Latest news with #FloridaDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida fighting ruling on manatee protections
A new showdown is brewing over manatee protection. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is fighting back on a ruling requiring Florida to step up protections. It involves a series of steps aimed at reducing the threats manatees face in the Indian River Lagoon. The Florida manatee is already listed as a threatened species. But last month, a central Florida conservation group, Bear Warriors United, got something more. 'The Endangered Species Act allows individuals, businesses, governments, anybody who is going to engage in an activity that's going to result in death or harm to a federally listed species, to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and say, 'Hey, we're doing this,'' said plaintiff attorney Lesley Blackner. The state was ordered to start a health assessment program and a supplemental feeding effort to support the manatee population in the northern part of the lagoon starting this month. The state will also have to submit public quarterly reports on manatee deaths, water quality, seagrass conditions and harmful algae blooms. The court also ordered a temporary halt on new septic system permits in part of the lagoon watershed starting July 17. 'It's plaintiff's position that the court made the correct decision because what's happened in the lagoon is a catastrophe,' blackner said. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection disagrees, saying the state has invested nearly $747 million in community-led projects in the region to improve water quality and restore habitat, which is especially critical in ecosystems like Indian River Lagoon. The state is now asking a federal appeals court to halt that district judge's injunction, saying in part 'The indefinite moratorium on the construction of new septic systems further threatens to impede commercial and residential development in the state.' Bear Warriors United filed the original lawsuit in 2022 after Florida had a record 1,100 manatee deaths in 2021, with the largest number in Brevard County at 358 deaths. Many deaths were linked to starvation. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida Fish & Wildlife confirm criminal investigation into Gulf World
Panama City, FLA (WMBB) – The Florida Fish & Wildlife commission confirmed for the first time in a post on Facebook that Gulf World Marine Park is under an 'active, ongoing criminal investigation in conjunction with local, state, and federal officials.' On Wednesday, State Senator Jay Trumbull confirmed that another dolphin had died at the park. Previously, state agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection confirmed an investigation, but not that it was criminal in nature. Earlier in May, the FDEP served a search warrant on the property. As part of that warrant, officers appeared to be collecting water samples. In March, the FWC served a search warrant on the property to investigate the 'health and welfare of… marine mammals and those in captivity.' That search was conducted after the FWC was previously denied entry. The criminal investigation appears to be a result of what they found during the search. The parent company of Gulf World, the Dolphin Company, has filed for bankruptcy. During an April hearing as part of the bankruptcy, an animal welfare expert was hired to oversee the care of animals. A few weeks later, it appears the sea Lions and seals were removed. The dolphins, however, remained on the property. In a post on X, Bay County native Congressman Jimmy Patronis said he wants 'those responsible … held to account and to protect these amazing animals.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida's new parks law is just a start. Now DeSantis must enforce it.
It didn't have the pomp and circumstance that it deserved, but Gov. Ron DeSantis did the right thing — albeit grudgingly — by signing legislation into law to protect Florida's 175 state parks from encroaching development. The challenge he and future Florida governors now face is to make sure that the State Parks Preservation Act is both respected and enforced. Floridians have made their feelings known ever since last summer's disclosures that developers wanted to build golf courses, pickleball courts and swanky hotels in nine parks, including the Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The outrage started with irate park visitors protesting in front of the targeted state parks. It only grew from there as more individuals and environmental groups across the state joined the fray. Their outrage prompted local lawmakers, state Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, and state Reps. John Snyder, R-Stuart, and Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Boca Raton, to file bills — SB 80 and HB 209, respectively — that received unanimous support and approval within the Florida Legislature. Editorial: Florida's new parks law is just a start in protecting our state's environment The public sent a crystal-clear message that they don't want to see the state's natural and undisturbed forests, parks and "wild" open spaces transformed into gaudy tourist traps. The bill may have become law without the fanfare of a public signing event, but the fact that the new environmental protection law now exists shows that DeSantis has gotten the peoples' memo. Floridians will be vigilant in making sure that preservation remains a priority of state government, as evidenced by the thousands of texts and phone calls received by state lawmakers before and during this year's legislative session. Also, by their reaction via emailed Letters to the Editor, op-eds, Facebook posts and more to the USA Today Network-Florida Opinion Group's unrelenting campaign to get the legislation passed and signed into law. Opinion: How Gov. Ron DeSantis can spin signing the FL 'State Park Preservation Act' The debacle that resulted