Florida

Local control over plastic regulation safe in Florida, for now

Published

2 years ago

February 7, 2024

Local control over plastic regulation safe in Florida, for now

MIAMI – Plastic pollution continues to strangle our marine environment — and there’s no place where that is more apparent than South Florida.

Social media account Only in Dade shared a video with Local 10 News showing a dolphin swimming in a littered Biscayne Bay.

Only in Broward shared another scene from a Pompano Beach canal showing a manatee struggling to eat while surrounded by plastic debris.

Despite these startling sights, state lawmakers in Tallahassee have been trying to pass legislation to ban local governments from further regulating single-use plastic containers.

The proposed, and now stalled, SB 1162 and HB 1641 would put plastic regulation specifically about “auxiliary containers” into the hands of the state.

This means that any laws regarding single-use bags, cups, bottles, cans, or any other packaging would not be able to move forward at the local level. Additionally, any existing laws regulating these sorts of single-use plastics would be preempted to the state.

“That is a huge flaw of this bill I haven’t heard anyone realize,” Ryan Smart, executive director of the Florida Springs Council, said during a meeting of the House Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency Subcommittee. “You are going to jeopardize the most important resources we have.”

State Rep. Jim Mooney, R-Islamorada, expressed similar concerns.

“How can you say that there’s no impact to local governments when it fact they’re continuing to clean out storm water drains?” he asked.

The sponsor of the house bill, State Rep. Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, argued that bans on single-use containers are too heavy a tax on small businesses.

“That, most activity is going to go on anyhow regardless of what happens here,” Yeager argued. “With that said, I think we need to protect small businesses and this does that.”

But at what cost? Data from a 2021 Florida Department of Environmental Protection retail bags report shows that some 7,000 tons of plastic entered Florida’s marine environment in 2020 alone.

Once it is in the environment, it’s estimated that it could take up to 450 years for some single-use plastics to biodegrade.

Throughout the state, at least a dozen municipalities have placed laws on the books regulating single-use plastics.

Still, local cleanup organizations report that the tsunami of plastic trash has not slowed down. A 2022 global study found that less than 9% of all plastics are ever recycled.

“This is not a solution,” commented Clean This Beach Up founder MJ Algarra. “What we do here every single weekend, picking up trash from our shorelines and beaches, we are done… we need change starting from the top.”

The largest international ocean conservation advocacy group, Oceana, is another environmental organization that has been fighting the proposed legislation.

“Make no mistake, this is a harmful bill, it’s going to lead to more trash and more plastic pollution into our waterways and our oceans,” Oceana Field Campaign Manager Hunter Miller asserted. “So if this bill passes, it really slams that toolbox shut and puts a lock on it… it really takes us out of the picture of being a part of the solution.”

In 2015, Miami Beach prohibited the sale and use of polystyrene, commonly referred to as Styrofoam.

Following that ban, the state of Florida adopted a statute that preempted any polystyrene ordinance enacted by a local government before 2016. Under that statute, Miami Beach’s ban was safe. But, the proposed HB 1641 and SB 1162 would change that.

Volunteer Clean-Up President Dave Doebler was among those community members who pushed for the Miami Beach ordinance in the first place.

“Styrofoam was the number one product we were finding on our beach clean ups and in our waterway cleanups,” Doebler explained. “The problem with foam is that it’s very brittle and it breaks apart very easily into teeny tiny little pieces. When this gets on our streets, it goes into the storm drain system and the pollution controls are unable to stop it.”

Ninety-three percent of all Floridians surveyed in that 2021 FDEP report said that they believe that regulation of single-use plastics is a necessity.

Still, powerful lobbying groups pushing for the bills say that local governments should stay out of it.

“We shouldn’t be dictating and saying, ‘Hey you can’t do it in this area, because it’s going to be impossible for businesses to compete long term and it’s also going to drive up costs for consumers,’” Americans for Prosperity Florida director Skylar Zander said when speaking with Local 10 Environmental Advocate Louis Aguirre.

“So the argument that you’re making is that this is good for business?” Aguirre asked.

“It’s good for business and it’s good for consumers overall,” Zander maintained.

“But it’s not good for the environment,” Aguirre underlined.

“Well, look, what’s good for the environment is that if people really care about this issue, they can bring their reusable bag to the store,” said Zander.

Environmental advocates say that putting the burden on consumers is not the solution.

“That trash is affecting our community, we need to be able to control it,” emphasized David Cullen, of Sierra Club Florida. “The bill says that the answer is do nothing, that cannot be the answer for Florida.”

As of Tuesday, SB 1126 has officially been “temporarily postponed”. Local 10 reached out to bill sponsor, State Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, to find out why, but has not heard back.

As for the related HB 1641, future discussion has not been scheduled for the remainder of the regular legislative session. We reached out to the sponsor of that legislation as well and did not hear back from them either.

