By Betsy Calvert, Charlotte Daily Sun Staff Writer, July 20, 2021 Some Charlotte County commissioners are ready to scale the heights of federal permitting to dredge a new passage from the Manchester Waterway to Charlotte Harbor. “This is dysfunctional federal government,” said Commissioner Chris Constance, after listening to a summary of what 12 federal regulators…
By Jonathan Scott Webber, Guest columnist, Tampa Bay Times, July 15, 2021 From Tampa Bay fish kills to manatee die-offs, put the blame where it belongs: on failed Tallahassee leadership. After the year we’ve had, many of us wish we could go back in time. But no one in Florida wants to go back to…
By Julian Mark, Washington Post, July 12, 2021 When Glen Nguyen drove his boat out onto Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon, he did not bother bringing his fishing rod. The 38-year-old St. Petersburg, Fla., native had cast lines into the bay since he was a child, but this weekend, all he could see was tragedy,…
By Phyllis Wojcik, Charlotte County Environmental Caucus, June 14, 2021 Betty Staugler, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Harmful Algae Bloom liaison, Florida Sea Grant University of Florida and Nicole Iadevaia, Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) presented “Seagrass Trends in Charlotte Harbor: Current Findings and Ongoing Efforts” to the Charlotte County Commissioners at…
On April 22nd, members of the Charlotte County Democratic Club honored Earth Day by picking up four bags of trash and debris from the roadside and ditches along Olean Blvd from Beacon St. to Kings Hwy. The Club services this road throughout the year as a participant in the “Adopt a Road” program, keeping Charlotte…
The Englewood Democratic Club, the Democratic Environmental Caucus and Englewood Indivisibles came together to conduct an orderly and peaceful Earth Day demonstration around the phosphate mining issue in light of the Piney Point disaster, the effects of which are yet to be known. About 50 like minded citizens who want our waters to remain clean rallied…
By Andy Mele, Sarasota environmental activist and Democrat Background: Piney Point in Manatee County, just south of Tampa, is a small mountain of waste phosphogypsum called a “gypstack,” with earthwork berm-retained lakes on top for settling out the waste phosphogypsum, and recycling the acidic process fluids used in fertilizer manufacturing. The current spill is just…
By Betsy Calvert, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer, Apr 7, 2021 What happened? Stacks of waste water and phosphogypsum remain at the site of the defunct Piney Point phosphate plant mine in Bradenton. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency last Saturday after a significant leak of wastewater threatened to burst a system that…
The Charlotte County Democratic Club (CCDC) will honor Earth Day on April 22 by removing trash on Olean Rd from Kings Hwy to Beacon St. Volunteers are welcome and supplies will be furnished. If you would like to join this event, please arrive at CCDC Headquarters located at 3596 Tamiami Trail, #102, Port Charlotte by…
By Jesse Mendoza, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, USA TODAY NETWORK, April 3, 2021 As yet another potential environmental disaster connected to the former Piney Point fertilizer processing plant along Tampa Bay in Manatee County unfolds, questions about accountability for the repeated problems loom. Elected officials and regulators at both the local and state levels have long grappled…
By Dr. Aaron Adams, published in the Boca Beacon, March 27,2021 What used to be an expansive seagrass flat, is now a mix of open sand and thick algae. The cancer of too many nutrients is spreading throughout Charlotte Harbor. This does not bode well for the long-term future of its legendary fisheries. I lived…
Dr. Richard Whitman will review the status and trends of recreational water quality of Charlotte County beaches at the next monthly meeting of the Environmental Caucus on Tuesday, April 6th at 1:30 pm. – His presentation will point out specific concerns, the need for pollution source identification, more timely notification, increased advisory reliability, and examples…
Editor’s note: Charlotte County comes in 5th amongst this ranking, worse than Sarasota County. The full report is available here. By Chad Gillis, Fort Myers News-Press, March 23, 2021 Coastal urbanization is the top factor driving pollution from the Tampa Bay area south to Collier County, and the water quality in many of those counties…
By DANIEL SUTPHIN, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer, Jan 13, 2021 ARCADIA — “Water is life, water is life,” Vicki Steiner pleaded to DeSoto County Commissioners Wednesday during a workshop in Arcadia on water quality and phosphate mining company Mosaic. Steiner, of DeSoto County, was one of a handful of Southwest Florida residents speaking out against…
By Betsy Calvert, Charlotte Sun Staff Writer, Nov 29, 2020 This aerial view of the planned community called West Port under development shows State Road 776/El Jobean Road at the bottom and U.S. 41 at the top. The Charlotte County Centennial Park is the green in the middle. The first model homes may go in…
By David Jones, Democratic Candidate for District 75, Florida House of Representatives Because of the current USA political system, whereby our officials are often elected by the size of their wallet or their beholden special interests, we can no longer exclusively trust our government to assure environmental justice. I believe that environmental protection should be…
Florida’s persistent blue-green algae problem in waterways has already been linked to respiratory problems. Now, a team of researchers, led by a University of Miami neurology professor, have found that the toxin in those algae blooms can lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating and progressive neurodegnerative disease that destroys nerve cells in the…
by Phyllis Wojcik, President, Charlotte County Democratic Environmental Council Over thirty individuals attended 24 Hours of Reality: Truth in Action on, a global conversation on the truth of the climate crisis and how we solve it. Alessia Leathers, a leader from The Climate Reality Project, joined volunteers around the world holding public presentations and conversations…
The Englewood Pioneer Days Parade on Saturday hosted a tremendous turnout by members of the Democratic Party. Our neighbors showed robust support with cheers and positive reactions to the festive Award-Winning float. More than two dozen members of the newly established Englewood Democratic Club were joined by members of the Charlotte Co. DEC, Democratic Club,…
The Florida Democratic Party has approved a new party platform which includes the Rights of Nature. This is believed to be the first time such a provision has been included in a state political party platform in the United States. The platform reads: We resolve to adequately protect our waters, support communities’ rights in reclaiming…