1000 Friends of Florida

"... Seminole already offers incentives and programs for affordable housing — waiving impact fees, down-payment assistance to new homebuyers, making it easier for a homeowner to build an addition for rent and allowing greater density in certain areas ..."

Seminole looks to get rid of state tax exemptions for affordable housing If approved, it will save the county an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue for the next fiscal year’s budget.

1000 Friends' grassroots initiative being honored by APA Florida
https://conta.cc/3zVLIey

1000 Friends to Receive APA Florida Award of Excellence Grassroots Initiatives Award to be Presented on September 4 in Tampa DONATE NOW! Dear 1000 Friends, We are pleased to share that 1000 Friends will receive American Planning Association (APA) Florida’s

"Starting Sept. 9 new projects and infrastructure rebuilt after a disaster with FEMA funding must be elevated at least 2 feet above the area flood level, using up-to-date data and accounting for likely impacts of climate change, per the new Federal Flood Risk Management Standard."

Federal infrastructure projects get a (flood) raise New and reconstruction projects must be built more resiliently under a recently finalized Federal Emergency Management Agency policy. 

Check out our county maps!

How could projected population growth, development, and sea level rise over the coming decades impact your county? Check out our county 2040/2070 maps Find Out More! County Maps Dear 1000 Friends, Floridians know that sea level rise is here to stay. Sunny-day flooding, king tides, higher storm surge and more inlan

"As Florida’s population grows and its wilderness shrinks, the crucial habitat panthers need to thrive is increasingly hard to find."

An hour east of crowded Tampa, a search is underway for endangered Florida panthers The Tampa Bay Times joined the staff of ZooTampa on a search for evidence of the elusive Florida panther.

"The Florida Department of Health in Duval County has issued its first blue-green algae health alert in nearly two years for the St. Johns River, according to its website."

Blue-green algae health alert for St. Johns River: Here's what you need to know The Health Department in Jacksonville has issued its first blue-green algae health alert in nearly two years for the St. Johns River.

"When "Shark Week" scientists and film crews explored the Indian River Lagoon for seven days in May, it took them three days just to find one living bull shark to which they could attach a sensor to monitor water quality.

Bull sharks are supposed to be common in the 156-mile-long lagoon, so shark biologist Craig O’Connell was surprised to find a dead zone with dead fish and dead and diseased sharks in one of North America's most biologically diverse estuaries."

Shark Week episode highlights dead zone killing fish, marine life in Indian River Lagoon "I am a little bit fearful for the future of the Indian River Lagoon unless we change our ways," Shark Week presenter Craig O'Connell told TCPalm.

“It’s the balancing act between profit, efficiency and environmental response. Sooner or later, there’s got to be sweet spots in all those.”

Florida agriculture fuels coastal algae blooms. How much remains unclear The Blue-Green Algae Task Force wants data on the state’s strategy for curbing farm-related nutrient pollution

"Still, we lack one vital approach — a long-term water project work plan, as recommended by Florida TaxWatch. With 76% of Floridians living in vulnerable coastal zones, with sewer infrastructure investment backlogs in the many tens of billions, and with 30% of Floridians relying upon septic tanks that leech into our coastal waters daily, we are in the throes of a self-made disaster that requires a systemic, aggressive and financially prudent playbook to resolve these overlapping issues."

DeSantis was right to veto water ‘turkeys’ But torrential rains and torrents of earmarks highlight the need for Florida to have a statutory water infrastructure plan.

"The creep of sea water is poised to exert profound changes in Florida. By 2045, some $26 billion in residential real estate is projected to face chronic flooding, with Miami, the Florida Keys and the Tampa-St. Petersburg area especially at risk, according to the Union for Concerned Scientists. A separate study from the same group predicted the number of critical infrastructure assets in the state facing disruptive flooding will double by 2050. The infrastructure assets include public housing buildings and affordable housing units, as well as public health and safety buildings."

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/11072024/florida-sea-level-rise-accelerates-at-extreme-rates/ #:~:text=The%20creep%20of%20sea%20water,the%20Union%20for%20Concerned%20Scientists.

In the South, Sea Level Rise Accelerates at Some of the Most Extreme Rates on Earth - Inside Climate News The surge is startling scientists, amplifying impacts such as hurricane storm surges and nuisance flooding and testing mitigation measures like the Resilient Florida program.

