The proposed amendment, filed Tuesday by Sen. Arthenia Joyner, matches a House version filed earlier this year by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg. It would ask voters to put into the constitution a ban on exploration, drilling, extraction or production of oil in Florida waters.
Environment & Water
A 6% Tax on Bottled Water in Florida: Ormond Beach’s Sen. Lynn Revives Proposal
The bottled-water tax in Florida would pay for repairing environmental damage from trashed plastic. The water industry is opposing Ormond Beach Sen. Evelyn Lynn’s proposal.
A Wake for Palm Coast Desalination: Consultants Talk “Hiatus” Rather Than Demise
The seawater desalination initiative Palm Coast led for the last three years held what amounted to an exit interview with the public as the project shuts down for lack of money, participants and, for now and several years to come, need.
FPL’s $18 Billion Nuclear-Reactor Plans Leak Unanswered Questions Before Florida PSC
FPL’s plan to pass along almost $200 million in nuclear construction costs to consumers in just one year raised a question at the Public Service Commission: why charge customers if the $13 billion to $19 billion nukes plants may never be built?
City Commission Cheers Flagler Beach Turtle Patrol
The Flagler Beach City Commission’s Alice Baker recognized the city’s Turtle Patrol volunteers, whose work from May to September ensures protecting for nesting turtles.
Despite Shelving Desalination, Palm Coast Clings to “Low Pulse” Plans–for $213,000
The $213,000, left over from $1.7 million budgeted for desalination project’s latest phase, would keep a consultant working through quarterly meetings, and Palm Coast hoping to draft new partners for the now-defunct, $200 million project.
Water Management District Tax Rate Cut 26%, Reducing Revenue and Gutting Services
The tax bill on a $200,000 house will be $50, down from $62, but the district is laying off employees and reducing conservation, management and partnership projects in line with a new law approved by Gov. Rick Scott.
BP Calls Gulf Recovered and Looks To Quit Payments to Businesses Over Economic Losses
BP paid more than $4.6 billion to private citizens and businesses since the Deepwater Horizon spill. The Gulf economy is on the mend, the oil company claims, justifying a cut-off, though it still faces billions in civil and criminal penalties.
Fish and Wildlife Commission Prohibits Campfires on Public Lands
As a result of ongoing wildfires, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued the executive order prohibiting campfires in wildlife management areas, wildlife and environmental areas and all other lands it manages.
Sprawl-Fighting State Oversight Agency Is Dissolved, To the Delight of Local Developers
The Florida Department of Community Affairs, created in 1969 to manager growth, is being diluted into other agencies, leaving local governments much freer to develop as they choose.