A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Lawmakers again float 2-mile buffer zone to protect Everglades amid wave of development proposals | Florida Politics
State lawmakers are again considering legislation that would establish a large, development-free buffer zone to protect the Everglades in South Florida.
Prior attempts failed to gain traction in the Legislature. But a batch of proposals in Miami-Dade for construction beyond the county’s Urban Development Boundary (UDB) that preserves agricultural and protected lands, including the Everglades, from residential and commercial development may provide extra motivation now.
The measure (SB 1364) would provide that any proposed changes to a local government’s comprehensive development plan must undergo Florida’s coordinated review process. Under that process, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection would determine whether the changes in question would adversely impact the Everglades Protection Area and, if so, require that they be altered to eliminate the potential harm.
A dire wake-up call: If Southwest Florida water quality tanks, so does our economy | Fort Myers News-Press
The hits would look like this: $5.2 billion to the area economy, 43,000 jobs lost, $17.8 billion in property values and $460 million in fishing revenue.
That’s the beatdown Southwest Florida could expect with another water disaster like the one in 2018, when a harmful algal bloom devastated Charlotte, Collier and Lee counties, says a new study.
Released Tuesday, the report, “Impacts of Water Quality on the Southwest Florida Economy,” quantifies how bad water, both in high-profile crises and chronic declines, affects the region’s economy.
Releasing balloons could become illegal under new Florida bill. Here’s why | Tampa Bay Times
Chex the sea turtle had a peculiar problem.
At just under three pounds, the wild juvenile green sea turtle was buoyant and struggling to dive or swim
It was a crisp spring day in March 2017 when Chex was found floating helplessly near Redington Pier.
If you have any news items of note that you think we should include in our next roundup, please email The Invading Sea Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
