FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Amid the ongoing talks of selling a former Superfund site in Clay County, News4JAX has received a response from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

An ex-employee of a Clay County plant that was shuttered in the 1990s for illegally burning hazardous materials hopes to help prevent the sale of the former Superfund site.

A diesel fuel spill at a St. Augustine marina is being investigated as an act of vandalism, News4JAX learned Friday.

What’s that smell? It appears residents of Nassau County finally have an answer.

Sparks flew Wednesday as the Jacksonville Waterways Commission debated banning coal ash coming into local ports.

Residents who are upset over a project behind their homes in Jacksonville’s Grove Park neighborhood gathered on Monday evening for a meeting to share their concerns.

State environmental regulators have issued a stern warning to contractors accused of illegally pumping wastewater into wetlands and a nearby Jacksonville waterway.

Besides leaving a trail of storm damage in its wake, Tropical Storm Elsa caused a big stink among Murray Hill residents.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has released the sampling and assessment results that were taken in the waters near where a barge carrying coal ash has been stranded off the coast of Atlantic Beach for months.

Several million dollars are set aside for the coming fiscal year to address impacts of climate change on the environment.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

This consent order was drafted after multiple violations of turbidity plumes flowing into the Ortega River from the construction site during heavy rains. Within 45 days a third party must also perform a “River Assessment” to evaluate the Ortega River and canal for sediment resulting from erosion of the construction site. Turbidity plume flowing into the Ortega River. (Sharon and Don Light)The FDEP is confident that with the consent order in place and frequent inspections the issue will improve. A consent order between our Department and the responsible parties was executed on August 6, 2020.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A family who lives along along the Ortega River is concerned as silt from a construction site continues to flow into the waterway after heavy rainfall. The silt plume has been spotted flowing from the construction area at the Roosevelt Marketplace. The remaining 15% exposed limerock will be covered over as well. The Department remains committed to conducting regular site visits to ensure adequate progress, confirming all short-term corrective actions are working. Additionally, as we stated last week, the Department is evaluating potential formal enforcement actions with the responsible parties that may include longer term corrective actions and the assessment of appropriate fines/penalties.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. A silt plume has been spotted flowing from the Roosevelt Marketplace construction site into the Ortega River. Last week, News4Jax learned that heavy rains had been pushing silt from the site into a nearby canal, which flows into the river. Shannon Blankenship, advocacy director for the St. Johns Riverkeeper, said the recent plume sighting wasnt the first. The first time that we saw an active violation of construction at the Roosevelt mall was in January of 2020, Blankenship said a week ago. The FDEP issued a statement that reads in part:Immediately upon being notified of the concerns related to the construction site, the department conducted an inspection.

These heavy rains are what push silt from the Roosevelt Marketplace construction site into a nearby canal that flows into the Ortega River. The St. Johns Riverkeeper continues to monitor the situation and fears that the silt plumes flowing into the river will continue to happen unless adequate silt barriers are used through the rainy summer season. Once again, the Roosevelt Marketplace redevelopment in Jacksonville pollutes and silts in the Ortega River, which flows into the St. Johns. When the sediment from the construction site reaches the river, it can change the rivers elevation and cause mud flaps along the riverbed. The first time that we saw an active violation of construction at the Roosevelt mall was in January of 2020, Blankenship said.

This Aug. 1, 2018, aerial photo made available by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection shows Grayton Beach State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. The squeak,' squeak, 'squeak of the sand when you walk in it.It's a large reason the beach was picked as the best in the United States by Stephen Dr. Beach Leatherman, a coastal scientist and professor at Florida International University, who has been ranking the nation's beaches for 30 years. Grayton Beach State Park won the list's top spot even without a smoking ban based on its sheer beauty. I have caught lots of fish at Grayton Beach State Park, Cherry said.

Thomas Frazer, Floridas chief science officer, said Monday during a state Blue-Green Algae Task Force meeting in Fort Myers that he and other officials at the state department have already been fielding calls from people with ideas about fighting the algae. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order in January to create the task force in response to outbreaks of toxic algae and red tide across the state last year. The problems particularly drew attention in Southeast and Southwest Florida, as algae plagued water bodies such as the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers and red tide caused fish kills. Some people making proposals could be asked to appear before the task force to answer questions about their proposals. The initiative was created between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissions Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and Sarasota-based Mote Marine Laboratory.