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Tag: water quality

Letter to the Editor: Kids want wetlands preserved

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Letter to the Editor, Opinion.

Dear Manatee County Commissioners,

We are kids who live in Manatee County and the surrounding areas. We love our community and our environment. We are sunset watchers. We are kayakers of mangrove swamps, snorkelers of seagrass beds, and sailors of our beautiful bay. These are the things we love, the experiences that have shaped us.

That’s why we are distressed to see our wetlands disappearing and our waters becoming increasingly dirty. We are concerned that we are losing what we love, that the reckless destruction of our environment being committed today will leave us nothing for tomorrow.

We are shocked and saddened that you are considering removing our already inadequate wetland protections. If our wetlands are destroyed, we stand to lose everything we love about our home forever. Decisions like this will define your legacy. Please, do not eliminate the county’s increased wetland buffer requirements.

 

Brice Claypoole

Manatee County

 

(Editor’s note: 71 other minors signed this letter)

Suncoast Waterkeeper to host ‘Value of Wetlands’ panel

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Development and the environment can be compatible. While I know that might seem like an antithetical statement, when greed and power don’t cloud the big picture, it becomes obvious that sustainable growth and a healthy ecosystem must co-exist. In coastal communities like Manatee County, wetlands have never been more important to the health and economy of the region. Rising sea levels, more powerful storms and mushrooming harmful algae blooms like red tide and lyngbya make the point. The time for quick action has never been more urgent and, if you’re not on the water like local anglers, the collapse of the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast and images of starving manatees serve as the proverbial “canary in the coal mine.” Unfortunately, at a time screaming for enlightened leadership, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted 6-1 to roll back wetland protection, with Commissioner George Kruse dissenting. The move is a not-so-veiled attempt at payback to developers that financed their campaigns. The BOCC members claim there is no science supporting buffers and state minimum standards will protect the local environment.

Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK), reacting to the attempt, convened a panel of experts to explain the detrimental effects on coastal water quality, drinking water quality, habitat and coastal resiliency within Manatee County. In a statement posted to their website, social media and mailed to local news outlets and members, they encourage citizens to get involved in an issue that is sure to impact the lives of countless generations of Manatee County citizens.

Join the discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Bradenton Woman’s Club and learn the facts from scientists who study wetlands and water quality in our region. The BOCC claims insufficient science to support the language currently in the comprehensive plan, so SCWK is asking researchers who study these issues to give the public facts. Go to www.suncoastwaterkeeper.org/save_our_welands to learn how you can get involved and protect our vital coastal resources. You can also sign their petition and sign up to volunteer. Volunteers will be given scientific information presented by panelists to read into the record at the Oct. 5 county commission meeting. In the words of Abbey Tyrna, SCWK’s executive director, let’s flood them with facts!

Reel Time: Opposition mounts against wetlands reduction

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

When the Manatee County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 (Commissioner George Kruse voted no) to reduce wetland buffers in the county, the audience at the meeting reacted with an audible burst of anger. I was at that meeting and, after speaking in opposition to the measure and listening to a stream of three dozen citizens do the same, it was stunning and sad to experience the government overreach and lack of concern the commission displayed for the voters who elected them. It was clear that the passage of the ill-conceived building industry measure was a foregone conclusion as little to no discussion except Commissioner Kruse’s well-reasoned objection was held. It was apparent that the six commissioners were waiting for the public comment to end so they could advance the measure.

Coming in on the heels of the decision, Hurricane Idalia’s inundation of low-lying areas of the county and barrier islands highlights the importance of wetlands and buffers not only for water quality but also for storm protection. The EPA’s document, “Wetlands: Protecting Life and Property from Flooding,” makes it clear that our coastal areas are particularly prone to flooding and storm damage and are in need of buffers.

“Wetlands in many locations play an important role in flood protection. Nowhere is this function more important than along coastal areas. Coastal areas are vulnerable to hurricanes and other powerful storms, and the flat coastal terrain means that land and property can be exposed to the full power of these storms,” the document says. “Preserving and reconstructing coastal marshes can help reduce storm damage. Coastal wetlands serve as storm surge protectors when hurricanes or tropical storms come ashore. In the Gulf Coast area, barrier islands, shoals, marshes, forested wetlands and other features of the coastal landscape can provide a significant and potentially sustainable buffer from wind wave action and storm surge generated by tropical storms and hurricanes.”

