Kathleen Peters plans to file transparency legislation

peters, kathleen

State Rep. Kathleen Peters on Monday said she’ll sponsor legislation next session to require public notification “of contamination to our environment within 24 hours.”

“The public deserves notification when there are pollutants being introduced to our environment,” she said in a statement. “Our water is one of our most precious resources; it is life. I remain committed to holding institutions accountable for their actions, be they public or private.”

Peters’ announcement comes after the Mosaic sinkhole disaster in Polk County, in which a retention pond holding over 100 million gallons of contaminated water from fertilizer processing collapsed and drained into the underlying groundwater supply.

The sinkhole opened Aug. 27 but the public wasn’t told for another three weeks. Among the contaminants is phosphogypsum, which contains “minute traces of radioactive byproducts of uranium,” according to Florida State University.

Peters, a Treasure Island Republican, also called for a special meeting of Pinellas County’s legislative delegation after recent storm surges from Hermine, a Category 1 hurricane.

She had said she was concerned about “municipalities across Pinellas County (being) forced to dump partially treated sewage into local waterways.”

Gov. Rick Scott earlier Monday called on his Department of Environmental Protection to create an emergency rule that would require notification of severe environmental damages within 24 hours.

The rule, when completed, will require public notice of any potential effects on health or safety.

Scott said he would be at the Mosaic facility outside New Wales on Tuesday to get a briefing from company officials and view the sinkhole.

 

Jim Rosica

Jim Rosica is the Tallahassee-based Senior Editor for Florida Politics. He previously was the Tampa Tribune’s statehouse reporter. Before that, he covered three legislative sessions in Florida for The Associated Press. Jim graduated from law school in 2009 after spending nearly a decade covering courts for the Tallahassee Democrat, including reporting on the 2000 presidential recount. He can be reached at [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories