Author name: bruce

Florida’s state parks, forests and other public lands some day could pay millions of dollars to the state annually for the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are captured and stored in plants and soils, according to a recent study. But that some day isn’t now or in the immediate future, Florida Department of […]

A founder of a proposed state constitutional amendment on growth said during a debate today that supporters face “greedy” opponents, while a spokesman for an opposition group said the founder has shown people they can have any opinion “as long as it’s her’s.” The proposed Amendment 4 would require changes in city and county growth

By Keith LaingTHE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA ORLANDO — Drilling for old-fashioned oil in near shore Florida waters should be part of the nation’s energy diet, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson said today at a conference about increasing the use of newer fuel types. After speaking at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ fourth

Gov. Charlie Crist this morning declined to say how close is too close for oil drilling off the Florida coastline. A bill introduced in Congress would allow drilling within 45 miles of the coastline, effectively eliminating a ban on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico that was crafted by Florida’s congressional delegation. Crist, who

Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet on Tuesday will consider approving the purchase of a 690-acre conservation easement in Flagler County, the first purchase under a state program aimed at preserving agricultural lands. The land is owned by Gene and Marilyn J. Evans and includes a half-mile of shoreline along Lake Disston, which has good

Two Florida coastal communities are hoping that a state preservation and grants program will help them protect and revive their waterfronts. The Florida Department of Community Affairs earlier this month designated Fort Myers and Panama City’s Millville area as “Waterfronts Florida” communities. The designation allows DCA to provide planning assistance and federal grant money to

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist told reporters Wednesday that Judge Paul A. Magnuson’s ruling in litigation involving the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system was a “huge step in the right direction.” The judge said Georgia and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had illegally taken water from Lake Lanier, a huge federal reservoir on the Chattahoochee River north

Honeymoon Island State Park Florida’s state parks set a record for attendance this past fiscal year in spite of — or perhaps with the help of — the economic downturn, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Last year 21.4 million people visited Florida’s parks. That’s an increase of 700,000 people, or 3 percent,

View Larger Map Franklin County today moved toward rescinding the last two of four controversial land-use changes approved in 2005 that allowed The St. Joe Co. to build up to 2,400 homes in eastern Franklin County. Franklin County after 2005 twice defended the land use changes to legal challenges before the governor and Cabinet. The

Airport officials in Bay County have agreed to pay the state $251,323 — reduced from nearly $400,000 as proposed in May — to settle proposed violations issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. DEP in May cited the Panama City-Bay County Airport Authority for 72 water quality violations involving the construction of a new