Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJuly 6, 2016

Sen. Bill Nelson has called on Senate leaders to immediately pass a bill authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with projects to send water south. In a letter Wednesday, Nelson urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 up for a vote “as soon […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJuly 6, 2016

A voluntary program to encourage residents to switch from septic tanks could be getting a funding boost. Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday he plans to include additional funding in his 2017-18 budget to help clean up the Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River. The proposal, the governor’s office said, would include new funding for a […]

Associated PressJune 30, 2016

A smelly, “guacamole-thick” muck is fouling a stretch of beaches promoted as Florida’s “Treasure Coast,” where lawmakers and residents blame the federal government, saying the algae crisis is fueled by freshwater flows controlled by Army officials to protect an erosion-prone dike. The blue-green algae is the latest contaminant featured in yearslong arguments over water flowing […]

Jac VerSteegJune 9, 2016

A politician is a guy who shoots you in the gut and then campaigns by bragging about the Band-Aid he put on the wound. The latest example: Just days after The Palm Beach Post’s John Kennedy documented how Gov. Rick Scott‘s environmental policies had led to an explosion of huge developments in Palm Beach County […]

Diane RobertsApril 19, 2016

Ever wonder what will be left of natural Florida when Rick Scott slithers out of the Governor’s Mansion for the last time? Look at the Indian River Lagoon. Once a 150 mile-long bay of clear water filled with manatees, sea grasses and oysters, it has become a brown, stinking monoculture where only algae thrive. The […]

Diane RobertsApril 18, 2016

Ever wonder what will be left of natural Florida when Rick Scott slithers out of the Governor’s Mansion for the last time? Look at the Indian River Lagoon. Once a 150 mile-long bay of clear water filled with manatees, sea grasses and oysters, it has become a brown, stinking monoculture where only algae thrive. The […]

Associated PressMarch 29, 2016

Brevard County commissioners approved a measure Tuesday asking Gov. Rick Scott and lawmakers to take steps to address a massive fish kill at Indian River Lagoon, but fell short of a resolution asking Scott to declare a state of emergency along Florida’s Space Coast. The approved measure asks officials in Tallahassee to require that septic […]

Ryan RayMarch 28, 2016

The pro-business Florida Chamber announced a new “educational partnership” with Brian Lapointe of Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute on Monday. The longstanding Tallahassee advocacy group said it will work with Lapointe in order to develop “strong, science-based water quality standards” as Florida population continues toward an estimated 26 million by 2030. That growth will bring […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterFebruary 16, 2016

Adam Putnam was met by a crowd of angry Treasure Coast residents during a stop in Martin County last week. Putnam, the state’s agriculture commissioner, was greeted by protesters calling on the state and the Army Corps of Engineers to stop discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the Indian River Lagoon and the Caloosahatchee River. In […]

Guest AuthorFebruary 12, 2016

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Candidates who want to keep Martin County different from the rest of crowded South Florida have lost county commission races when two who favor careful growth run against one development-friendly contender. In past elections, the two candidates who support careful growth split the majority vote and the candidate who developers favor coasts to victory on […]

Tag: Indian River Lagoon
Bentley Ranch was among the conservation projects Wilton Simpson highlighted this week. Image via FDACS.

Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio urge action on bill that could help move water south

Rick Scott to include money in 2017-18 budget proposal to help clean up Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River

‘Guacamole-thick’ algae causes crisis on Florida coastline

Jac VerSteeg: Rick Scott puts Band-Aid on environmental wounds

Diane Roberts: Rick Scott’s business buddies want to kill bears, panthers, environment

Diane Roberts: Rick Scott’s business buddies want to kill bears, panthers, environment

Brevard leaders tackle big fish kill in Indian River Lagoon

Florida Chamber to partner with FAU research professor on water policy

Angry protesters demand that Adam Putnam put stop to Lake Okeechobee releases

Sally Swartz: If growth advocates split vote, can conservationist win Martin commission seat?