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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumed releasing water Friday morning from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie Estua... The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumed releasing water Friday morning from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie Estuary after discharges were suspended over that last few days. The Corps said in a written statement the water level in the lake is approaching 14.5 feet, up 1.65 feet from its 2018 low in May. "We will implement pulse releases with variable flows that simulate rainfall events in an effort to reduce some of the environmental impacts, said Jacksonville District Commander Col.
An algae bloom is on the Caloosahatchee River at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam, Thursday, July 12, 2018, in Alva, Florida. Water releases from Lake Okeechobee toward both Florida coasts will resume Friday amid political backlash and a toxic algae bloom.
The Florida governor whose mantra is jobs, jobs, jobs? Who rode to office on a wave of tea party support and has pushed for limiting government and gutting regulations, including those that protect the environment, in the name of giving business a freer rein? Yet here he was this week, proposing to boost spending on Florida's natural resources and environmental programs by $220 million.
Hollywood hack Jennifer Lawrence said in an interview with a British network that the recent hurricanes slamming the United States are the fault of Trump voters because they don't believe in man-made climate change. Jennifer Lawrence's interview turned political about halfway through when she ripped into President Trump and his voters.
Irma weakened slightly Friday but remained a dangerous and deadly hurricane taking direct aim at Florida, threatening to march along the peninsula's spine and deliver a blow the state hasn't seen in more than a decade.
A Florida Republican wants to add massive algae blooms to the list of emergencies covered by the federal government after his state was denied emergency funds for a destructive bloom that covered 200 square miles last year. Rep. Brian Mast introduced the Federal Do No Harm Act last month to add harmful algae blooms in state waterways and coastal estuaries caused by water releases from Army Corps of Engineers-controlled dikes and dams to the list of disasters under the Stafford Act.
The Florida Legislature's regular session ended Friday much as it began two months ago, with lawmakers ignoring Gov. Rick Scott's priorities and House Speaker Richard Corcoran dominating the agenda. Republicans wrapped up work on an $82.4 billion budget that strongly bears Corcoran's imprint, with an expansion of charter schools, more bonuses for teachers and principals and the elimination of most of Enterprise Florida, the state's economic development agency crucial to Scott's job expansion efforts that suddenly teeters on the brink of extinction.
Senate President Joe Negron appears willing to look beyond sugar farmland to carry out his proposal to reduce the flow of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into bays on both coasts. The Stuart Republican, speaking at the Capitol this week, maintained his desire to buy 60,000 acres for a reservoir south of the lake to store and clean water.
The enormous algae outbreak that has coated swaths of Florida's St. Lucie River with guacamole-like sludge is a man-made affliction, arising from political and economic decisions made over the past 140 years. Chasing dollars, Florida land developers and their government allies broke up nature's flow that used rivers, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to move water south from central Florida to the Florida Bay at the peninsula's tip.
The enormous algae outbreak that has coated swaths of Florida's St. Lucie River with guacamole-like sludge is a man-made affliction, arising from political and economic decisions made over the past 140 years. Chasing dollars, Florida land developers and their government allies broke up nature's flow that used rivers, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to move water south from central Florida to the Florida Bay at the peninsula's tip.
Algae covered water at Stuart's Central Marine boat docks is thick, Thursday, June 30, 2016, in Stuart, Florida. The blue-green algae is the latest contaminant in years long arguments over water flowing from Lake Okeechobee.
An aerial photo shows blue-green algae enveloping an area along the St. Lucie River in Stuart, Fla.,Wednesday, June 29, 2016 Officials want federal action along the stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast where the governor has declared a state of emergency over algae blooms. The Martin County Commission is inviting the president to view deteriorating water conditions that local officials blame on freshwater being released from the lake, according to a statement released Wednesday.
The Latest on an algae bloom that prompted Florida's governor to declare a state of emergency : As a noxious algae bloom fouls beaches on Florida's Atlantic coast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it will reduce the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee that many blame for fueling the problem. The Corps said in a news release Thursday that its Jacksonville District will begin the reductions Friday, targeting the Caloosahatchee Estuary and the St. Lucie Estuary.