As the date for the final decision, Oct. 5, draws closer, a groundswell of resistance is coming from some expected and unexpected groups. In just the last three weeks, Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Abbey Tyrna has reported requests for presentations to address these concerns from homeowners’ associations, civic groups and even religious organizations. The Save Our Wetlands petition has garnered over 2,000 signatures. The children’s group, Kids for Clean Water, has conducted Zoom meetings to find ways to effectively address what they rightly consider a taking of their future and are organizing to get that message out to the public. There are also moves underway to address this egregious overreach at the ballot box, so expect to see challenges to the commissioners, who take their orders from developers who financed their campaigns instead of the citizens they swore to represent.

What makes this move so deceitful is the fact that prominent developers, who were unable to reduce buffers in lawsuits brought against the county, financed commissioners who are now doing their bidding. While they might win this battle, I’m 100% sure they will lose the war. If the citizens of Manatee County don’t wake up to this threat, generations of Manatee County citizens will suffer the consequences.

Make sure you are part of the solution and not part of the problem. Write letters, call your commissioners, attend meetings and make sure you engage in enlightened self-interest at the ballot box.

Suncoast Waterkeeper urges protection of wetlands

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

In a recent column, I reported how state rules and regulations passed during the DeSantis legislative session limited the protection of local waters at a time when the threat to water quality and habitat destruction has never been graver. Now, according to Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) Executive Director Abbey Tyrna, that threat has come to Manatee County.

In a statement, SCWK responded to newly-proposed changes in the Manatee County Comprehensive Plan with the following:

“Manatee County has proposed removing policies of the comprehensive plan and sections of the land development code to allow for the destruction of our wetlands and wetland buffers. We’re taking action to ensure that another threat to our quality of life, local economy and waterways don’t become a reality. These changes would create permanent damage. Once wetlands are gone, they are gone for good.

“Wetlands are protected ecosystems because they perform a wide variety of important functions, chief among them is their ability to clean polluted water. This function alone should have the county commission and its appointed planning commission fighting to protect these valuable ecosystems in the face of increasingly harmful algae blooms including red tide and lyngbya. Wetlands do more than enhance water quality, they protect us from flooding, provide habitat for Florida fish and wildlife, and replenish our dwindling groundwater supplies.

Suncoast Waterkeeper urges protection of wetlands
Dr. Abbey Tyrna, executive director of Suncoast Waterkeeper and a wetland scientist, addresses the Manatee County planning board. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

“So why would Manatee County Commission want to push changes that would destroy wetlands in the face of these threats? The answer is simple: They want more developable land to put corporate profits before our quality of life, our local economy and water quality.

“It is time to take action to make sure these changes do not become a reality. Will you join us in protecting our wetlands? Add your name to our petition that we are sending to the Manatee Board of County Commissioners online. Together we’ll protect what makes the Suncoast special.”

In what many described as a surprise decision, the Manatee County Planning Commission voted 4-2 on Aug. 10 not to recommend the proposed changes to the commission. At that meeting, Tyrna, as well as many local citizens, including past Commissioner Joe McClash, gave powerful testimony that swayed the majority of the board to vote the proposal down. That deprives the commission of the cover of their planning board. Unfortunately, they are not required to abide by that decision and could vote for the changes. That’s why SCWK, the Manatee County League of Women Voters, ManaSota-88, Speak Out Manatee, the Sierra Club, East Manatee Preservation and Kids for Clean Water are encouraging voters (you) to turn out at this Thursday’s commission meeting, which will be held at the Honorable Patricia M. Glass Chambers at the Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. in Bradenton. The meeting starts at 9 a.m.

If we, the citizens of Manatee County, don’t speak out, our children and future generations (who have no voice in this decision) will suffer the consequences of our inaction.

Testing shows drinking water free of toxins

Testing shows drinking water free of toxins

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

MANATEE COUNTY – County officials say that new tests confirm the drinking water coming from Lake Manatee is safe.

In a July 18 press release, more than a week after attention was first drawn to the strange odor and taste in local drinking water, county officials said that the compound affecting the water is geosmin, not an algal toxin.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, geosmin is a compound, often related to the cyanobacteria Anabaena, that causes taste and odor issues in water related to blue-green algae outbreaks.

“While certain blue-green algae can produce toxins, it is important to note that not all blue-green algae blooms are toxic,” according to last week’s press release from county Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan.

Logan’s previous press release from the county on July 10 stated that tests showed the presence of blue-green algae at elevated concentrations in drinking water.

The algae bloom in the county reservoir, which provides water for a large part of the county, caused a musty taste and odor that persists, according to the county.

