Barely enough to stop the bleeding for a moment. These are emergency funds to help remediate what DeSantis, the Legislature, the DEP and their predecessors have been practicing. This current emergency is the result of malfeasance and incompetence from current and earlier leaders.
So, Mr. Governor, please do not brag about this sum of money– you are partially the cause of the problem and you need to fix that problem by limiting nutrients from fertilizer, septics, and wastewater. And limit overpumping. This will involve agriculture, so brace yourself.
You can talk about “record amounts” and “increases” all you want, that is immaterial.
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
State to dedicate $30M to manatees
That’s $17 million more than was allocated to the threatened marine mammals last year.
May 3, 2022
As manatees continue to die in record numbers, Florida is poised to spend more than $30 million on efforts to rescue the iconic animals and restore the habitats they call home.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced his support for the funding, which was included in the budget the Legislature passed in March. The governor’s office called it a “record investment in manatee care and protection” and said it represents a $17 million increase over the current budget.
The money, according to the state, includes $20 million to cover efforts such as improving manatee access to springs — where they find shelter — and experimental projects like the state’s attempt to feed starving manatees lettuce this winter in the Indian River Lagoon.
Another $5.3 million will boost the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s work on rescuing and recovering manatees and will help pay for 12 positions. Additional funding will pay for aerial surveys to track the manatee population and to support facilities that treat sick manatees.
At least 527 manatees have died in the state this year as of April 22, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Last year, 1,101 manatees died, more than any year on record.
Those tallies track all causes of death across Florida. The epicenter of the die-off is the Indian River Lagoon, where scientists say algal blooms have crushed the ecosystem, leaving the manatees there without enough seagrass to eat in the winter.
People hurt manatees in other ways, too, including by accidentally crashing into them with boats.
Manatees are a threatened species, though some experts and politicians are now calling for the federal government to re-classify them as endangered.
Pat Rose, executive director of the nonprofit Save the Manatee Club, credited House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, in particular for pushing the funding through. DeSantis’ approval is critical, too, he said, because the governor holds veto power and has yet to sign the 2022-23 budget. The money, Rose said, “will help tremendously in dealing with the immediate predicaments.” Contact Zachary T. Sampson at zsampson@tampabay.com or 727-893-8804. Follow @zacksampson
