North Port seeks action on Red Tide from Ron DeSantis

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, North Port became the first municipality in Florida to proactively seek to bring back a stormwater rule that, if enacted, could significantly reduce nutrients returning to our estuaries and bays -- and therefore potentially reducing the strength of Red Tide Events.

The City Commission adopted Resolution 2018-R-34 which asks Governor DeSantis to take action upon taking office to bring an unused stormwater rule back to go through a public hearing and vetting process and then adoption by the Legislature.

The Resolution was drawn up for the Board's consideration by Hands Along the Water, an advocacy group, and by Stephen Suau, a Sarasota County stormwater expert.

Steve Suau speaking in North Port

The Board adopted the Resolution Tuesday with just one word change -- to clarify that the request is timed to seek Gov. DeSantis's action when he assumes office. In addition to sending the Resolution to the new Governor, the City unanimously voted to forward to the Florida League of Cities, as well as to the Boards of Sarasota and Charlotte Counties, and to each city within those counties.

A powerpoint presented by Suau during the November 27 North Port meeting was included along with the Resolution in the agenda item. It can be seen here, and presents the basic argument as to why the state's Dept of Environmental Protection should bring the stormwater rule off the shelf in order to reduce nitrogen running into coastal waters. The rule was set to go into effect in 2010, but was shelved by Rick Scott as soon as he took office.

That meeting was also when members of Hands Along the Water presented their case for the need to take action against the causes of Red Tide, which has been stronger and more broadly lethal than seen here previously.

Essentially the new rule will use new technology to double the amount of nutrients removed from stormwater ponds. The state has been presuming that 80% - 85% of nitrogen from fertilizers is taken out of stormwater, when in fact under existing methods, it's only 40%-45%.

The proponents of this action say the causes of Red Tide are multiple, and many additional actions will be needed, but this is one that state scientists had researched and studied for 10 years. See the timeline below for more background

Perhaps the time for advanced stormwater treatment has finally arrived.

RED TIDE TIMELINE

1977 to present: (past 50 years): Red tide abundance and duration increases

1997 to present: Nitrogen concentrations in Sarasota and Lemon Bays increase

1995 to 2010: Current regulations presume 80% effectiveness of pond reduction, but
studies revealed that stormwater ponds reduce nitrogen runoff by only 40-45% effective

2000 to 2010: Florida conducts 10-year research and monitoring,
drafts Stormwater Rule and Advanced Stormwater Treatment Design Manual.  

2011: Incoming administration cancels Stormwater Rule and Manual

2018: Proven Stormwater Harvesting and Recycling Technology exists now

• Quantifiable
• Can be used within existing pond footprint
• Can produce revenue 

2019 and Beyond: Hit the Restart Button: Resolve to ask the new DeSantis administration to reinitiate the Advanced Stormwater Treatment Rule public hearing and adoption process.

Members of Hands Along the Water

UPDATE: Call for Community Participation at CONA June 8

CONA - Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations

Monday, June 8, 2015

turning

watershed management

into beneficial use 

Speakers —  John Ryan, Stephen Suau

   Come hear the call for community-wide participation in keeping storm water from polluting and disrupting the ecology of our bays and the gulf. Residents of the numerous neighborhoods in the Phillippi Creek and Alligator Creek areas of the Dona Bay watershed basin are in the priority area for initial efforts. The Donna Bay watershed extends from Manatee County to that namesake bay off Venice. The health of our watersheds, bays, and estuaries should be the concern of all residents of the county. 

   At the same meeting, examine a vision of how use of that storm water could contribute to desirable types of economic development and a more sustainable economy for future generations.

   The Monday, June 8 meeting of CONA – Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, Inc. is free and open to the public as well as members of more than seventy associations the organization represents and its individual members.  

   CONA meets regularly on second Mondays of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota, which is at the intersection of Tamiami Trail, south of the Municipal Auditorium. Parking and the entrance are reached from Van Wezel Way. A social at 6:30 p.m. precedes the meeting.

   More information about CONA is available at http://http://www.conasarasota.org/meetings.html.

Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts

social 6:30 — meeting 7:00

neighbors helping neighbors since 1961

Sarasota as Organic Hub: Steve Suau at CONA Feb. 9

How Sarasota could be a 

hub of organic food production - 

an economic development initiative

   

  Sarasota - At the February 9, 2015 meeting of the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations, Inc. (CONA), their guest speaker, Stephen Suau, will present a vision for an economic development initiative that describes how Sarasota County might become a hub for organic agriculture to help meet local food demands, as well as the increasing regional and national market demands, for organic foods. Although there are several legitimate and unique challenges to agriculture in the county, there are some key assets that could form a foundation for such an initiative.

   Ironically, Sarasota once was an important center for agriculture due to the innovative methods and practices that were developed or introduced by Bertha Palmer on her vast land holdings in Sarasota County. Suau will present a path that could lead Sarasota to an important role in modern food production, one that is responsive to the healthiest and most demanded food products at the markets of today.  

   Suau is a professional engineer specializing in watershed management, planning, and restoration. He also is a small business owner and partner in Progressive Water Resources, which is headquartered in the county. Their work includes assisting agricultural operations manage water resources throughout Florida, including one of the largest organic farms in the United States, Lady Moon Farms. Additionally, Suau is working with his brother, Anthony, a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy winning photojournalist, on his upcoming documentary film, Organic Rising, on the organic food movement in the United States.   

   Suau has co-chaired the Sarasota County original environmentally sensitive lands advisory committee and the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce green business committee. He has served as technical water advisor to the Florida Century Commission, the statewide storm water technical advisory committee, and the technical advisory committee for the Charlotte Harbor Estuary Program. He is the former storm water director for Sarasota County and served as executive director of the Sarasota County Planning and Development Services Business Center. 

   CONA meetings are open to the public as well as members of the seventy-two associations the organization represents and its individual members.  

   CONA meets regularly on second Mondays of the month (except July and August) at 7:00 p.m. at the Sarasota Garden Club, 1131 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota, which is at the intersection of Tamiami Trail, south of the Municipal Auditorium. Parking and the entrance are reached from Van Wezel Way. A social precedes the meeting.

   More information about CONA is available at http://www.conasarasota.org/

After the CONA meeting, Steve McAllister shared his impressions of Steve Suau's talk.