Local environmental advocacy group Suncoast Waterkeeper disputed the water’s safety in a press release on July 12, naming Anabaena as a health risk.

Independent testing done by GreenWater Laboratories showed that a number of cyanotoxins related to blue-green algae were not found in the water, according to the county.

The county is treating the reservoir with activated powdered carbon.

Algae blooms in the county’s drinking water are common, seasonal occurrences, according to the county, which advises the public to use a carbon filter on faucets to minimize the earthy taste of the drinking water.

Suncoast Waterkeeper christens new patrol boat

Suncoast Waterkeeper christens new patrol boat

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Island residents have two opportunities to join in on the christening of Suncoast Waterkeeper’s new patrol boat and the launch of Eyes on the Suncoast, an improved citizen pollution and habitat monitoring program.

The 23-foot deck boat was purchased from Anna Maria Island Dolphin Tours. Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) is grateful to the owner, Island entrepreneur Ben Webb, who has been a huge supporter of the group. According to Waterkeeper’s Executive Director Abbey Tyrna, “Webb gave us a great price on the boat, allowed us time to obtain a grant before final payment and donated a $7,000 trailer. It’s because of stakeholders like Webb that we can make a real difference protecting the water quality and habitat of Sarasota Bay.”

“It’s a win/win for both of us,” Webb said. “If we don’t all pitch in to protect the natural areas that fuel our passion and that are the basis of our economy, everybody loses. It’s only common sense.”

The first event will be held on World Mangrove Day, Wednesday, July 26 at Floridays Woodfire Grill and Bar, 12332 Manatee Ave. W., from 4:30-6:30 p.m. During the event, attendees will be educated about the new program and learn about the importance and function of mangroves. Besides the christening, there will also be live music and a raffle. Light appetizers will be served and each attendee will receive a free drink. Once again, Waterkeeper would like to give a shout-out to Floridays and partner James Brearley, staunch supporters of SCWK’s work.

The second event is planned for Saturday, July 29 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron on City Island. This is a family-friendly event that will have a host of exciting, water-centered activities including making sun prints, dip netting, stand-up paddleboard lessons, casting lessons, training, live music and a raffle. Food will be available from food trucks including Big Blue Grilled Cheese Company and Chill Mobile. Partners for this event include the Sailing Squadron, Florida Sea Grant, Around the Bend Nature Tours, Big Blue and Chill Mobile.

Come and learn about the efforts of SCWK and local partners to protect the water quality and habitat on the Suncoast and learn how you can be part of the solution. While you’re there, you’ll participate in the christening, meet some of the area’s most committed citizens and share some of the unique activities our waters provide.

Legislation imperils local waters

Reel Time: Legislation imperils local waters

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

At a time when the need to move water quality issues in a positive direction should be crystal clear, decisionmakers (and, by default, the citizens who elected them) are weakening protections that are the basis of the region’s economy. After several years of record harmful algae blooms (red tide, lyngbya, blue-green algae) and the unprecedented mega release of toxic effluent from the Piney Point disaster, it’s almost unbelievable that newly enacted state laws are making it harder to protect critical waters.

A bill that was recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis prohibits local governments from “adopting or amending a fertilizer management ordinance” during the 2023-24 budget year. The legislation restricts the ability of local municipalities and counties to restrict fertilizer use during the rainy season (May 15 to Oct. 3). Instead, they are now required to depend on less restrictive regulations developed by the University of Florida and supported by the state’s phosphate industry, the producers of fertilizer. It’s another nod to industry over the common good. The bill, which was quietly tucked into the budget without comment from the public, is defended by proponents since it only lasts for a year while the university studies the impact of the revised rule. This move appears to be nothing more than a gift to the fertilizer industry that has been losing revenue since 2000. Before the law was enacted, Gil Smart, executive director of advocacy group VoteWater, stated, “Fertilizer control is a key tool for local governments grappling with water quality problems. If this stands, it just opens the door to even more nutrients in our waterways and more problems. It’s unconscionable.” (Mary Allen Klas, Tampa Bay Times, May 2, 2022)

When I contacted Smart about the newly-enacted bill, he added, “I can also say this fertilizer study is an obvious precursor to legislative attempts to weaken fertilizer ordinances across Florida. I’d expect to see legislation to that effect as early as next session.”

Local anglers see first-hand what devastation excess nutrients from a myriad of sources, including fertilizer, wreak on the waters of Anna Maria Sound. Capt. Justin Moore understands the issue firsthand. Moore fishes over 200 days a year and sees the changes happening before his eyes.

