Florida is under triple threat from its environment

CENTURIES AGOManatees were believed to be symbols of dreams. They were mistakenly misunderstood by early explorers as mermaids. These gentle mammals have become symbols of horror. The worst year since records began in 1970s saw 1,100 manatees die, which was a seventh of Florida’s total. Many of them have died from starvation due to algal blooms that pollute the seagrass they eat. Concerned researchers along the east coast Indian River Lagoon began feeding manatees lettuce to help them survive. According to Craig Pittman, author, Oh, Florida!, the manatee deaths shocked Floridians. However, they are a much larger event than people realize.: How America’s Most Strange State Influences the Country.

Florida’s greatest asset is also its greatest liability. Tourists come to Florida, and people move in, because they are attracted to the natural beauty of the state, such as the beaches, freshwatersprings, and national parks. Florida is an ecological O. Henry story with an ironic twist. Whether they realize it or not, people destroy what they love most by causing pollution, development, and carbon emissions. Algal blooms, which kill seagrass, are caused by fertilizer runoff from gardens and farms. They also cause pollution to the septic tanks, which in turn damages marine life and makes beaches unattractive. Warmer waters are more likely to see the blooms, and so have temperatures.

Water and swamp

Florida’s fragile environment has been further damaged by the construction of a new one. The habitat destruction and collisions with cars have caused the death of Florida’s official state animal, the Florida panther. Today, there are less than 130 Florida panthers left in the wild. The Everglades, once twice its current size, was drained and refilled for development. Disney World was built on land that used to be part of the Everglades ecosystem. This is a reminder of how man has changed the state. Invasive species like pythons or iguanas are now more common.

The Florida House of Representatives released recently a risk assessment report commissioned by consultancy Willis Towers Watson. 22 of the 72 risks are related to climate change, sea-level rise, and environment. The report has a ten-year timeline and focuses on the most important problems, including water, climate change, and sea-level rise. Florida has had 40% of all hurricanes in America, more than any other country.

These are all difficult problems for future generations. The state must decide how to balance population growth, which fuels our economy, with the cost of investing in long-term benefits that will continue to be appreciated long after the current leaders have left office. These problems are technical as well.

Take water into consideration. According to the report, water scarcity and water quality could lead to severe crises in the future. Water problems fall into multiple categories. Florida can have too much water, which can lead to flooding from excessive rainfall or sea-level rise. Sometimes it has too much, which can lead to drought and scarcity as there is not enough storage capacity. Florida has experienced severe and widespread droughts an average of once per decade over the past 100 year. There are concerns all year about quality. One example is the leak at Piney Point’s phosphorus plant in 2021 that resulted in 205 tonnes nitrogen being dumped into Tampa Bay. More concerns are agricultural runoff and septic tanks. These tanks treat one-third to three-quarters of the state’s wastewater and can sometimes contaminate the water supply. Because of rising groundwater, septic systems can fail and untreated sewage can leak into the water supply.

It may seem surprising that the Republican-controlled Florida House wants such a deep-dive on environmental concerns, but on this issue state Republicans sound more like Democrats than does the national party. Dawn Shirreffs, of the Environmental Defence Fund, a non profit group, said that Florida Republicans are more connected to nature collectively and understand nature as part the economy. Mr. DeSantis, an environmentalist, was elected to office in 2018. He supported bans against fracking and offshore drilling. He is not Teddy Roosevelt, but he is fueled by a personal connection with nature. Instead, he used a clever political calculation to understand voters’ fears about climate change.

Florida’s greatest asset and greatest liability is its environment

This is a departure from Rick Scott’s predecessor who had banned staff from using the word climate change. While Mr DeSantis said he is not interested in doing left-wing stuff and is not willing to tackle the underlying causes of global warming by reducing carbon emission, he often speaks out about the environment, such as the need to restore Everglades. Since 2021, the state legislature has committed $670m to support resilience work in communities that are most at risk from sea-level rise. Although the position was vacant and under-resourced, Mr DeSantis also created a chief resilient officer. He is trying to navigate a tightrope by bringing attention environmental issues without putting in regulations that would hurt businesses or curtail growth.

Many people privately feel that the state isn’t doing enough considering Florida’s environmental problems. There have been many headlines regarding Everglades projects. Both state and federal funding have been diverted there. Some of these funds predate Mr DeSantis. Michael Grunwald, author and editor of The Swamp, claims that not much has changed. He says that the problems, including a shortage of water storage capacity are still as severe as ever.

Stronger moves needed

Some issues require greater investment and bolder action. Mr DeSantis created a task-force to study blue green algae. It recommended that the state inspect septic tanks. However, not all its recommendations have been implemented. Jonathan Webber of Florida Conservation Voters says Florida is like a patient. We took the patient to see the doctor. After he gave us a prescription we threw it in the trash.

Current state funding will convert less then 4% of existing septic systems to sewers. The state has 2.6m systems, which is about 12% of America’s total. However, new development and population growth are expected to increase the number. This area requires huge investment. Converting septic tanks to sewers will cost around $40,000 per home. This would mean that the state would spend $26bn to convert just 25% of existing septic tank capacity. However, failure to act can result in costly consequences. Willis Towers Watson predicts that without taking action, chronic water contamination will cause $73bn-80bn of damages over the next 10 years.

Sea-level rise can be even more costly. According to First Street Foundation, a research company, 20% of Florida’s property are at significant risk from flooding. That number will rise up to 24% by 2050. Key West is a good example of how planning for the future is important. Teri Johnston, the mayor says that the cost of raising roads or making adjustments to accommodate for sea-level rise is staggering. The county is doing shoreline work in order to strengthen beaches. In addition, the city has changed regulations regarding building heights so that they can be built higher than flood elevation. She said that while we have made millions of investments, it will take billions. Tallahassee has provided some funding but not enough direction. It leaves most of the responsibility to the counties. Ms Johnston states that she would like to see more money and more strategy for the state.

The Department of Community Affairs was the central-planning organization for where to develop. Mr Scott resigned under pressure from property companies that complained about red tape. Today, there is no state strategy to manage population growth and protect the environment. In a fragile state like Florida, it is crucial to plan carefully where you will put your homes. Webber says right now, it is the Wild West for real estate developers.

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This article appeared under the headline “A triple-threat” in the Special report section.