Calusa Waterkeeper

Codty Pierce, a local charter boat captain with deep roots in Southwest Florida’s environment, became the Calusa Waterkeeper just about two years ago. The Lee County native grew up fishing the local waters and observing the hydrology and environments of Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and Estero Bay and had experience in wetlands restoration and native landscaping.Today, the environmental organization he helmed is in mourning with the news that Pierce died Monday."As the heart and soul of our organization, Codty’s unwavering commitment to protecting the waters of Southwest Florida and his fearless advocacy for the environment have left an indelible mark on all who knew him," Connie Ramos-Williams, the Calusa Waterkeeper Executive Director, said in a statement about Pierce's death.

In this installment from the StoryCorps Mobile Tour visit to Fort Myers in March 2024, we hear Ernesto Lasso de la Vega speaking with his former boss, who would later become the first Calusa Waterkeeper, John Cassani, about Cassani’s early ground-breaking research that created a tool for managing severe aquatic plant overgrowth without the use of pesticides, and how that tool became an industry standard.

Calusa Waterkeeper will explain the current water conditions, outline health risks, and share tips about the drainage creek, which measures Enterococcus levels 21 times higher than Florida allows.

Connie Ramos-Williams is the new director of Calusa Waterkeeper in Southwest Florida

Codty Pierce is the new leader of Calusa Waterkeeper

John Cassani, the first person to be named Calusa Waterkeeper, is stepping down from the position he has held at the clean water environmental alliance for six years.Calusa Waterkeeper is among the most active environmental groups in Southwest Florida using a combination of staff scientist, experts, and a cadre of volunteers.One of Cassani’s priorities has been to keep the group focused on clean-water initiatives, whether for drinking, swimming, and fishing with a special emphasis on the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.

The proposed “Safe Waterways Act” by Calusa Waterkeeper would require the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to issue health advisories and post and maintain warning notices at “public bathing places” where the water has been found to contain fecal bacteria.

Calusa Waterkeeper has announced a new Executive Director. Learn more about Trisha Botty and her plans to continue advocating for improved water quality in our region.

During the 2021 Annual Florida Legislative Session, state lawmakers passed a pair of bills aimed at expanding protections for landowners. The measures, currently awaiting Governor Ron DeSantis’ signature, authorize property owners to file lawsuits against government entities over local land-use regulations, even if the property owners have no formal development plans that would be impacted.Smart-growth advocacy organizations like 1,000 Friends of Florida say the bills could serve as a weaponization of the Bert Harris Act that could prevent local governments from imposing smart-growth regulations that would undermine the state’s coastal resiliency efforts.We'll take a closer look and explore the current state of toxic red tide and blue-green algae blooms in Southwest Florida.

Welcome to this week’s Environmental Roundup! Here are the environmental stories this week that caught our eye.