“I have lots of customers who love to fish and have young children,” he said. “If they want their kids able to fish, we need to address this issue at the ballot box. What I’m seeing makes me afraid that we’re close to losing it all if we’re not careful. New and existing businesses on the Island and beyond need to know that a catastrophic red tide bloom (scientifically linked to excess nutrients) could devastate their business.”

If this wasn’t a big enough blow to efforts to protect water quality and vital marine habitat, Senate Bill 540 might signal the final nail in the coffin of common-sense reform. According to Samantha Wassmer, marketing and communications specialist for Suncoast Waterkeeper, “Along with the new restriction on fertilizer, the state Legislature delivered Senate Bill 540 and Senate Bill 1258/House Bill 1191 to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 540 threatens ordinary Floridians with financial ruin for exercising their right to legally challenge bad development decisions. Specifically, citizens who challenge comprehensive plan amendments would be forced to pay the attorney fees and costs of the prevailing local government and developers if they lose their challenge. Senate Bill 1258 approves the use of radioactive waste called phosphogypsum in road construction, giving a free pass for industry to produce even more fertilizer that ultimately flushes into and pollutes our local waterways. Gov. DeSantis signed SB 540 on May 24, 2023, and has yet to take any action on SB 1258 which, as a result, automatically went into effect on July 1.”

Dave Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, has a broader viewpoint as a scientist and brings another perspective to the issue.

“Municipalities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up Sarasota Bay and isotopic signatures show the presence of fertilizer-derived nitrogen in bay waters. Since there are no agricultural sources of nitrogen in the adjacent watershed it’s an indication that the nitrogen is from residential sources. If you want a bright green lawn, you must be willing to accept a bright green bay,” Tomasko said. “Since no one wants that, every citizen in the watershed must step up and do their part.”

In the end, the message seems clear to this advocate. If we are to protect this special place we love, it will require the voters to elect lawmakers who represent the people. Our state legislators and the governor have failed us to date.

Reel Time: The price of inaction

Reel Time: The price of inaction

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Red tide. They’re probably the two words that nobody on or near Florida’s west coast wants to hear and I can understand why, sort of.

Someone who owns a resort hotel, has a restaurant on or near the beach or runs a business that takes people fishing or sightseeing depends on clean, healthy water for their livelihood. It’s easy for the average person to see that these businesses are negatively affected by red tide or even the mere mention of it.

What’s less obvious is that poor water quality affects everyone, from fishing guides to developers, realtors and builders, right down to the plumber sweating pipes in Lakewood Ranch. Humans seem to focus only on the things that directly impact us in the present, finding it easier to “kick the can down the road.” I suggest looking your children and grandchildren in the eye and asking yourself, “What part am I taking in creating and protecting the world they will inherit?”

We only must look back at the last five years for two haunting cases in point, starting with the harmful red tide algae bloom that devastated coastal waters from Naples to St. Petersburg and rendered Sarasota Bay a virtual wasteland. The result? In the last five years, Sarasota Bay lost most of the seagrass than had regrown in the past 20 years plus, if not more.

As if we needed another example, the disastrous release of over 200 million gallons of polluted process water from the legacy phosphate facility at Piney Point in late March 2021 led to the worst algae bloom in Upper Tampa Bay since the 1970s, killing thousands of tons of sea life. Piney Point is the perfect example of kicking the can down the road and running out of road.

Resident anglers have seen firsthand the decrease in water quality and the resulting loss of habitat, seagrass and its negative effect on local fisheries. Unfortunately, anglers and residents who recently relocated here see “the new normal.” Is it possible that we might consider what we’re leaving for future generations instead of how it affects self-interest in the here and now? This is not a new problem and I’m sure there were others saying the same thing when we first arrived here. But this is now and the time to act is slipping away.

If you want to see how the officials we elect represent us in enacting rules and regulations to protect our natural resources, consult the League of Conservation Voters.

The LCV is non-partisan and tracks the voting records of members of the Senate and Congress on environmental issues in its National Environmental Scorecard. This is a clear indication of how those tasked with representing our interests actually vote. Who we elect is critical to facing this problem. Politics is more divisive now than I can remember, but it’s critical that we elect politicians who represent our interests, not those with no vision who are concerned with division.

In the end, we all suffer the consequences. Vote, and consider joining and working with advocates like Suncoast Waterkeeper, Vote Water and Sarasota Bay Watch, groups working to educate the public, get them involved and hold politicians and municipalities accountable for their votes and action or inaction.