Environmentalists are cautiously optimistic, but warn that the legislation could come back. Local 10 News and Don’t Trash Our Treasure will continue to follow this closely.

Source link

Click to comment

Florida

Melby the manatee rescued from Melbourne Beach storm drain, now recovering

Published

34 minutes ago

February 12, 2026

Press Room

Melby the manatee rescued from Melbourne Beach storm drain, now recovering

A juvenile male manatee was rescued after being trapped in a Melbourne Beach storm drain.
The 410-pound manatee, named “Melby,” was found underweight with several open wounds.
Melby is now recovering at SeaWorld in Orlando and has shown encouraging signs like an interest in food.

A juvenile male manatee dubbed “Melby” is on the mend at SeaWorld in Orlando, after unknown hours trapped in a Melbourne Beach storm drain.

Florida wildlife officials say it was a quick call from the public to a wildlife hotline and a fast response from local, state and federal agencies that kept Melby’s life from just going ‘down the drain.’

Now, Melby’s on the mend — and hungry.

“He showed some interest in food during his first night, which is an encouraging sign,” Kristen Turner, spokeswoman for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Tuesday via email. “His condition continues to be evaluated.”

Firefighters, multiple agencies step up to save ‘Melby’

Just after 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, Brevard firefighters helped to excavate and remove Melby from a storm drain with the help of multiple partners.

Melby measures about seven feet in length and weighs about 410 pounds. Rescue workers from several agencies, including FWC, Brevard County Fire Rescue and others, converged on Neptune Drive in the beachside community to extract the manatee.

“During the initial onsite health assessment, responders noted the manatee was underweight and had multiple open wounds on the underside near the tail and flippers,” Turner added. “The manatee was alert and moving at the time of rescue but had been exposed to shallow, cold water and likely had been inside the culvert for an extended period of time.”

FWC can’t say for sure if cold drove Melby down the drain but that’s the most likely reason.

“While rare, manatees are naturally curious may enter culverts and similar structures, and these situations often go unnoticed,” Turner added. “In many cases, animals are not found alive. This rescue had a positive outcome because someone immediately called the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, allowing responders to act quickly.”

The manatee was pulled from the underground baffle box after utility workers dug through several feet of concrete to reach the trapped mammal.

Workers continued their efforts for several hours as the nighttime chill descended on the area. Heavy equipment was brought in to slice into the roadway and remove the drain lid as lights glared.

A tow truck lifted Melby out of the drain.

It was not immediately known how or when the manatee — a native, threatened Florida species which lives in many of the state’s waterways — wandered into the storm drain.

The rescue drew attention from residents along with media, even with efforts to pull Melby from the drain being livestreamed on YouTube. Manatees are typically drawn to warmer waters during the winter.

What if you see a sick, stranded or dead manatee, or other distressed wildlife?

If you see an injured, distressed, or dead manatee, or any wildlife in need of assistance, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Your call may save an animal’s life.

Jim Waymer covers environment and local government. Contact him at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.

Source link

Florida

Vehicle bursts into flames after deadly crash involving wrong-way driver in Broward, Florida Highway Patrol says

Published

13 hours ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Vehicle bursts into flames after deadly crash involving wrong-way driver in Broward, Florida Highway Patrol says

Updated on: February 11, 2026 / 8:49 AM EST
/ CBS Miami

A crash involving a wrong-way driver in Broward County left two people dead on Wednesday morning, according to information provided by the Florida Highway Patrol.

According to FHP, the crash was reported northbound on U.S. 27 at mile marker 37 just after midnight.

The preliminary investigation showed that the front of a Range Rover collided with the front of a Nissan Altima before coming to rest blocking the northbound lanes of the road.

FHP said that after the crash, the Range Rover caught fire and the driver was trapped inside. The driver of both the Range Rover and Nissan Altima were pronounced dead at the scene, according to FHP.

While the investigation was underway, all northbound lanes of the road were closed. However, the road reopened just before 7 a.m.

No other information was released.

In:

Source link

Florida

Florida State falls to No. 15 Virginia in a heartbreaker

Published

1 day ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Florida State falls to No. 15 Virginia in a heartbreaker

The Florida State Seminoles (11-12, 4-6) played host to the No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers (20-3, 9-2) on Tuesday, looking to continue their winning streak by taking on one of the top squads in the ACC. The Cavaliers also came into the matchup hot, having won their last four contests.

Florida State and Virginia went head-to-head in the first half, with a very defensive game leading to a tied score at halftime. Florida State led for over 27 minutes and looked to be on its way to its first major upset of the Luke Loucks era, but some offensive miscues by FSU and a second-half takeover by Virginia guard Jacari White led the Cavaliers to a grinding win in Tallahassee, 61-58, with the Seminoles barely losing a game they should’ve and could’ve won.

