Contaminating Ground Water Forever

City of Rockledge One Step Away from Aquifer Storage & Recovery Well

by Mark Jacobs, President, Save Our Aquifer Inc.

Bill making it easier to pave over Florida's wetlands called 'recipe for fraud'

By PAUL QUINLAN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 23, 2009

...environmentalists say this and other proposals - including one to eliminate the state agency that manages growth - will do nothing to fix the state's frigid real estate market, noting that the recent bubble left 300,000 homes sitting empty in Florida.

Audubon of Florida said Rep. Patronis is "borrowing a page from the subprime mortgage industry playbook" by effectively allowing developers to use their own paid consultants to review their permit applications. The group called it a "recipe for fraud" that "invites developers to avoid the costs of providing wetlands mitigation and stormwater treatment" and sticks "tomorrow's taxpayer with the costs of floods, water shortages and pollution."

"Worst case scenario, you've got a conflict of interest and an abuse of power," said Audubon's Charles Lee. "Best case scenario, you've got someone who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't have the skill sets to truly assess whether something is in the public interest."...

New Fla. Web site offers training on open government

The Florida Attorney General's Office has announced a new Web site to educate local governments, law enforcement agencies and residents about state laws regarding public records and open meetings.

The Web site, which includes instructional videos, is at www.myflsunshine.com.

"It is vitally important that Florida's citizens have access to their government and can hold government accountable. Our Sunshine laws were created to provide that transparency and accountability, and our public entities should strive for nothing less than full compliance," Attorney General Bill McCollum said in a prepared statement. "MyFLSunshine.com will be the guidebook for operating in the Sunshine, and I urge our public entities to make use of this resource."...

Stop The Cuts!

an action of Progress Florida:

Sign Our Letter to Senate President Jeff Atwater: Stop the Cuts!
We don't have to balance Florida's budget on the backs of our children, the elderly, the needy, or the environment.

Fill out the quick form below to sign our letter to Senate President Atwater urging him to raise new revenue to balance our budget this year.

http://progressflorida.org/page/s/stopthecuts