The time to act is the only time there ever is, right now. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s critical we begin now.

Piney Point spill critics take aim at sewage dumping

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Coast Lines, Outdoors.

When local waters contain enterococci bacteria, which comes from sewage, The Sun publishes a water quality report listing affected beaches to warn swimmers to stay out of the water.

This week, all the local beaches tested negative for the bacteria (in addition to being free of red tide for the second time in two weeks). But the water quality report makes it into print more than anyone would like.

The good news is that the same environmental coalition that sued Piney Point and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) this year for dumping wastewater into Tampa Bay, causing red tide, is now suing the city of Bradenton for dumping sewage in the Manatee River and other waterways.

These lawsuits may never be won in court, but they likely will be a win for the environment, pushing regulators and municipal officials to be accountable after decades of passing the buck.

That’s a win for every resident and tourist who turns on a faucet or flushes a toilet.

Suncoast Waterkeeper, Our Children’s Earth Foundation, ManaSota-88 and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper have put the city of Bradenton on notice for violations of the federal Clean Water Act, claiming that the city “has repeatedly sent raw and partially treated sewage into the Manatee River, storm drains, streams, neighborhoods and local waters including Wares Creek, Palma Sola Creek, and Palma Sola Bay which flow into Lower Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.”

“Bradenton’s sewage woes are unfortunate and follow a familiar pattern of municipalities neglecting critical environmental infrastructure,” said Justin Bloom, founder and board member of Suncoast Waterkeeper. “We hope that Bradenton will follow the path of the other municipalities that we’ve sued and focus their attention on fixing the problems and reducing the sewage pollution that plagues our waterways.”

The notice cites the city’s reports that within the last four years, over 160 million gallons of raw and partially treated sewage was dumped into the Manatee River, bypassing the city’s treatment plant, resulting in high levels of fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria in the Manatee River.

The discharges contribute to red tide, according to Glenn Compton, chairman of ManaSota-88.

“We just endured an incredibly difficult summer, where we witnessed red tide kill large quantities of marine life. If we don’t fix these problems, we’re likely to endure more pain in perpetuity. Red tide and contamination is hurting our local economy, much of which relies on our waterways,” he said. “We have to do better for our quality of life and for future generations.”

The environmental coalition has also petitioned the receiver for Piney Point, the former phosphate plant at Port Manatee, to ensure the remaining wastewater at the site is clean enough to inject into a deep well under the Floridan aquifer, the source of Florida’s drinking water. FDEP is in the process of permitting the well.

“The permit application admits that Manatee County does not know the precise geologic strata in the location of the proposed well, and instead is guessing that the ‘anticipated geologic strata’ is similar to a well located five miles away,” according to the Nov. 10 letter to Tampa lawyer and Piney Point receiver Herbert R. Donica. “The permit application further admits that Manatee County does not know the precise location where the underground drinking water source begins or ends… a thorough analysis of the wastewater must be completed before billions of gallons of dangerous pollution is injected beneath the Lower Floridan aquifer.”

Reel Time: A catalyst for change

Reel Time: A catalyst for change

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

When I asked Jon Thaxton, Vice President of Community Investment at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF), about the “backstory” of the foundation’s newly-released online Water Quality Playbook, he was characteristically self-effacing. While he correctly claimed that such a document wasn’t an original idea, he and the GCCF should be lauded for the creation of this very important and timely effort.

Thaxton, a fourth-generation Floridian from Osprey, has been a champion of business and the local environment for more than four decades. A founding member of the Venice High School Ecology Club in 1974, he has been a lifelong advocate for sustainability. Thaxton served three terms as a Sarasota County commissioner (he was term-limited out) and joined the Foundation in 2012. He has earned accolades from diverse environmental groups including the Nature Conservancy and 1,000 Friends of Florida and was featured in National Geographic Magazine for his work with endangered species. During his career, Thaxton gained a reputation as a politician, businessman and environmentalist who crossed “traditional boundaries.” Listening to both business and environmental interests makes Thaxton’s experiences unique and, I think, critical to the area’s environment and economic viability. While I believe his experiences as a Realtor, politician and public servant have been critical, it was his love of the water and fishing, like many of us, that were foundational to the realization of the critical need to protect our local waters.

