Legislators may use new studies to undermine fertilizer laws and risk even more pollution Editor's note: The previous version of this newsletter contained an incorrect link address for the fertilizer blog post. The error has been fixed in this version; we apologize for the inconvenience.    Florida's waterways have a nutrient problem. Undermining fertilizer bans could make it worse. __________________________________ It's just common sense. The nitrogen and phosphorus in fertilizer is great for your lawn, but terrible if the summer rains wash it into your local waterway, where it can contribute to harmful algal blooms and other problems. So small wonder 18 counties and more than 100 municipalities across Florida have passed "strong" ordinances prohibiting the use of fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus during the summer months. But new studies purporting to show that these summertime bans don't work could prompt legislators to undermine these ordinances, even ban the summertime bans. That amounts to rolling the dice and wagering the results won't inflict even more harm on our fragile waters. And that's a bet Florida can't afford to take. Read more in today's blog post. Read more at VoteWater.org   ICYMI: Who's buying off our politicians? The Dirty Money Project will find out As a VoteWater supporter, you know dirty money = dirty water. Campaign cash from polluting industries buys influence in the halls of power and results in laws that protect polluters at the expense of clean water. That's why our “Dirty Money Project” will dig into campaign finance data at the federal, state and county level in St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Collier and Lee counties, to see how much campaign cash elected officials are getting, from whom — and how this affects water policy. We believe if citizens know the truth about “dirty money,” they’ll demand cleaner politicians — and that means cleaner water. So stay tuned. And please consider donating to VoteWater; your support can help us make “dirty money” so toxic even dirty politicians won’t touch it. Donate to VoteWater Lake O: Bloom shrinks but we're not out of the woods yet Our friends at Friends of the Everglades have posted a helpful video documenting conditions on Lake Okeechobee and noting some "hopeful news": the lake isn't rising as quickly as it was, and the size of the algal bloom on the lake has diminished. But large-scale discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers remains a distinct - and damaging - possibility. Watch the video On our socials: A rising lake leads to rising anger Our Facebook post of a WUSF story on how Lake Okeechobee is 30 inches higher this year than it was this time last year with the peak of hurricane season still to come generated some heat, with dozens of respondents pointing fingers and demanding solutions. Join the conversation on Facebook Join the Fight! Donate Now! P.S. Signatures Needed! The "Right to Clean and Healthy Waters" petition needs 900,000 signature by November 30 to get on the 2024 ballot. The petition can be printed out and signed here: [link removed]     VoteWater | 3727 SE Ocean Blvd., Suite 200A, Stuart, FL 34996 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!