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VoteWater is fighting to fix Florida’s water crisis by tackling the root cause: dirty politics. We expose polluters, hold elected officials accountable and help voters elect leaders who will protect our waterways — not sell them out. Join us and make a difference for the future of Florida.

'Deep Dive' on herbicide use:

Can we cut back on all the spraying?

Chemicals like glyphosate are used in and around Florida water bodies to control invasive plants. But in recent years many local governments and even some state agencies have sought to reduce the use of these chemicals — and with good reason. In our latest “Deep Dive” we take an in-depth look at what’s being used, how it’s being used, and what the consequences are. Even Big Sugar uses glyphosate — but that doesn’t mean there’s anything sweet about it! Check out more in our in-depth report.

Rock mine to get DEP permit Aug. 11 unless 'Everglades Governor' steps in

Given that the Florida DEP (“Don’t Expect Protection”) is scheduled to issue its permit for Phase 1 of the Southland rock mine project on Aug. 11 — and the only person who can stop it, Gov. Ron DeSantis, doesn’t seem inclined to do so.

As we've noted before, DeSantis reportedly prides himself on being the “Everglades Governor.” But given what the rock mine might do to the adjacent EAA Reservoir — and the impact “Alligator Alcatraz” is already having — does that name fit anymore?

The FDEP issued notice it intended to approve the permit for Phase 1 construction of the "Southland Water Resource Project" back on May 29, one week after Palm Beach County Commissioners approved the project. But there's still time to change course.

DeSantis has received thousands of emails and calls asking him to kill the Southland project. If he doesn’t — and FDEP issues the permit — Southland applicants Phillips & Jordan still need the South Florida Water Management District to sign off on the “water resources” part of the project.

The next SFWMD public meeting on that proposal has not yet been scheduled. When it is, we'll let you know — and definitely plan to attend!

'Don't Expect Protection' — for manatees

The headline said it all: “Florida Department of Environmental Protection says it’s not responsible for manatee protection.”

The story detailed legal filings in which the DEP (“Don’t Expect Protection”) “argued a federal appeals court should overturn decisions that required the agency to take a series of steps to protect manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon.”

The department is challenging a ruling by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza, who found it in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and issued an order that, among other things, required the DEP to seek an "incidental take" permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which would require the state to devise a manatee protection plan. The judge also put a moratorium on new septic tanks in the northern Indian River Lagoon.

The DEP’s challenge alleges, among other things, that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is constitutionally responsible for wildlife-related issues, not the DEP.

To quote the DEP’s brief: “This case is of exceptional importance because the district court’s injunction compels the wrong agency to create new government programs and commandeers that same agency to enforce federal law,” the brief said.

We’ll leave it to the lawyers to parse this claim, but suffice to say: So it goes in Florida, where a key government agency is made aware of a grievous environmental problem, and doesn’t rush to help — but rushes to offload responsibility elsewhere.

Why do we fight for change? Because as stories like this make clear — change is grievously needed.

'Alligator Alcatraz' update:

Will the judge issue an injunction?

Wednesday was the big day as the environmental case against the detention center had its day in court. U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams heard arguments in the lawsuit brought by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, who seek an injunction to stop further activity at the site until an environmental study is conducted as required by federal law.

The state and federal government say that since the state is running the detention center, federal laws requiring environmental scrutiny don’t apply.

Both sides duked it out in court Wednesday, but many questions about who's actually running things at the detention center remained unanswered.

As of this writing Judge Williams hasn't issued a ruling, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile Williams still hasn’t ruled on the request by the state and federal government to move the venue from Florida’s Southern District to the state’s Middle District. Elsewhere a judge in the civil right lawsuit against the detention center ordered federal and state officials to produce agreements showing which government agency or private contractor has legal custody of detainees at the facility.

A mess? You betcha, and likely to get messier. We’ll keep you posted.

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