The Sunshine State's Dirty Secret?
Monday, December 5, 2011
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Calling Florida's growing toxic algae pollution of rivers and streams "nauseating," Earthjustice, along with the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Sierra Club, recently filed a legal challenge against the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Earthjustice Director David Guest claims the DEP regulations were written by lobbyists for corporate polluters, with little regard for the growing waves of green slime choking the state's waterways.
"A massive fish kill is under way in southwest Florida, a major tourist destination. The system we have now favors polluters over people."
The Florida Wildlife Federation has created a virtual "Slime Tour" using Google maps. FWF and the Sierra Club invite the public to take the tour.
The Florida DEP has said in the past that the agency is working closely with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to stunt the algae outbreaks. However, St. Johns Riverkeeper member Neil Armingeon is scratching his head over what he describes as a bureaucratic "code of silence."
"What we as the public don't understand is when we have fish kills, why do the agencies never tell us the causes. We're still waiting, a year and a half later, to understand why thousands of fish died in the St. Johns River in the summer of 2010."
One barrier to waterway cleanup is a Florida Capitol head-in-the-sand attitude, Armingeon says.
"There's a group of people in this state who don't want to admit we have a problem."
The virtual Slime Tour is at http://goo.gl/N7kVI. More information is available at www.floridawatercoalition.org.
get more stories like this via email
Health and Wellness
A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …
Social Issues
Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …
Social Issues
Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…
Social Issues
A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …
Social Issues
Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …
Social Issues
Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…