EPA and the Army Corps published a supplemental WOTUS proposal Sept. 9 that would define relatively permanent waters as perennial, permitting only one ordinary dry period of 30 days or less per year, and would require perennial surface water connecting a wetland to a jurisdictional water before federal jurisdiction attaches. Florida’s Environmental Resource Permitting program would still regulate wetlands dropped from Section 404, but the narrower wetland test could collide with the Corps’ longstanding One Wetland policy, with comments due Oct. 9.
Florida Manatees Threatened by Surge in Boat Strikes | Tallahassee Democrat $
A summer 2026 surge in boat-related manatee deaths on the Wakulla and St. Marks rivers killed three manatees in three months, with a fourth death attributed to human interaction, according to wildlife officials and law enforcement. Collisions with boats account for roughly 20 to 25 percent of reported manatee deaths statewide.
Florida Sets New Course for Controversial Herbicide Program Behind Closed Doors | WLRN
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has created a Lake Okeechobee Coordinating Council that meets without public notice or published minutes to shape invasive aquatic plant management, drawing in state and federal agencies, tribal nations, the CEO of Bass Pro Shops and a Ducks Unlimited lobbyist. FWC says the council is a fact-finding body outside the Sunshine Law that makes no recommendations, though critics warn policy changes traced to closed-door deliberations could be vulnerable in court.
TSC Secures $17M for New Facility at Wakulla Environmental Institute | Tallahassee Democrat $
A $17 million federal grant will fund a new workforce training facility at Tallahassee State College’s Wakulla County-based Wakulla Environmental Institute.
Florida DEP Testifies in U.S. House on 404 Permitting | Florida Specifier
FDEP Deputy Secretary John Truitt testified before a U.S. House subcommittee on Sept. 16 in support of H.R. 9017, the Restore Florida Water Independence Act of 2026, which targets the Endangered Species Act issue that led federal courts to vacate EPA’s approval of Florida’s Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting program. Passage would remove the main legal obstacle to restoring FDEP’s authority to issue federal dredge-and-fill permits in assumed waters, a program that drew more than 8,760 applications over its three years of operation.
Northeast Florida Water Shortage Threatens Springs, Aquifer Recovery | News4JAX
Duval and St. Johns counties sit more than 15 inches below their 12-month average rainfall, and the St. Johns River Water Management District says springs west of Duval in Alachua County have begun drying up as the Floridan Aquifer struggles to recover. District water supply director Clay Coarsey estimates the region needs roughly 30 inches of rain above normal over the next three months, and both counties remain under Phase 3 restrictions limiting outdoor watering.
Rare Rust Tide Bloom Threatens Marine Life Near Sanibel Beaches | WINK News
A rust tide bloom, caused by the dinoflagellate Margalefidinium, has been reported since Sept. 1 around Sanibel, Tarpon Bay, Captiva Pass, Pine Island Sound and Cayo Costa, only the second occurrence in the area since 2023. The organism produces no toxins harmful to people but strips oxygen from the water, and researchers report the highest cell concentrations they have measured for any non-red tide bloom, raising the risk of fish kills if it persists.
US Firms Explore Liquefied CO2 Terminal and Vessel at Florida Port | gasworld $
Aptamus Carbon Solutions and Demeter Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to study a liquid carbon dioxide terminal at Seaport Manatee, supporting Demeter’s planned biomethanol and carbon capture facility that would produce about 100,000 tonnes of low-carbon biomethanol and capture roughly 200,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. Captured CO2 would be liquefied and shipped to Texas or Louisiana for underground storage or enhanced oil recovery aboard a proposed Jones Act vessel carrying both methanol and LCO2.
Nine Florida Springs Will Get New Cleanup Plans Under Legal Settlement | Inside Climate News
A settlement between environmental groups and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requires new Basin Management Action Plans for seven Suwannee River springs and the Wekiwa and Rock springshed, targeting nitrogen from agricultural lands and septic systems. For the first time DEP must verify whether agricultural best management practices are working, and the Wekiwa and Rock plan must expand limits on new conventional septic systems and upgrade requirements.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has lost more than 170 employees in Florida over the past two years, roughly half the state’s federal wildlife workforce, according to rosters obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity and shared with the Tampa Bay Times. The cuts, driven by early retirements, resignation incentives, hiring freezes and departures tied to poor morale, have touched at least 11 national wildlife refuges from the Keys to the Panhandle as the federal government moves to roll back a 50-year-old rule protecting endangered species habitat.
