Guest Speaker Matt DePaolis of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) will join Calusa Waterkeeper Joe Cavanaugh and Rangers to Lead Discussion Fort Myers, FL – June 24, 2025 – The Caloosahatchee is facing similar pressures to many other...
Originally published on WINK News by Claire Galt on June 12, 2025 Lee County is experiencing rapid growth, which raises concerns about infrastructure and environmental impacts. Commissioners recently approved Neal Communities’ plan to build nearly 1,100 homes on...
Originally published on WINK News by Claire Galt on June 2, 2025 In 2021, the state ordered Fort Myers to eliminate discharges and improve infrastructure by 2028. The city has now negotiated a new deadline of 2032. John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper emeritus, expressed...
Originally published by Chad Gillis in the News-Press on April 23, 2025 An Everglades restoration project that’s been in planning stages for decades will finally be completed this year, likely within a few weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis said April 22 in Naples. The...
Originally published by Paul Dolan on WINK News on April 16, 2025 Water quality has long been a significant environmental concern in Southwest Florida. Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) aim to improve water quality in specific areas, but their effectiveness is...
Originally published in the News-Press on April 13, 2025 Conservation organizations stand united in stating our highest level of concern regarding the Kingston development By Audubon Florida, Audubon Western Everglades, Big Waters Land Trust, Calusa Waterkeeper,...
Originally published by Roger Williams in Florida Weekly on February 26, 2025 “In 2024 the state reported a total water area of 3,668,875 acres statewide for estuary segments identified as impaired for various pollutants.” Those waters no longer fully serve recreation...
Originally published by John Cassani in the News-Press on February 16, 2025 Florida’s coastal waters composed of marshes and tidal estuaries, fed by iconic rivers, represent the very essence of natural Florida. It is hard to imagine any significant historical event...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on November 27, 2024 River advocates are concerned that too much fresh water could spoil the delicate estuary, which depends on the lake for fresh water during the dry season. The overall measurement for flows in...
In an effort to keep children and families informed of troubled waters in Manuel’s Branch and other local waterbodies, Calusa Waterkeeper is hosting a Water Quality & Human Health Public Meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The event will...
Originally published on Fox4 by Andrew Shipley on August 23, 2024 “If it starts to go into one place, even if this is on the opposite end of the coast from us, we have to really start thinking about the big picture,” said Codty Pierce, Calusa Waterkeeper...
Originally published in the Invading Sea by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus on July 1, 2024 Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the Safe Waterways Act, which was passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature Florida public health policy took a blow recently when Gov....
The Safe Waterways Act Needs Your 9th Inning Support! After years of advocating for improvements to public health notifications in the state of Florida, HB 165 finally passed the FL House and Senate earlier this year. But now Calusa Waterkeeper has learned this...
Calusa Waterkeeper is among five conservation organizations and the City of Stuart, Florida to petition the Environmental Protection Agency to set limits on the dangerous algae bloom toxins that now routinely threaten the health of Floridians and wildlife. It has now...
We’re excited to share that the Safe Waterways Act has been added to the Florida Senate’s Special Order Calendar for tomorrow, March 7, 2024! Background: Persistence in Tallahassee In 2021, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani started working with Florida...
For the last several weeks, red tide has brought intense respiratory irritation to beachgoers, hundreds of thousands of dead fish, and several dead sea turtles and dolphin to our beaches. At this moment, we can be thankful that the red tide concentrations appear to be...
Guest Editorial originally published by The Invading Sea – an arm of Florida Climate Reporting Network on January 16, 2023 and written by John Cassani, retired Calusa Waterkeeper It is becoming obvious that Florida’s water restoration programs cannot keep pace...
Calusa Waterkeeper supports the Right to Clean Water constitutional amendment ballot initiative. The following information has been adapted from their brochure. All Floridians need the fundamental right to clean and healthy waters. Our health, our economy, and nature...
Thank you – your voice made a difference! Your efforts over the past weeks and months in contacting the Governor’s office have paid off. Wednesday morning Governor Ron DeSantis announced his decision to veto Senate Bill 2508 and held multiple press...
This Bad Bill Threatens Progress on Lake Okeechobee Management Florida Senate bill 2508 surfaced out of nowhere on Friday, February 4th. The bill was fast-tracked skipping the usual committee stops for public input and heard by the Appropriations Committee on February...
Fecal bacteria contamination in Florida waters is widespread. In coastal estuaries 1,171,692 acres are determined impaired by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and 9,262 miles of Florida’s streams and rivers are impaired for fecal...
Calusa Waterkeeper has been following the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual process since it began in 2018/19. The organization and many of our members have submitted public comments throughout the process over the years. Calusa Waterkeeper has had concerns...
With the 2021 Legislative Session now closed, bills that passed through the House and Senate are on their way to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis. Calusa Waterkeeper is urging our supporters and followers to contact the Governor to veto the following bills that have...
Pictured above: Cyanobacteria blooms on Lake Okeechobee were verified as producing microcystin toxins by FDEP. April 7, 2021 The current bill language has lost or is missing several key recommendations of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. It’s imperative that the...
Letter sets record straight on flawed “Clean Waterways Act” Florida Springs Council, Florida Waterkeepers, and Sierra Club today responded to remarks by Florida’s Chief Science Officer, Thomas K. Frazer, Ph.D., regarding Senator Mayfield’s Senate Bill 712 (SB 712)....
Originally published by WGCU Media by Mike Kiniry & Julie Glenn on May 15, 2019 Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced the formation of a Blue-Green Algae Task Force that’s charged with reducing adverse impacts of the toxic algae blooms over the next five...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, April 10, 2019 So far, the Florida legislative session has not adequately addressed the nutrient pollution time bomb that leads to harmful algal blooms (HABs). Great sums of public dollars...
Originally published by FOX4 News on April 10, 2019 The website Politico reports President Trump’s interior department is considering leasing waters in the Gulf of Mexico for oil drilling. The plan could pick up steam once the President’s choice for Interior Secretary...
Please support Florida Senate Bill 1344 by Senator Janet Cruz, Statewide Environmental Permitting Rules. SB 1344 Background: Design and permitting criteria for non-point stormwater treatment in Florida have not been updated and codified since 2007 despite new criteria...
Florida’s 2019 Legislative Session is moving fast. Here are notes from Florida Waterkeeper’s weekly conference call: Florida Bills Discussed by Florida Waterkeepers on Friday, March 29. SB 7068 – Transportation Spending – OPPOSE Next Committee...
