The following was sent by the Florida Springs Council and shows the dirty side of politics. Not fair. Bribes are legal thanks to our corrupt Supreme Court.
IFAS already has a tainted record with urban fertilizer .
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
I have news from this legislative session, and like a lot of legislative news this year, it’s not good. But as a Springs Advocate you need to know.
Sunday night, while we were all busy winding down and getting ready for a new week, Florida lawmakers quietly handed a gift to the fertilizer industry.
At 8 p.m. a measure was added to the budget proviso prohibiting any local government from adopting or amending a fertilizer ordinance that includes a rainy season ban.
The measure “Prohibits a local government from adopting or amending a fertilizer management ordinance pursuant to s. 403.9337, F.S., which provides for a prohibited application period not in existence on June 30, 2023.”
- This means no new local fertilizer ordinances with blackout periods for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
- Because it was added to the budget, it was never heard by any committee and there was never an opportunity for public comment.
The language is tied to a $6.2 million appropriation to IFAS to study the impact of preempting local fertilizer regulations for the next year.
Statewide, 12% of pollution in Outstanding Florida Springs comes from urban fertilizer, the fertilizers we use for lawns, sports fields, and other turfgrass. For springs near population centers it’s much higher. Gemini Springs sees 50% of pollution from urban fertilizers, meaning they could show the greatest benefit from strong fertilizer ordinances.
Lawmakers are taking away one of the most effective tools local governments have to address Florida’s water crisis for the benefit of the fertilizer industry.
For the next fiscal year, and longer if Florida’s lawmakers get their way, the fertilizer industry’s profits will be better protected than our ailing waterways. It’ll be our job to hold them accountable.
Learn more at https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/05/01/fertilizer-use-restriction-ban-rainy-season-environment-budget/
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