When developing the concept, Thaxton (chair of the initiative), true to his reputation, reached out to diverse segments of the local community including Dave and Jennifer Shafer of Shafer Consulting, Sandy Gilbert of Solutions To Avoid Red Tide,  Steve Suau, principal of Progressive Water Resources, agriculturalist Alan Jones,  business groups like the Argus Foundation, and various government officials including Sarasota’s Sustainability Manager, Stevie Monte Freeman and John Ryan, Sarasota County’s environmental manager. Thaxton credits Dave Shafer with the concept of the online adaptive format and Suau and the Shafers with researching and writing the playbook.

Composed of 10 chapters and 43 recommended activities, the playbook focuses on the ways Sarasota County can address water quality in local bays and estuaries. While written for Sarasota, the playbook was intentionally designed to be customizable and adaptive for use by other municipalities. According to Thaxton, “This Community Playbook for Healthy Waterways focuses, prioritizes, and coordinates critical activities we must undertake to realize our community’s vision for clean and healthy waters.”

The importance of addressing the degradation of our waterways cannot be overstated. As I’ve written in this column many times, our waters are at a critical crossroads and time is of the essence. Efforts like this give stakeholders a vital tool and framework for change, but your voice is critical to its success. I encourage everyone to engage local politicians and decision-makers, demanding common-sense actions to assure our coastal waters are clean, clear, healthy and sustainable. Consider joining, donating to and working with local environmental and advocacy non-profits like Suncoast Waterkeeper and Sarasota Bay Watch. This is an achievable goal but requires the political will of our elected officials. We either address this now or push it down the road as a much larger burden to our children. Our fishing and economic future and that of future generations depends on it.

For more information, contact Greg Luberecki at gluberecki@gulfcoastcf.org or 301-466-9594.

Voters can make a big impact on clean water and flood protection

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Guest column, Opinion.

We are the last generation that can save Manatee County’s water and land. Truly, over the next 10 or 20 years, the remaining open spaces – be they farms, fields or forests, one acre or 1,000 acres – will be developed. With that development, we will lose those irreplaceable lands that currently provide the community with clean water, scenic roadways, food and farms, forests and fields. Green will give way to grey. The outcome will be disastrous, unless we achieve balance, unless we make smart decisions today. Thankfully, Manatee County voters will have that option Nov. 3, with a citizen-led referendum on their ballot entitled, “Water Quality Protection, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Preservation, and Park Ad Valorem Tax and Bonds.” A vote “FOR” the referendum will provide funding to save irreplaceable parts of beautiful Manatee County, forever. In my opinion, Manatee County voters may never have a better chance to make a bigger impact on clean water, flood protection, the economy, the environment, and overall community well-being than with this single vote.

What sort of land will be saved? The answer may be as diverse and beautiful as Manatee County itself. Everything from small vacant lots to large ranches are eligible, as long as they accomplish the ballot purpose to “…protect drinking water sources and water quality, preserve fish and wildlife habitat, prevent stormwater runoff pollution, and provide parks…” Imagine a 5-acre beachfront parcel on Anna Maria Island, and a 500-acre cattle ranch on the Manatee River. Both places offer the public something special, and both places would be eligible. Countywide, this means preserving a network of rivers, working farmlands, wildlife management areas, parks, trails, and preserves that all serve the common good. So regardless of what your interest is, this program will benefit you. Whether you love to fish the waters, or just drink them; whether you’re crazy for hiking, or prefer to cruise a scenic road; whether you work the soil with your hands, or just enjoy eating its produce; whether you want to lose yourself on a trail, or find yourself a trophy deer; whether you visit the park every day, or barbeque once a year with family, this ballot measure will preserve special places for you to enjoy.

How will the preservation program work? After passage, funding will finance the acquisition, improvement, and management of essential lands. The program will rely upon objective property evaluation criteria, a citizen oversight committee, preliminary and final Manatee County Commission approval of all transactions, and an annual audit of finances. Manatee County is the only county on Florida’s southwest coast that doesn’t have a dedicated funding source for land preservation.

How does saving land help water? The answer is simple: clean land makes clean water. Manatee County’s drinking water comes from two major sources – a reservoir on the Braden River and a reservoir on the Manatee River – and all that water comes from rainfall, which gathers on fields and forests, and then into creeks and rivers. If those fields and forests become roads, sidewalks, yards, and roofs, we will see significant pollution, and a massive cost to taxpayers to clean the water for drinking. The same will happen to our bays and beaches. The cheapest and most enjoyable way to have clean water is to preserve multiple-use, multiple-benefit green spaces.

What will this cost you? The average homeowner in Manatee County will pay $29 per year, based on an average residential taxable value in Manatee County of $193,378. That’s just $2.40 per month.

