Florida Environments

House panel passes three controversial bills

Three of the most controversial environmental and agricultural bills to emerge prior to the 2011 legislative session were approved on Tuesday by a House committee. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee approved bills dealing with septic tanks, local fertilizer regulations and agricultural exemptions from water management district permits. HB 13 by Rep. Marti Coley, [...]

House water panel hears differing views on environmental protection

This reservoir in DeSoto County was built with some state water supply funding. Conservation and development of new water supplies must be part of Florida’s future to attract industry and create jobs, panelists on Thursday told the House Select Committee on Water Policy. But there were differing views on how much the environment should be [...]

Thirty-nine Florida groups seek to block federal water standards

Representatives of 39 utility, development and agricultural groups on Tuesday sent a letter to Florida’s senators and congressional representatives asking them to deny federal agency funding to implement new water quality standards. The industry groups seem to be taking a harder line against the federal standards than some state agency officials. One state agriculture official [...]

Lawsuit says pesticides threaten Florida wildlife species

Two national environmental groups on Thursday filed a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had failed to consult with wildlife agencies on regulating pesticides that are harmful to endangered species, including the Florida panther. The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pesticide Action Network, cites the [...]

Florida ag commissioner sees “common cause” in Everglades as new federal refuge announced

WESTON — Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam at the Everglades Coalition Conference on Friday called for “smart” environmental restoration while the U.S. Interior Secretary announced a federal initiative with landowners to conserve portions of the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee. Putnam is the first agriculture commissioner to speak at the conference, according to organizers. More than [...]