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MOSAIC CO. AIMS TO INJECT FERTILIZER PRODUCTION WASTEWATER 8,000 FEET UNDERGROUND
FROM SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE
The Mosaic Company aims to inject wastewater contaminated during fertilizer mining and processing deep underground in Polk County, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has already granted the first permits necessary to make the effort a reality. The Florida DEP, often criticized by environmental advocates for failing to regulate the fertilizer industry and other environmental protection shortfalls, has issued a draft permit that would allow Mosaic Co. to drill a Class V exploratory well in Polk County at its facility in Bartow.
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SOME PEDIATRICIANS IN FLORIDA DENY UNVACCINATED CHILDREN. DESANTIS WANTS TO CHANGE THAT
FROM TAMPA BAY TIMES
In Florida, you can’t turn away a patient on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion or national origin. But a doctor can turn someone away if they’re unvaccinated. And in the Tampa Bay area, several pediatricians do. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo want to end that. In a news conference earlier this month, where they discussed a plan to make Florida the only state in the nation without any vaccine mandates, DeSantis said pediatricians should not deny care to children because they don’t have certain vaccinations.
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EARLY RESULTS SAY NO TO CHANGING GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE
FROM THE OBSERVER
It wasn’t on the agenda, and town leaders were content to leave the discussion until October, but someone said the M word, and voices raised. At a Town Commission workshop meeting Monday, discussion on legislative priorities unexpectedly descended into debate when a commissioner suggested it may be better to refer to the road as State Road 789 on a document state lawmakers would be reviewing. The town scheduled a meeting on Oct. 20 to discuss whether to rename the road, and messages from residents began pouring in. According to a recent tally gathered by town staff, 91 emails were received from residents on the subject. Of those, 67% expressed opposition to renaming the road. 23% said the road should be renamed Gulf of America Drive, and 10% suggested another alternative name.
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MANATEE COUNTY OFFICIALS REDUCE PROPERTY TAX RATE AS DOGE AUDIT CONTINUES
FROM BRADENTON HERALD
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voted to reduce the county’s tax rate this year, creating a modest tax break for residents. The decision came over a month after the state’s Department of Government Efficiency launched a financial audit due to accusations of wasteful and excessive spending by Manatee leaders. One of the main rationales for the audit, Gov. Ron DeSantis previous said, was the Manatee County's rising property tax revenue. Commissioner Tal Siddique was the sole opponent, saying the small cut was a “token gesture at best” and that he would rather see commissioners make cuts to capital projects.
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FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUCATION SIGNS OFF ON A CHARTER SCHOOL EXPANSION
FROM WUSF
Florida’s board of education signed off Wednedsay on a major expansion of charter schools in the state, clearing the way for the privately run schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools. It’s the latest push by Florida officials to expand school choice in a state that has long been a national model for conservative education policy. The move comes as some public schools are closing their doors as they grapple with declining enrollments, aging facilities and post-pandemic student struggles. The new regulations approved by the state board build on a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis this year to allow operators to open more “schools of hope,” charter schools that are meant to serve students from persistently low-performing schools.
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TIME IS TICKING; WILKINSON PARENTS SPEAK OUT ABOUT POSSIBLE SCHOOL CLOSURE
FROM ABC7
The clock is ticking for the Sarasota County school board members to decide on whether or not to close Wilkinson Elementary School. Superintendent Terry Connor said the school district must submit a plan to the Department of Education showing all of their schools are fully utilized, or else Schools of Hope could take over the schools, turning them into charter schools. Right now, there are more than 5,000 empty seats across 11 underutilized schools in the Sarasota County School District, according to Connor. The top school that is underutilized is Wilkinson Elementary. But redistricting Wilkinson students isn’t ideal, said parents. “It’s devastating. Especially as, personally, we literally picked this neighborhood when she was a baby, so we could walk her to school. It was just like a dream of ours,” said Wilkinson Elementary parent Meredith Karp.
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HERMITAGE: OBSTACLES WEIGH HEAVY FOR COUNTY TO SELL NONPROFIT
FROM ENGELWOOD SUN
Sarasota County commissioners are weighing whether to sell the Hermitage Artist Retreat its property or keep county ownership as repairs from last year's hurricanes drag on. At a meeting Tuesday, county staff outlined hurdles for both paths: A sale would trigger rezoning, special district rules and legal complications that could restrict the nonprofit’s operations, while county retainment would mean continuing slow repairs due to permitting and historic preservation processes. Hermitage CEO Andy Sandberg urged the county to let the nonprofit take over, arguing delays threaten its livelihood and noting it had offered a cheaper contractor. No decision was made; options will return Oct. 8.
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IS MANATEE COUNTY READY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE FLOODING? NEW REPORT HAS ANSWERS
FROM BRADENTON HERALD
A new local study found that increased flooding caused by climate change poses a significant threat to over 90% of Manatee’s County’s infrastructure. Last year’s hurricane season demonstrated that the county’s infrastructure is already struggling to handle extreme rainfall, storm surge and flooding events, problems that the Manatee County Government study notes are only expected to intensify going forward. The state-funded study shows that roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, airports, emergency responder stations, the port and the county jail are among hundreds of key facilities that could be damaged or compromised by flooding if nothing is done to adapt.
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FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCES PORTAL TO REPORT 'THREATS OF VIOLENCE'
FROM WUSF
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the creation of an online portal through which people can report "calls for violence" or threats of violence that they observe. Uthmeier, a Republican appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, made the announcement Monday at Valencia College in Orlando. Uthmeier tied the creation of the portal to the killing earlier this month of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and other acts of political violence — though the list he gave in his remarks omitted the violent acts of rightwing extremists. "So it's never been more important," Uthmeier said, "for people to speak up, for us to have safe academic environments where people feel confident to engage in discussion, free from attack, free from violence."
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