Would you pay $2.40 a month to keep the beach clean and swimmable, to keep drinking water safe to drink, to prevent destructive floods, to provide parks and preserves for your everyday use and enjoyment, to save land for fish and game and other wildlife?  If yes, then you must vote “FOR” the water and land referendum. Otherwise, you are likely to lose much of what makes Manatee County great. Please, visit www.voteforwaterandland.org to learn more, and please vote on Nov. 3.

– Lee Amos is staff biologist for Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast

Reel Time: Sarasota Bay Watch releases clams

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Sarasota Bay Watch conducted its first post-COVID-19 clam release on Saturday, Sept. 26. SBW board members and volunteers gathered at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in the morning to transfer clams to Sarasota Bay. The clams were raised by clam farmer Carter Davis in Pine Island Sound.

Volunteers unload clams from Eagle Distributors truck.
Volunteers stand by to transfer clams to Reef Innovation’s barge. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Gulf Coast Eagle Distributing’s John Saputo provided a refrigerated truck to transport the clams and Mike Welch from Eagle drove the truck. Once at the Sailing Squadron, the clams were loaded on a barge provided by Larry Beggs of Reef Innovations.

Barging clams to their new home in Sarasota Bay.
The barge is loaded and ready to transfer clams to Sarasota Bay. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Twenty high school students from Riverview, Venice and the Sarasota Military Academy received community service hours for their work. Community service is required for graduation, but has been hard to come by during the pandemic. Volunteers also provided 11 boats to the effort. Science partners including the Gulf Shellfish Institute, Mote Marine, Florida Sea Grant and Florida Atlantic University benefit from the deployment. They are conducting studies on predation and aquaculture. Whelks and rays, the main predators of clams, are being acoustically monitored at the release site.

Students deploy clams from the Reef Innovations barge
Clams head for a new home in Sarasota Bay. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

CDC guidelines were followed during the event. All participants had their temperatures taken and were required to wear masks and social distance. SBW is scheduled to release more than 750,000 clams in 2020 and 2021.

Reel Time: Engage and defend

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

This week as I watched the tribute to John Lewis, the American politician and civil rights leader, being eulogized by past presidents of both parties, I was inspired anew by the message of this great American. Lewis encouraged people to speak up and more importantly do something when they see wrongs that need to be righted. While Lewis will be remembered for his bravery in the face of incredible hostility and hatred centered on human rights, I take his message to heart in the threat to our local waters and the habitat that supports it.

Reel Time
Water quality is a continuing problem in local waters. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

The love of coastal habitats has played a defining role in my life. Memories and friendships forged while fishing have led to my determination to speak to others (like you). We need to marshal our resources to protect these irreplaceable treasures so that future generations might have the same opportunities we’ve had.

I’ve written often about the pressures on our fisheries and more recently about the insults that water quality and habitat destruction pose. Recently I’ve become even more alarmed at what I’m seeing on the waters that surround our homes. I fear that there’s actually a possibility of a collapse of the natural systems that support the fish we seek. If you live near the water you’ve experienced the massive blooms of lyngbya (a dangerous cyanobacteria) that have choked canals and boat basins in our island communities as well as the unprecedented bloom that recently blanketed the shore from Perico Bayou to Palma Sola Bay and beyond.

I’m no scientist but it doesn’t take a degree in biology to recognize that we are surrounded by troubled waters. Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) was formed after the devastating harmful (red tide) algae bloom of 2005 that lasted for 13 months. SBW is involving citizens in the region in the health of our Gulf, bays and estuaries. The organization has done an excellent job through initiatives that seek to bring water-filtering shellfish back to healthy populations, remove fishing line from bird rookeries, remove trash and invasive plants from coastal islands and educate future stakeholders.

Other organizations like the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), long champions of protecting fisheries stocks, have begun partnering with groups like SBW and supporting their efforts to stock clams in Sarasota Bay. They also have a robust program of raising and releasing redfish in an attempt to counter the effects of the even more destructive red tide bloom of 2018.

