Articles

New wetlands rule: A done deal?

January 8, 2026

Last month our “Deep Dive” into proposed changes to wetlands protections under the federal Clean Water Act noted that the public comment period was to end Jan. 5 — this past Monday. So now what? To reiterate, the federal Environmental…

Florida agriculture bills could help Big Sugar intimidate critics

January 8, 2026

Look, you know how the game is played. Special interests call the tune, your legislators dance; they file bills written by and for deep-pocketed donors. And as you’ve heard us say so many times over the years, few donors have…

Deep Dive: How a changing climate is supercharging this deadly bacteria

December 30, 2025

One day — Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, to be exact — Steve Zelenski was in a boat checking stone crab traps on the Indian River Lagoon just west of the House of Refuge near Stuart. Four days later, the 68-year-old…

Deep Dive: Proposed EPA rule on wetlands would hammer Florida

December 18, 2025

Wetlands — whether massive marshes stretching across South Florida like the Everglades or little bitty bogs tucked away in a subdivision — are vital to the environment. They improve water quality, help prevent and reduce floods, recharge groundwater and store…

Six bills, one agenda: Sen. McClain pushes pro-development blitz

December 11, 2025

Florida Sen. Stan McClain comes off as an affable guy — the type of person you might like to get a beer with. But after seeing the legislation he’s filed ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session, you may want to…

Study: Clean water = big money

November 20, 2025

Some people think we clean-water types are in it for the aesthetics. That water ought to be clean like Mother Nature made it, so it can support all sorts of wildlife and other living things. That’s part of it. But…

Florida’s waters are getting worse and corruption is the problem

November 13, 2025

If you haven’t seen it, be sure to check out the Tampa Bay Times blockbuster two-part series on how Florida’s water quality is getting worse almost across the board — in large part because Florida lets special interests (developers, Big…

Offshore drilling: Will Florida be spared?

November 6, 2025

The subject of offshore drilling is once again in the news. According to Politico: The Interior Department has removed the federal waters off the Atlantic coast from President Donald Trump’s upcoming offshore drilling plan after Republicans in the region pressed to…

Sugar billionaire, other top donors fund WH renovations for one simple reason

November 6, 2025

And that one reason is because they’re sucking up to power. Last week we reported that J. Pepe Fanjul, part of the powerful family behind Florida Crystals Corp., was among the donors who contributed to the teardown of the White…

DEEP DIVE: These chemicals kill toxic algae. But are they safe?

October 30, 2025

Since 2020, when the state authorized the use of “innovative technologies” to combat harmful blue-green algal blooms, the South Florida Water Management District has added chemicals known as algaecides to its toolbox — and to the water. Over the past…

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