"Piney Point is a pre-existing condition," Craig Pittman joked with us during today's Clean Water Conversation. The statement exemplified Pittman's easy humor in the face of Florida's complicated and often disturbing lack of environmental concern. But it also carried weight coming from the guy who first wrote about the impending disaster that's playing out now at the phosphate plant in Manatee County in 2003. It's a poignant example of Florida's regrettable tendency towards preventable environmental disasters. During today's Clean Water Conversation, we enjoyed a few laughs but then got down to business discussing the state's many pressing environmental issues. We covered the latest at Piney Point, the possible toxic algae summer ahead, the repealed M-CORES toll roads, the threat of Aquifer Storage and Recovery wells [...]

During today's Clean Water Conversation, we heard a multi-faceted case supporting the urgent need to repeal M-CORES in full, removing the threat of all three proposed toll roads. We'd like to extend a big thanks our guest representatives from the No Roads to Ruin coalition — Amber Crooks, Ryan Smart, Barbara Byram, and Lilly Rooks — for sharing their expertise. The fight continues to halt these roads, which threaten rural communities, natural springs, and water supply, and put pressure of some of Florida's most loved and endangered wildlife. Friends Executive Director, Eve Samples said it well: "So much of what we all do is defense, and we've got our defensive work cut out for us in the remaining weeks of [...]

When asked during today's Clean Water Conversation what everyday people can do to help stop the threat of oil drilling in Big Cypress, Miccosukee activist Houston Cypress, had this to say: “I’m a fan of nonviolent direct action, meaning, let's make a colorful ruckus." As an organization that strives every day to live by Marjory Stoneman Douglas' famous words, "Be a nuisance where it counts," that's advice that we can get on board with. Today's Clean Water Conversation made a powerful case for the urgent need to take action against Burnett Oil Company's proposed oil drilling in Big Cypress. We'd like to extend a big thanks to Jacki Lopez, Alison Kelly, and Houston Cypress for sharing their wealth of knowledge and [...]

We are grateful to all of you for joining us for our latest Clean Water Conversation: Northern Estuary Waterkeepers' Toxic Discharge Update. Today we were joined by Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani, Indian Riverkeeper Mike Conner, and Lake Worth Waterkeeper Reinaldo Diaz to get an update on the damages inflicted onto each of these northern estuaries by the recent start of Lake Okeechobee discharges. The impacts of Lake Okeechobee discharges on each of these ecosystems are devastating and far-reaching. Each time the flood gates open, local environments suffer, and the people that call these areas home are faced with exposure to dangerous cyanobacteria and tremendous economic loss. We are thankful to each of these Waterkeepers for serving as critical sources of local [...]