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.

Now that newly elected officials have been sworn in, local environmental groups have joined together to host an event to lay out policy that would help to…

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program partnered with local non-profit organizations as well as private citizens and companies to try to restore…

A new way to mitigate the blue-green algae bloom is being tested in Southwest Florida. The boat deploying the technology was packed with representatives…

Members of Southwest Florida’s state legislative delegation sent a joint letter to Governor Rick Scott, Thursday, requesting an emergency declaration for…

While red tide rages along Southwest Florida’s Gulf coast, blue-green algae is making its way westward along the Caloosahatchee River toward the Gulf. The…