Senator's spoiled beach trip leads to bill directing DOH to investigate

A senator whose summer beach trip was spoiled by high bacteria levels has filed a bill directing the state to investigate possible sources of beach water contamination.Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, rented a hotel room at Hollywood Beach last summer to stay with visiting relatives. But when they went down to the water, they discovered that advisories against swimming had been issued by the

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Florida House members uneasy with proposal to close 53 state parks

Peacock Springs State Park near Luraville is one of the 53 state parks that would be closed.A budget-exercise proposal to close 53 state parks drew concerns Wednesday from members of a House budget-writing committee.State agencies last fall were asked to come up with 15-percent budget cut proposals for the upcoming fiscal year. State legislators are confronting a potential budget shortfall of

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House water panel hears differing views on environmental protection

This reservoir in DeSoto County was built with some state water supply funding.Conservation and development of new water supplies must be part of Florida's future to attract industry and create jobs, panelists on Thursday told the House Select Committee on Water Policy. But there were differing views on how much the environment should be protected.The committee was created in December by House

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House panel approves growth rewrite to address court ruling

A House panel on Wednesday passed three bills that are intended to address a court ruling that threw out 2009 legislation that revamped the state's growth management laws.SB 360 in 2009 removed a requirement that developers pay for new roads and schools in designated areas and it removed state oversight of large developments in designated "dense urban land use areas." Gov. Charlie Crist signed

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Senators warn wildlife officials on hunting requirement

Members of a Senate committee said Wednesday they want state wildlife officials to explain at their next committee meeting why they are considering requiring deer hunters to report their kills.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider the reporting requirement when it meets next month in Apalachicola, said Tim Breault, director of the agency's Division of Habitat and

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Thirty-nine Florida groups seek to block federal water standards

Representatives of 39 utility, development and agricultural groups on Tuesday sent a letter to Florida's senators and congressional representatives asking them to deny federal agency funding to implement new water quality standards.The industry groups seem to be taking a harder line against the federal standards than some state agency officials. One state agriculture official told a House

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PSC approves Gulf Power conservation plan after initial rejection

The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved an energy conservation plan for Gulf Power Co. after initially rejecting a plan submitted by the utility last fall.Gulf Power, the state's fourth largest investor-owned utility with more than 430,000 customers, was one of four utilities whose "demand-side management" conservation plans were rejected initially by the commission because they

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Another top Florida DEP official is on the way out

The resignation of another top staffer has been accepted at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, creating another high-level vacancy under new DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard.Janet Llewellyn, director of the Division of Water Resource Management, was told Friday that her resignation had been accepted, according to sources outside of the agency. Resignations were requested from

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Florida senator files bill targeting nuclear fees

With the Public Service Commission next week holding hearings on revised charges for Florida Power & Light Co. customers, a Senate bill would eliminate a 2006 state law that allows utilities to charge for new nuclear plants even if they are never built.SB 200 by Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, would repeal a law that allows utilities to charge for building new nuclear plants and upgrading

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Lawsuit says pesticides threaten Florida wildlife species

Two national environmental groups on Thursday filed a lawsuit claiming that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had failed to consult with wildlife agencies on regulating pesticides that are harmful to endangered species, including the Florida panther.The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pesticide Action Network, cites the regulation of

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Century Commission says it should develop Florida strategic plan

The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida says it wants to help Florida develop a strategic plan as suggested by Gov. Rick Scott.Scott in November told the Florida Council of 100 that the state "lacks a sufficiently focused strategic plan," according to a copy of a prepared speech.The Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida was established by the Legislature in 2005 to recommend ways

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Septic tanks inspection delay becomes law without signature

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday allowed a bill to become law that delays a statewide inspection requirement for septic tanks.The inspection requirement was in SB 550, which then-Gov. Charlie Crist signed in June with support that included the Sierra Club Florida and the Florida Home Builders Association. Supporters said the requirement would protect public health and water quality.SB 2A was adopted

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Cabinet confirms Vinyard to DEP post; Eight top vacancies remain

New Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel Vinyard, a former shipyard executive, was confirmed by the Cabinet Wednesday.Vinyard thanked Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet for the opportunity to serve the state. He takes over a department that lost eight senior staff members last month when the Scott administration accepted their resignations.Vinyard, who also served as a

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Scott: We "clearly need" better growth management

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday said he supports growth management but says it needs to be improved.Scott was among several Cabinet officials and legislative leaders along with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who spoke at the Associated Press Florida Legislative Planning Session in the Capitol. They answered questions on a wide range of topics.Scott's transition team last month recommended merging

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Bill would prevent Florida from implementing federal water standards

A bill introduced by the chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee would ban the state from implementing new federal water quality criteria that were adopted in November.Utilities, industries and agricultural groups say the numeric standards will cost billions of dollars to comply with. But an attorney representing environmental groups says the bill would

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House panel may reconsider firey water issue