in the new law came from an unlikely source — the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. DEP, designed to be the lead agency for environmental management and stewardship, crafted a seemingly counterproductive initiative. Dubbed The Great Outdoors Initiative, the plan was designed to increase park interest by allowing developers to build attractions and facilities not normally associated with protected natural habitats. Access is one thing, but building three golf courses in the beloved Jonathan Dickinson State Park, as initially proposed, is simply outrageous. Harrell was the first lawmaker to recognize the mounting outrage. In the midst of the public outcry, she announced that she would file a bill to address the mounting concerns of commercializing Florida's parks. She filed SB 80 and that bill, and its House counterpart, won unanimous approval at each committee stop. By the time, the bills reached the floors of the Florida House and Senate, it was obvious that the legislation was heading to the governor's desk. The initial statewide protests caught the eyes of many lawmakers — both state and federal. When confronted with questions about the controversial initiative that clearly came out of an agency he controlled, Gov. DeSantis initially distanced himself from the proposal. He later blamed "left-wing groups" for stirring up opposition to what was very bad plan. Neither reaction slowed the determination of Floridians who wanted their state parks to remain parks. Nine months and a 180-degrees later, DeSantis signed the bill into law, and Floridians now have a new legal layer of park protection. It's both a victory and a start. The task now for the governor, DEP officials and indeed, for all Floridians, is to ensure that the letter and spirit of the new parks law is followed to fullest extent possible. This editorial was written as part of a campaign by the USA Today Network Florida Opinion Group to support Senate Bill 80 and protect Florida's state parks from development. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida has a new parks law. Enforcement must be priority | Editorial
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. DeSantis quietly signs proposal barring golf courses, hotels in state parks
St Petersburg resident Caroline Chomaniacs at Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin on Aug. 27, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix) Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill born out of the backlash against his administration's plan last summer to build golf courses, hotels, and pickleball courts at nine state parks. The Legislature unanimously approved HB 209, which prohibits construction of specified sporting facilities and public lodgings in state parks, such as golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, and ball fields. Southeast Republican Rep. John Snyder pitched the proposal following backlash and protests from Republicans and Democrats alike, who opposed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's leaked plan to build such facilities. While state officials dropped the plan, DeSantis tried to distance himself from it. He also told reporters during a press conference on May 7 that he would sign the bill. The governor's office announced his approval of the bill among a list of 17 bills DeSantis signed Thursday. 'What began as the so-called 'Great Outdoors Initiative' to develop our parks has ended in a landmark law ensuring they are protected forever. This achievement is nothing short of historic,' Florida's chapter of the Sierra Club posted on Facebook. The new law requires the state to announce public hearings regarding projects in state parks 30 days in advance. The department had scheduled meetings to gather public feedback on the same date and time across the nine state parks, prompting further outrage and causing the postponement of those meetings. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Who was behind Florida's latest public land deal? DeSantis won't say.
TAMPA — The day after a landowner withdrew its controversial plan to acquire 600 acres of Northeast Florida conservation land, Gov. Ron DeSantis, when asked about it, didn't provide an answer to the question Floridians and politicians alike are still wondering: Who's behind the proposal? During a news conference in Tampa, a Tampa Bay Times reporter asked the governor why the Florida environmental regulatory agency he oversees, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, has yet to unveil the identity of the recently formed 'Upland LLC' which asked the state for the land. DeSantis responded: 'It was not initiated by DEP, it was initiated by a private landowner.' The governor ignored an immediate follow-up: Who is the landowner? Then he took a new, unrelated question. Since Wednesday, when the environmental agency unveiled a previously unscheduled meeting of its land acquisition council to vote on the proposal, questions have swirled around the plan's origins. The Upland LLC wanted to obtain 600 acres of land in the Guana River Wildlife Management Area in St. Johns County in exchange for a patchwork of parcel across four counties. The Upland LLC's business filings with the state don't list anyone other than a general business services firm as its leader, making the true identity of the entity unclear. Even though the group announced Monday night that it was withdrawing the proposal, lawmakers are still seeking answers. In an email just after 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, State Rep. Kim Kendall, a Republican from St. Augustine, repeated a request she made days earlier to the environmental agency asking who's behind the plan. 'I still need the applicant information,' Kendall wrote in an email to Bryan Bradner, the acting deputy secretary for land and recreation. 'Please provide the information I have requested today.' This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
