Council Auditors: JEA Could Have Missed up to $75 Million of Capacity Fees Since 2003 | Jax Daily Record $
Jacksonville City Council auditor Brian Parks told a Council oversight committee that JEA may be owed as much as $75 million in uncollected capacity fees dating back to 2003, more than double the utility’s own $29.2 million estimate. JEA’s chief water systems officer said he expects the figure to come in lower after further review of contracts and exemptions. The gap follows a June Inspector General report attributing JEA’s past collection failures to data gaps and system failures rather than misconduct.
Pipeline Installed for Muck Removal Project | Lake Okeechobee News
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed part of Route 2 on the Lake Okeechobee Waterway July 27-31 to install a pipeline for a Sea & Shoreline dredging project. The project will remove muck from roughly 300 acres of the lake bottom to cut phosphorus and nitrogen that feed harmful algal blooms, hauling the dredged material off for later beneficial reuse. It’s one of five FDEP-funded nutrient removal projects on the lake, with the permit running through March 2031.
St. Pete Beach Hotel Owner, Bar Owner Accused of Dumping Toxic Mothballs on Beach | Bay News 9
FWC officers arrested the owners of the Plaza Beach Hotel and Chris’s Beachside Bar, accusing them of scattering 1,500 mothballs on St. Pete Beach in April to keep black skimmer shorebirds from nesting behind their property. Investigators say a Walmart purchase record and cellphone data tied the men to the scene, and texts showed concern that nesting fencing would cost them business. Both face felony commercial littering and misdemeanor charges tied to an imperiled species; more than 10 percent of Florida’s black skimmers nest in Pinellas County.
Commissioners Approve an Environmental Lands Funding Referendum for the November Ballot | The Bradenton Times
Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously to place a referendum on the November ballot asking voters to approve up to $75 million in bonds and a 0.16-mill tax levy for environmental lands acquisition and maintenance. It builds on a 2020 referendum that passed with 71 percent support, and would also allow funding for conservation easements rather than only outright land purchases. Since 2023 the county’s Environmental Lands Program has acquired more than 300 acres and protected 1,483 acres through rural land easements.
North Central Florida Spring Shut Down Due to Algae Bloom | Chronicle Online
Poe Springs in Alachua County was closed to swimmers after testing confirmed toxic levels of blue-green algae in its usually clear water. Florida Springs Institute director Dr. Bob Knight attributes the bloom to reduced rainfall and heavy aquifer withdrawals, which cut the spring’s flow nearly in half and let the water warm, on top of nitrogen runoff from agriculture and septic tanks. Florida’s DEP Algae Watch currently lists blooms in about 80 percent of water bodies across north and north central Florida.
Florida’s Water Paradox: 5 Feet of Rain a Year but We Still Run Dry | News-Press
Despite nearly five feet of annual rainfall, Florida’s drinking water aquifers are shrinking as population growth and a century of draining and channelizing the Everglades system strain the state’s water supply. Experts quoted say water quality is declining statewide from algae blooms, red tide, and pollution even as billions are spent on Everglades restoration, and note that agriculture, lawn irrigation, and millions of individual water-use decisions all add to the strain. Florida has added 5.7 million residents in 20 years, with 3 million more expected in the next 20.
Sea Turtles Are Nesting in Strong Numbers on Florida Beaches | Yahoo/Florida Today
Loggerhead, green, and leatherback sea turtles are showing strong nesting numbers on Space Coast beaches this year, aided by decades of beach renourishment that gave turtles more room to nest. Brevard’s beach renourishment coordinator says loggerheads are having one of their best years on record, though hotter sand continues to skew hatchling sex ratios toward mostly females. Local governments generally enforce nighttime beach lighting restrictions from May through October to keep hatchlings oriented toward the ocean.
Brevard County Tests New Method to Reduce Lagoon Pollution | Fox 35 Orlando
Brevard County is piloting a new method to improve water quality in the Indian River Lagoon by capping nutrient-rich muck on the lagoon floor with clean sand instead of removing it through traditional dredging.
Realtors Clean 350 Pounds of Trash From Waterways | Coastal Breeze News
The Marco Island Area Association of Realtors held its 7th annual Clean Up Florida Waters Event, with more than 50 volunteers on over 20 boats collecting 350 pounds of trash from hard-to-reach mangroves and coastlines around East Marco Bay and Keewaydin Island. Organizer Jack Winnik said the event has grown steadily since its first year and aims to raise awareness about protecting local waterways and wildlife.
