost count of how many times over the years I have heard local government officials say some variation of this sentence: “Gee, we would really love to reject this terrible development that none of our constituents want, but we’re worried we will get socked with a lawsuit under the Bert Harris Act and have to pay millions of dollars and raise taxes.” This was, by the way, a completely unnecessary law. Under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, any time the government takes your property, say, for use as a road right-of-way, then you have to be paid. It’s called a “taking,” and it’s an established piece of the law just like the Second Amendment (which Marion Hammer loves more than mockingbirds). But, under the Bert Harris Act, the definition of a taking expanded to cover a whole lot more than just the government seizing your land. Instead, if the government imposed some regulation that was so burdensome it prevented you from using your land in a way that you wanted to use it, then that counted as a taking too, and the government had to pay you. And by “the government,” I of course mean “the taxpayers.” Because all that money comes out of our pockets. Not only is the Bert Harris Act confusing and expensive, but it ties the hands of local governments as they try to combat climate change. How can they tell people not to build homes in areas that more frequently flood if the Bert Harris Act says they can’t impose such “burdensome” regulations? There is irony here. The Bert Harris Act was supposedly created to protect family farms and ranches. In reality, it has rewarded the speculators who wipe out farms and ranches, explained Wayne Daltry, who before retirement was Lee County’s smart growth coordinator. Meanwhile, the landowners who didn’t want to change a thing, but just wanted to enjoy their woods or prairies, were out of luck, Daltry told me. The law gives them no tools to block a developer with designs on the property next door, someone ready to use the Bert Harris Act to clobber any local government standing in the way. When the Legislature first passed the Bert Harris Act 26 years ago, the law “had a big chilling effect” on local governments trying to control growth, recalled Jim Beever, a retired regional planner and biologist from Fort Myers. The Bert Harris Act was supposed to protect the poor, beleaguered landowner from burdensome government regulations by granting them the right to sue for damages if, say, a zoning change hurt their plans for their property. Instead, it became a cudgel for developers who wanted local officials to say yes to the most destructive of projects. “There weren’t a lot of Bert Harris Act cases,” Beever told me, “but whenever developers wanted to fill a lot of wetlands or build on the water side of the mean high water line or up the density on a piece of land, that’s the law the city or county attorneys would cite, and say, ‘If you don’t give them what they want, you will have a Bert Harris Act suit on your hands.’” And then the local government would cave. The law itself is a mess. A 2015 analysis published by the Florida Bar Journal said that “there appears to be a great deal of ambiguity as to what is protected under the act, how it should be applied, and what exactly constitutes a vested right, an existing use, or an inordinate burden.” The only way it could be more confusing is if it were written in Esperanto. As a result, when Bert Harris-related lawsuits do hit the courts, they tend to be lengthy and expensive. |
March 15, 2022
Florida environmental groups rejoice in failed seagrass mitigation bills Seagrass wears many hats in an estuary's ecosystem. It not only feeds marine life, like manatees and sea turtles, but its extensive root system stabilizes the sea bottom creating a barrier for storms. Read more about the failed SB 198 www.wtsp.com/article/tech/science/environment/florida-fails-to-pass-seagrass-mitigation-bill/67-2a287197-2b91-437a-889e-438cf397d3cc Sea Turtles in Southwest Florida
Media outlets often report on and celebrate the number of nests marked on local beaches. It is very important while interpreting the nesting season that we all not lose sight of the fact that the number of nests is not equal to the number of turtles out there. Females nest multiple times in one season. The protection measures in place need to be carefully upheld. The USNMFS Biological opinions quoted in the permits issued for construction and renourishment of beaches along Manasota Key list some typical values for the life history of loggerheads nesting in the U.S. Some of the life history traits listed are: • Clutch size (mean) is 100-126 eggs. • Nest productivity (emerged hatchlings/total eggs) x 100 varies depending on specific factors = 45-70%. • Clutch frequency (number of nests/female/season) = 3-4 nests • Internesting interval (number of days between successive nests within a season) = 12-15 days. • Remigration interval (number of years between successive nesting migrations) averages 2.5-3.7 years. According to Blair and Dawn Witherington’s book Our Sea Turtles, “ It’s a rough, scientific guess that a female loggerhead must lay at least 1150 eggs over her lifetime in order to replace herself ( and in order for the population to remain stable). See page 118. Statistics based on 1150 eggs in 10 nests (which would require years of nesting) resulting in 310 hatchlings. From these 310 hatchlings, 9 females would survive to live in coastal habitats and 1 of those would survive long enough to reach adulthood and return as a reproductive female. When considering vessel strikes and an adult female turtle, the value of that adult female to the population greatly surpasses the value of a hatchling to the same population. Boaters should be extra cautious to be on the lookout for turtles foraging away from the beach and as they approach shore during the nesting season. While county protection ordinances define turtle nesting season as May 1- October 31 based on historical data. Locally, for several years now, nesting season has begun in April. Thus, our local turtle patrols begin monitoring the beaches in Southwest Florida on April 15. Boaters can assist helping the turtle population survive and continue to return to our beaches: • Wear Polarized Sunglasses to reduce glare and assist in spotting turtles in the water. Sea turtles must surface to breath air and they often bask at the surface. They can be sometimes spotted at the surface while mating. • Designate someone other than the pilot as a spotter to be on the lookout for not only turtles, but also for manatee, floating debris, etc. • Slow speeds in nearshore waters during mating and nesting season ( April through October). • You can help by reporting struggling or dead marine life, including sea turtles, by calling Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922. |