The energy was high in the Donald Tucker Center from the tip-off. Both teams started off letting it go from three. The Cavaliers began the game looking like the better team, making their three-point attempts while also applying pressure on the defensive end.

Lajae Jones provided a huge spark for the Seminoles with a three followed by a transition slam. The Cavaliers continued to answer back immediately with their own scoring, mainly by big men De Ridder and Grunloh. Jones hit another transition three for the Seminoles to tie the game at 15 all with 13:04 to go in the first half.

The Florida State defense put up defensive possession after defensive possession, rotating well and logging 2 blocks and a steal early on. Lajae Jones continued to dominate, making a heavily contested layup plus the foul, and after the made and-one, he was up to 12 points. This put Florida State up 17-15 with 10:46 to go.

Virginia seemingly couldn’t get anything to go, going on a 4:05 scoring drought. Robert McCray V hit a huge 3, starting off 3/3, with 9 total points. Florida State led by 5 with 7:46 to go in the first half. The Cavaliers brought it back with a couple of buckets, making it 26-24 FSU with 4:00 to go in the half.

Florida State’s defense continued to make its presence felt, with Thomas Bassong making two deflections on the same possession, leading to a Virginia shot clock violation. Robert McCray V hit a posterizing dunk that got everyone out of their seat. Sam Lewis hit an important Virginia three with 29 seconds to go in the half to tie things up at 32-32, which remained the score heading into half.

It seemed as if both squads came in with intentions to make it a slow game, with the first half marked by defensive aggression, tight rotations by both teams and deflections galore. Florida State held the advantage on the defensive side with 3 blocks and 5 steals, while Virginia outrebounded the Seminoles 23 to 18.

Robert McCray V got started quick with an immediate three coming out of the half, putting him up to 16 points. He then followed up with a block, leading to a smooth assist underneath to Alex Steen for the bucket. He fired a dart across the court to Lajae Jones in the corner for a three, making the score 41-34 Seminoles with 17:06 to go in the second half.

Virginia guard Jacari White hit two huge isolation threes to get things back to a 2-point game. Both Virginia and Florida State went on huge scoring droughts, both extending over 2 minutes. Virginia’s Chance Mallory hit a layup to tie the game 45-45 with 12:12 to go in the second half. Florida State’s drought extended to over 4 minutes, before Kobe Magee hit a layup to put the Seminoles up by two.

Both teams continued their cold shooting, a theme in this game. With 9 minutes to go, both teams were shooting 35% or lower. Robert McCray changed this with his and-one to put the Seminoles up by 9 with 8:22 to go. Jacari White, as he had all game, hit another huge end of the shot clock three to keep the Cavaliers in the game.

Lajae Jones responded to a Jacari White layup with a huge three. White wouldn’t go away as he hit another three off of an offensive rebound by Virginia. The Cavaliers led in the offensive rebound category 12-7 after that board. With the ball in his hands again, White was blocked by McCray V in the corner to create a shot clock violation and important turnover for the Seminoles.

Jacari White hit a huge layup followed bye two Robert McCray V missed shots. De Ridder finally made some noise with his own floater off the glass to put Virginia up 3. The Seminoles looked rushed in their possessions towards the end.

Lajae Jones heaved up an attempted three with 11 seconds left that was missed. It seemed all over until Virginia Guard Sam Lewis let the ball slip out of his hand and gave it back to Florida State with 7 seconds to go, down 61-58. This gave Florida State one more opportunity. The opportunity faded away as Robert McCray missed a double-clutch three in the corner to end the Seminoles’ hopes of an upset.

The story in the second half, as it was in the first, was defense. Both teams struggled to make shots while also showing prowess on the defensive end. Florida State’s 29% from the field was a season-low, shooting a lackluster 18% from the three-point line. Despite the poor performance on the offensive side of things, FSU’s ability to turn turnovers into points kept them close, ultimately losing to the hot hand of Freshman Guard Jacari White. White scored 19 points, shooting 5/9 from three. His shots were timely and significant. That was enough to lose the Seminoles this one.

Robert McCray V — with the ball in his hands he was lethal. Tonight, he put up a stat line of 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, while defensively recording 3 blocks and 2 steals. He was the key to this offense, and really showcased his ability to do it all, recording a posterizing dunk, some stellar assists, and a 2 threes of his own. If McCray could clean up some of the mistakes when it comes to taking care of the ball, his offensive game elevates this Florida State offense in big ways when he is on.

The Seminoles fall to 11-13 overall, and 4-7 in ACC play. Florida State will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Hokies of Virginia Tech on Saturday, February 14th at 2:00 p.m. ET. This game will be aired on ACC Network.

Source link