"In effect, Brightline demonstrated the public’s interest in rail, and then handed the commuter market back to its rightful providers in government. Now, there’s talk of a coastal expansion of the public commuter rail along the Brightline track. While Floridians are skeptical, Dech says it “is going to happen.” In theory, all of those new transit options will eventually connect at Brightline’s downtown MiamiCentral station, creating a virtuous network effect."

Florida shows how to make passenger rail work The money is in routes too long to drive, too short to fly.

“Not only is that in primary and secondary panther habitat, but the 95,000 daily generated trips are already deadly roadways for the panther,” said Julianne Thomas, senior environmental planning specialist for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida."

Proposed Kingston development sparks debate over panther habitat Thousands of acres near the Lee and Collier County lines are being eyed for this major development, sparking a heated battle between developers and conservation groups.

"South Prong Plantation, which abuts the St. Mary’s River, combines a working farm and an environmental preserve in its pine forest and cypress wetlands, which also allows for harvesting of timber on roughly 1,355 acres."

State sends $5M to help preserve timber farm in Baker County FDACS announced the expenditure Wednesday.

"Captain Chris Wittman, the co-founder of Captains for Clean Water, says these yearly massive blooms on the lake are being fed from years of nutrient pollution entering the lake."

Lake Okeechobee once again covered with Blue-Green Algae According to NOAA, algae blooms cover nearly 460 square miles of Lake Okeechobee. Captains for Clean Water responds.

"This study looked at the 35 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and ranked them for their walkability." (Miami ranks 12th)

These are the most walkable cities in the U.S. No car, no problem

Check out Smart Growth America's "Complete Streets for Small Towns":

"Land use decisions that increase trip distance act as barriers to be able to conveniently get to work, school, and essential healthcare services. This can be especially true for rural communities. But it doesn’t have to be that way."

smartgrowthamerica.org

"Conservationists are concerned not enough is being done to protect its habitat. The scrub habitat is prime real estate for development. ... "Their habitat is highly desirable from a building standpoint, it's high and dry and well-drained."

Experts are concerned the Florida scrub jay is not getting the protection it needs from development Expanded development and lack of prescribed burns have been hurting scrub jay habitats throughout Florida.

What can we do to help protect Florida's agricultural lands?

How can we help protect Florida's agricultural lands? Check out Agriculture 2040/2070 Find Out More! Agriculture 2040/2070 Dear 1000 Friends, Roughly a third of Florida’s land is currently in agriculture, but development and, to a much lesser degree, se

"The money will go toward the Tampa Bay Estuary Program’s efforts to track oxygen levels, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and other metrics to determine the bay’s health."

3 years after Piney Point disaster, Florida settles lawsuit with environment groups The state must pay for water quality testing and a Clean Water Act permit is finally in the works.

"The Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo eliminates a 40-year-old precedent that required judges to defer to federal agencies' expertise when interpreting ambiguous statutes. Instead, the courts will now have the final say, even on highly technical matters."

https://www.bradenton.com/news/nation-world/national/article289816449.html

Supreme Court’s Chevron Ruling Could Harm Water Quality: Lawyers The EPA has only recently started setting drinking water standards for PFAS, often called “forever chemicals.”

“There’s so much happening where we’re losing valuable environmental land, and this will quicken the pace (of conservation).”

Manatee County pledges $7.5 million for a conservation cost-matching grant | Your Observer The Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is applying for a $25 million regional grant that would be matched by the USDA.

"And with so many people in Florida, so much infrastructure at risk, Floridians need leadership that's serious about planning and investment in Florida's climate resilient future."

The Union of Concerned Scientists predicts extensive coastal flooding is in Florida's future The new report suggests nearly all coastal communities face the threat of significant "critical infrastructure" impacts over the next 25 years.

“It needs to be recognized as a historical spot. This will only make Fort Pierce more beautiful.”

Fort Pierce designates Little Jim as historic, locally significant, Florida cracker style The Little Jim Bait & Tackle building on North A1A is "one of the few remaining structures that reflect the region’s unique architectural style."

"Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano ... doesn’t want Pasco to take a financial hit to give tax breaks for apartments that are not affordable to the lowest income earners."

Pasco property appraiser rejects Live Local apartment tax breaks Appraiser Mike Wells tells two apartment complexes they didn’t provide enough information to get the exemptions.

"We are all here because of our water, not necessarily because of what our lawns look like."

Tampa Bay environmentalists warn about fertilizer impacting our waterways Experts said with more rain in the Tampa Bay Area, more storm water run-off and water pollution will affect the waterways.