Articles by: Gil Smart
How familiar does this sound? Climbing summer temperatures and nutrient-rich runoff had been feeding algae blooms on the state’s biggest lake for some time. Reports were sporadic. Officials weren’t overly concerned. It wasn’t news. Then, in a matter of days,…
“How toxic is too toxic?” Don’t ask. A year ago, Congressman Brian Mast questioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about their role in tracking toxicity and warning affected communities when cyanobacteria blooms occur. His questions highlighted what has historically…
No one with knowledge of the decades-long decline of South Florida’s estuaries could have been prepared for what we heard yesterday. After years of static, after seemingly endless sidestepping and half-truths and flat-out lies from officials at every level, a…
On this 4th of July, we’re taking a moment to express gratitude for the protection of our right to clean water as Americans, and we commend the difference that a year and a change in operational priorities can make. This…
Outdated priorities and a broken operational system have left Florida in a tailspin of escalating catastrophes. Recently, a sharper look at the downstream effects of massive Lake Okeechobee discharges impacting health and human safety has taken center stage as more…
This week, Congressman Brian Mast took a stand for clean water and human health when he filed the PROTECT Florida Act. This landmark legislation proposes a unified solution with immediate impacts for three critically important waterways, by declaring protection of…
Today Friends of the Everglades and Bullsugar Alliance officially announce a merger of the two organizations. Special thanks to TC Palm’s Tyler Treadway for the additional coverage found here. Friends was founded in 1969 in Miami by “River of Grass”…
There’s a couple things that Floridians have learned to count on each and every summer. A betting man could safely put his money on excessive heat and some amount of sure rain. Lately, unfortunate odds have made toxic algae outbreaks…
The Indian River Lagoon: trophy seatrout capital of the world. Or, at least it used to be. Mike Conner is no stranger to the brilliance of South Florida waterways. He speaks with the familiarity of a long-time angler and guide…
The system we have right now might work if Florida weather was predictable. It’s not. We average about 55 inches of rain, but we have more extreme years than we have average years. Mismanaged priorities and our broken operational system…