The chairman of the new House Select Committee on Water Policy said Thursday that the state's "local sources first" policy that discourages water pipelines will be reviewed along with the role of water-management districts. But she also said doing away with districts in favor of a statewide water agency would be "crazy."One of the most controversial aspects of Florida water law is the "local

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Estimates of federal costs of water rules vary widely, Florida DEP says

Uncertainty over how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to enforce new water quality standards continues to create wide-ranging cost estimates for meeting the new requirements, a state environmental official said Wednesday.The EPA in December adopted new numeric nutrient standards for phosphorus and nitrogen in Florida waterways. The standards are needed to reduce the number of lakes

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Florida utilities cutting back on power plants, including biomass, PSC says

Florida's electric utilities are continuing to lose customers and are delaying construction of new electric plants as less electricity is being used, according to a report approved Wednesday by the Florida Public Service Commission.The report could play a role in the debate over new nuclear plants in the state and the economic viability of renewable energy in the future. Critics say new nuclear

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New DCA secretary says he doesn't have marching orders on agency's future

Department of Community Affairs Secretary Billy Buzzett told reporters on Tuesday during his first day on the job that he had been given no specific orders by his boss, Gov. Rick Scott, as to the future of the agency. Buzzett attended a meeting of the Senate Community Affairs Committee but he did not address the panel.The transition team for Gov. Rick Scott in December recommended merging DCA

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Growth management legislation clears first committee

Three growth management bills that are intended to address a judge's ruling last summer passed their first Senate committee stop on Tuesday.In August, Circuit Judge Charles Francis in Tallahassee ruled that the 2009 growth management overhaul in SB 360 was unconstitutional because they represented an unfunded mandate for cities and counties and because the bill included more than one subject. The

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Florida Power & Light told to revise its energy conservation plan

The Florida Public Service Commission on Tuesday told Florida Power & Light Co. to resubmit its energy conservation plan to meet yearly goals established by the agency under state law.FPL, the state's largest utility with 2.1 million customers, was the last among seven utilities to have its plans reviewed by the PSC as provided for by the Legislature in 2008 revisions of the Florida Energy

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SACE says it's hopeful with Duke-Progress Energy merger

The leader of a Southern regional environmental group that has been battling Progress Energy over energy conservation and a planned new nuclear plant in Levy County says it's hopeful that the utility's merger with Duke Energy will lead Progress to take more environmentally friendly positions.Duke Energy and Progress Energy on Monday announced the merger agreement to combine the companies, though

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Groups back off merger criticism in growth recommendations

Environmentalists on Monday issued growth management recommendations to state leaders but stopped short of criticizing a proposal by Gov. Rick Scott's transition team to merge state growth management and environmental protection agencies into a new "Department of Growth Leadership."Scott's transition team last month recommended creating the new agency by merging the Department of Community

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Florida ag commissioner sees "common cause" in Everglades as new federal refuge announced

WESTON -- Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam at the Everglades Coalition Conference on Friday called for "smart" environmental restoration while the U.S. Interior Secretary announced a federal initiative with landowners to conserve portions of the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee.Putnam is the first agriculture commissioner to speak at the conference, according to organizers. More than 500

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Scott names former St. Joe exec to lead Florida planning agency

Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday evening announced that he was hiring Billy Buzzett, a former top executive at the St. Joe Company to take over the Department of Community Affairs.Buzzett will take the place of Tom Pelham, who criticized Scott's statement that DCA is killing jobs. Pelham maintained that land-planning agency had approved plenty of development in recent years but that the financial

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Septic tank delay bill goes to Gov. Rick Scott

A bill that would delay implementation of a statewide septic tank inspection requirement was presented Tuesday to Gov. Rick Scott -- after agency rule-making already had been halted.A Senate spokesman declined to say whether the Legislature had delayed sending the bill to avoid a veto by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. He signed SB 550 in June, which contained the inspection requirement. Supporters,

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Scott's inauguration speech raises concerns among some enviros

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday vowed to create the "most favorable business climate in the world" in Florida and issued an executive order to suspend government rule-making.While not specifically blaming environmental permitting during his inauguration speech, he said regulation, taxation and litigation together form the "axis of unemployment.""Unless they are approved, regulations grow like weeds,"

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Incoming governor Scott taps shipyard executive for Florida DEP post

Governor-elect Rick Scott on Monday named Jacksonville shipyard executive Herschel Vinyard Jr. to lead the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, calling him a man of "deep environmental knowledge and practical business experience."Vinyard, who also served as a member of Scott's economic development transition team, recently served as director of business operation for BAE Systems

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Outgoing PSC commissioner raises concerns about agency

Former Florida Public Service Commissioner Nathan Skop said Monday that the public should be concerned about the agency's ability to be fair and impartial now that he and other reform-minded commissioners have been ousted.Skop's final day in office was Jan. 1. He and then-PSC Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano were ousted in June when the PSC Nominating Council voted not to interview them for

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