UPDATED: EPA and Army Corps File Proposed WOTUS Rule, Comment Deadline Set | Florida Specifier
EPA and the Army Corps published a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking Sept. 9 at 91 Fed. Reg. 57284, adding new alternatives to the WOTUS definition first proposed in November 2025, with comments due Oct. 9. The options would generally limit “relatively permanent” waters to perennial waters and require a perennial surface connection between wetlands and jurisdictional waterbodies, a distinction that bears directly on Florida’s ERP program and Section 404 review.
A ribbon-cutting in western Palm City marked the completion of the C-23 Canal Estuary Discharge Diversion Project, a roughly $57 million effort that took about three and a half years to build. The project’s nearly 7-mile canal and pump station will divert excess C-23 Canal water away from the St. Lucie Estuary and into the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area for treatment before it reaches the estuary, moving flows closer to their natural pattern.
FWC Seeks Public Input on Big Bend Oyster Management | Levy Citizen
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gathered public input as it weighed updates to commercial and recreational wild oyster harvest regulations in Levy, Dixie and Citrus counties. Workshops in Crystal River, Cross City and Bronson covered the status of Big Bend oyster resources, fishery history and restoration efforts, and collected feedback on harvest seasons, limits, reporting requirements and licensing that staff will use to develop recommendations for the commission.
Where Did $8 Million of Sunny Isles Beach’s Permitting Fees Go? | South Florida Sun Sentinel
Sunny Isles Beach Commissioner Fabiola Stuyvesant argues the city has spent roughly $8 million in restricted building-permit fees on uses Florida Statute 553.80 does not allow, including more than $6 million to renovate a building housing a leased restaurant and about half the deputy city manager’s $200,000 salary. She writes that more than $10 million has shifted from the Building Fund to the general fund since 2019 as an “admin fee” budgeted under supplies, and calls for permit fees brought down to actual inspection cost.
UF Wins $1.79M NSF Grant to Advance AI Environmental Forecasting | The Boca Raton Tribune $
The National Science Foundation awarded a $1.79 million grant to a University of Florida research team developing artificial intelligence tools to model the connections between water and carbon, from drinking water supply and flood prevention to carbon storage in forests and wetlands. The project will use AI to predict how shifts in land use, water availability and climate affect those systems, drawing on UF’s HiPerGator supercomputer to process environmental data and run the forecasting models.
EPA scientists will use non-targeted analysis to screen drinking water for pharmaceuticals, PFAS and more than 1,000 potential contaminants, an approach that scans samples for thousands of pollutants rather than the limited set conventional methods measure. The agency said the findings, announced Sept. 9, will help fill gaps left by the draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List and the proposed Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule and guide future drinking water priorities.
North Florida Land Trust Receives $1 Million Donation | Jax Daily Record $
The North Florida Land Trust announced Sept. 7 it had received a $1 million anonymous donation earmarked for conservation work in Nassau County, where the nonprofit says it has protected 6,281 acres over more than 27 years. The gift follows the Fernandina Beach City Commission’s approval of a memorandum of understanding that identifies parcels of mutual interest and commits both parties to contribute funding toward acquisition, and NFLT says it is working to conserve two more properties by the end of 2026.
South Florida Teens Build a National Championship-Winning Solar Car | Central Florida Ag News
A 14-member team of teenagers with UF/IFAS Extension 4-H in Broward and Palm Beach counties designs, welds, wires and races a solar-powered electric car built from the ground up, an approach to workforce development that sets aside traditional livestock and produce projects. Now housed at South Plantation High School, the 4-H TechGarage Solar Car Club builds skills in engineering, project management, fundraising and leadership with support from a teacher-mentor, sponsors and community donations.
