Florida Native Plant Society Blog

The Florida Legislature made a back-room, midnight-hour deal with TruGreen to rob local governments of the authority to enact ordinances that prevent the misuse of fertilizers on lawns. We have very little time to convince Governor DeSantis he needs to veto this offensive provision so counties and cities will still have the autonomy to prevent pollution in their own backyards. Ask Governor DeSantis to veto the provision to SB 2502 (“Back of the Bill” provisions, Section 85, Lines 2455-2460) that would preempt local governments from adopting or amending fertilizer ordinances. If the “back of the bill” part of that sounds strange or fishy to you, that’s because it is. This provision was added in the closing days of the session, late on Sunday night, without any committee debate, public input, or staff analysis of the potential impact. Our springs, rivers and estuaries are choking on excessive nutrients. Nutrient pollution imposes large and measurable economic and quality-of-life impacts ...

Please take a moment to email or telephone Senator Jason Brodeur and ask him to schedule a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government to consider Senate Bills 320, 724 and 1170. It’s important to act by April 10 because the 2023 Legislative Session is nearing its end! These bills would help advance our mission to conserve native plants and native plant communities, but they have stalled in the legislature. If not acted on soon, they will never receive a fair chance to be debated. All 3 bills have already been debated by the Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee, which passed them unanimously! These are good bills that address pressing problems that are not receiving the attention they deserve. Senator Brodeur is Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government. As Chair, he is responsible for setting the Committee’s agenda. Phone his Tallahassee office at (850)487-5010...

We need your help NOW to convince Governor DeSantis that he should veto Senate Bill 2508 because FLORIDA DOES NOT NEED A COMPLETE MAKE-OVER OF OUR IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS! The Florida Legislature passed this terrible bill and it is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. It threatens to upend our successful approach to land conservation by essentially replacing the science-based, transparent, and accountable Florida Forever program with one designed to keep agricultural lands in production. The Rural and Family Lands Program (RFL) was created to purchase conservation easements over privately owned forests and ranches, and is a valuable complement to Florida Forever because the working lands it keeps in production sometimes have supplemental habitat value for native plants and wildlife, and can maintain connectivity within wildlife corridors. But Florida Forever has been, and should remain, our principal land conservation program . Call Governor DeSantis at (850)...

We’ve never been so close to success in a decades-long effort to restore the Ocklawaha River and 15,000 acres of floodplain forest that were lost or damaged when the river was dammed in 1968 as part of the disastrous Cross Florida Barge Canal project. FNPS is one of 60 organizations that comprise the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, and this is the make-it-or-break-it moment when we need to show the Governor, Legislature and FDEP that citizens want to restore the Ocklawaha by breaching the Kirkpatrick Dam. The St Johns River Water Management District is coordinating an online public survey to gauge support for restoration and we are asking you to take a few moments to complete the survey and let Florida decisionmakers know you support restoration of a free-flowing Ocklawaha. A link to the survey and information to help you answer the survey questions are provided below. Even if you have never experienced the natural beauty and ecological splendor of the undisturbed, natural reaches of the...