U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A federal appeals court will hear arguments in May in a closely watched case about whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 improperly shifted permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands.The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday scheduled arguments May 5 as Florida and the EPA seek to overturn a district judge’s ruling in the lawsuit filed by conservation groups.

Florida is asking a federal judge to speed up a final ruling in a high-stakes case about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands, as the state sets the stage for a likely appeal.U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Feb. 15 ruled that federal officials did not follow required steps in 2020 before transferring wetlands-related permitting authority from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the state. Moss vacated the shift but said the state and the federal government could seek a stay of his ruling. He also did not decide certain legal issues in the case.

Col. James Booth is in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Florida, which means he is also the agency’s official in charge of Everglades restoration today. He does what he is supposed to do in terms of being available to the public, but that doesn't mean he gets a pass from the media.

The W.P. Franklin Lock on the Caloosahatchee River in Alva will be closed for one day to support maintenance on Jan. 18.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Extends Application Deadline for the Blue Roof Program Until November 1.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites volunteers to plant trees at W.P. Franklin Recreation Area on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 24

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County issued a health advisory Friday warning people and their pets to stay away from the area due to “the presence of harmful blue-green algal toxins,” the agency wrote. “The public should exercise caution in and around Franklin Lock.”The tropical system was taking aim at Fort Myers on Friday evening, gaining strength, and was expected to become the first named tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.The Army Corps was closing all its locks and dams on Lake Okeechobee to secure the 142-mile-long dike ringing the lake. The South Florida Water Management District was doing the same with the locks and dams it controls.

We are all connected by the environment we share. The Earth is our home. This is the space where we share the environmental stories that caught our attention this week in Florida and beyond.

We are all connected by the environment we share. The Earth is our home. This is the space where we share the environmental stories that caught our attention this week in Florida and beyond.

We are all connected by the environment we share. The Earth is our home. This is the space where we share the environmental stories that caught our attention this week in Florida and beyond.