Urge Governor DeSantis to Veto Local Government Ban on Fertilizer
We urge you to contact Governor DeSantis’ office today and ask him to veto both an unnecessary study and a prohibition on local governments deciding whether or not they can adopt or amend urban fertilizer ordinances that include a rainy season application ban.
Our board has recently signed onto a statewide coalition of groups calling for this veto. We urge this veto for two simple reasons.
First, we strongly believe that governments and citizens in local communities know best when they may need to issue a ban on urban fertilizer use in their own communities. This line item was included in the state budget without a committee hearing or chance for the public to weigh in. This is not what democracy looks like.
Second, the science is clear on what happens when urban fertilizer use isn’t managed properly. Fertilizer is the main source of nitrate pollution in the Santa Fe River springshed and it has diminished the quality of the water in both the Floridian Aquifer and the springs that feed the Santa Fe River. Urban fertilizer can also contribute to Red Tide and blue-green algae throughout the state. And bans that respect homeowners are popular in Florida, with 17 counties and more than 100 cities passing sensible rainy season application bans.
You can take action now.
SEND THIS MESSAGE TO GOV. DESANTIS at governorron.desantis@eog.myflorida.com
Subject line: LINE ITEM VETO TO SAVE THE SPRINGS FROM URBAN FERTILIZER POLLUTION
I urge you to veto the proviso following line item 146 in SB 2500 reading in part “…$250,000 in nonrecurring funds shall be used by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) to evaluate the effectiveness of the timing of seasonal fertilizer restrictions on urban landscapes toward achieving nutrient target objectives for waterbodies statewide.”
Your veto will save the popular, science-based, non-partisan urban pollution control measures that have been adopted across the state over the last 16 years. Failure to veto this line will tie the hands of local governments from protecting their own waterfront economies by prohibiting new effective urban fertilizer ordinances.
Veto the proviso to specific appropriation 146 for the boat captains, waterfront hotels and restaurants, tourists, and everyone who calls Florida their home. Ensure that the urban fertilizer programs we know lead to improved water quality continue leading us to a healthier and safer Florida for all.
Don’t make it harder to stop the urban fertilizer that fuels blue-green algae and Red Tide!
Sincerely,
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