I have supported both organizations since their founding but recently had an epiphany. While I will continue to support groups that work to restore fish and bivalves, it dawned on me that if we don’t address the root problem, i.e. water quality, all other efforts will ultimately lead to failure. This realization led to my involvement with Suncoast Waterkeeper, an organization that addresses these issues. Through outreach, education and advocacy, Waterkeeper groups around the world defend communities against anyone who threatens their right to clean water, from polluters to unresponsive government agencies. The local group founded by Sarasota environmental attorney Justin Bloom has been effective in forcing municipalities from St. Petersburg to Sarasota to adhere to the laws set down in the landmark Clean Water Act. The legislation signed into law in 1972 establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. Locally the law has allowed Suncoast Waterkeeper to force municipalities to address and redress the release of wastewater that has raised nutrient levels in local waters to dangerous levels. Recently, some high-profile sewage spills in Manatee County and Longboat Key, exacerbated by antiquated infrastructure and exploding population growth have been front page news. Unfortunately, these releases are just contributions to a much larger problem. While the root of the problem is too many people, that is an issue that we must accept and find a way to ameliorate.

Recently both Sarasota and Manatee County have contributed millions of dollars to build a world class aquarium near I-75. While I understand the educational principle behind such a project, it seems to me that the money would be better spent fixing the infrastructure that is threatening our “natural aquarium.” Hopefully, we won’t be using aquariums to show our children and future generations what our natural waters “were” like.

Fortunately, it’s not too late to save these precious resources. Sarasota County, in a settlement with Suncoast Waterkeeper, is transitioning to an advanced wastewater system and committed to supporting clean water. To their credit, Manatee County commissioners recently approved a Conservation Referendum that will appear on the November ballot. Voting yes on the referendum would mean approving a property tax increase to create a conservation fund. This will cost the average homeowner about $29 a year, equivalent to 12 McDonalds hamburgers. The “Water Quality, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Preservation and Parks” funding will allow the county to issue bonds of up to $50 million.

Do your part by voting for proposals and leaders both locally and federally that support clean water and clean air. Check their voting record at the League of Conservation Voters  www.lcv.org. Join with Suncoast Waterkeeper to help with local clean water initiatives at www.suncoast waterkeeper.org. Learn about Sarasota Bay Watch and its shellfish restoration program at www.sarasotabaywatch.org.

Next week, let’s go fishing when Reel Time on the Road goes to Dillon, Montana.

Pinellas County bans water horses

County moves to regulate horses in bay

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Awards, Awards 2020, Outdoors, Second Place, Special Sections.

PALMA SOLA BAY – Taking a cue from Pinellas County, Manatee County commissioners have voted 7-0 to have the county attorney’s office investigate regulating horseback riding in sensitive waters in the county, including Palma Sola Bay.

Pinellas commissioners banned horses from aquatic preserves in that county last month, impacting several tourism businesses, including C Ponies, which also rents horses at Palma Sola Causeway.

They were persuaded by evidence, including aerial photos, that horses trample fragile seagrass in the aquatic preserve in Tampa Bay near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge where horses are rented, and that horse manure and urine in the water pose a risk to human health.

Second Place

In-Depth Reporting

Lucy Morgan Award

2020

Google Maps shows similar seagrass damage in Palma Sola Bay in Manatee County, and the bay has had poor water quality based on enterococcus bacteria from fecal contamination on the south side of the bay four times in the past five weeks, according to the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Beaches Program.

Manatee County Commissioner Betsy Benac made the request on Thursday, Nov. 7.

“I want to know if it’s something we can do,” she said. “We’ve been told previously we can’t do that. Well, I don’t believe that.”

Commissioners had been advised that regulation was not possible based on ancient precedent protecting the use of horses as a mode of travel to convey people and goods, Manatee County Attorney Mitchell Palmer said, adding that “horses being used for recreational purposes in a sensitive body of water” is not the same thing.

“There’s little doubt in my mind that we can regulate horseback riding for purposes of water quality,” said Palmer, who suggested the “sensitive waters” language to avoid impacting horseback riding in rivers and lakes in east Manatee County and elsewhere.

“We have a copy of the Pinellas County ordinance,” Palmer said, explaining that his office had already begun looking into the issue prior to Thursday’s vote, and has requested the last five years’ worth of Palma Sola Bay water quality records from the Manatee County Health Department.

“I think it’s very important that this be done because the (sea)grass is being trampled,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said. “The grass helps to keep the water clear and is also food for the manatees.”

Palma Sola Bay has seagrass beds on both sides of the causeway as of last year’s survey, including in the northeastern section where most commercial horseback rentals occur, according to the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, which has expressed concern about the issue in recent months, along with Keep Manatee Beautiful, the Palma Sola Scenic Highway Corridor Management Entity, the Manatee Council of Governments and Sarasota Audubon.

Related coverage

Pinellas County bans water horses

Palma Sola water quality compromised

Concerns raised over horse waste in bay

Letters: Horses on the causeway