Clean Water Action

Florida

Current Campaigns

Clean Water Action releases survey findings on curbside recycling and stormwater in St. Petersburg

On February 21, 2008, Clean Water Action released What a Waste! (pdf) a report on curbside recycling and stormwater issues in St. Petersburg. Close to 3,000 Clean Water Action members participated in our survey, indicating they want curbside recycling and would be willing to help pay for it. Our recommendations to the City are clear - establish a city-wide curbside recycling program now and work with groups like Clean Water Action to resolve stormwater issues in the City.

Get the full report (pdf, 1.6 MB)

You've Read the Results - Please Take Action Now!

Take action: Tell the St. Petersburg Mayor and City Council you want curbside recycling now. Personalize this email and tell them why curbside recycling is important to you.

Let's keep up the pressure on!

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Clean Water Action Vows To Keep Holding The Line

Miami-Dade County Commissioners will make a final decision on April 24, 2008 whether to approve three applications which seek to move the County's Urban Development Boundary (UDB) or whether to deny them to protect the public interest.

Please contact your County Commissioners and tell them to deny all applications in order to protect our economy, our water supply and our quality of life.

The HTL campaign was gratified that the state of Florida recently objected to the County Commission's preliminary approval of these applications citing insufficient water supply, increased traffic congestion and school overcrowding that would damage quality of life for South Floridians.

We need your help today to stop this development near Florida's Everglades! Please personalize our sample letter to let your Commissioner know why preventing sprawl in Miami-Dade County is important to you.

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Clean Water Action Launches South Florida Campaign Outreach Program

Clean Water Action is pleased to announce the re-opening of our South Florida Campaign Outreach program. Our outreach staff will be reconnecting with our South Florida members and getting them involved in local, state, and national environmental and energy issues. The project will be based out of our North Miami office.

Interested in working with our outreach program?

Community organizers will be going door-to-door in communities primarily within Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. Full and part-time positions are available; hours are 2:00 – 10:00 p.m., primarily Monday-Friday. Responsibilities include one-on-one communication, membership recruitment, and issue advocacy.

We are looking for candidates who work effectively in teams and independently, possess excellent oral communication skills, care about making a difference by being active within the community and want to win environmental and public health protections.

For more information, contact Cyra Gish at (305) 653-5134

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Interns And Volunteers Wanted

Are you looking for a way to gain experience while giving back to your community? Do you need to beef up your resume? Do you have a son or daughter coming home for the summer from college and don't want them to have idle time? Then why not intern at Clean Water Action and make a real difference this year!

We are looking for positive attitudes, strong communication skills, and results-driven individuals to join us in political change to protect our water, public health, and future.

Positions available include: community organizing, election campaigns, media communication, research, policy analysis and more! We can design a program that meets your interests and needs as well!

For more information, contact Lauren Matchette at (305) 653-9101

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Clean Water Action Files Federal Suit

Clean Water Action joined the Sierra Club and Gulf Restoration Network to file a federal lawsuit on October 1, 2007 against the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violations of federal environmental laws regarding the construction of the Cypress Creek Town Center in Pasco County.

The suit charges the Army Corps of Engineers with unlawfully permitting the construction of this site and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the unlawful issuance of a concurrence letter that the development will not adversely affect federally listed species.

Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, and Gulf Restoration Network are seeking to overturn this permit to prevent devastating consequences to our water, wetlands, and wildlife of this area.

• Water - Stormwater discharge from the development will run directly into Cypress Creek, an "Outstanding Florida Water" and a major tributary of the Hillsborough River. Water consumption needed for this development will tax limited water supplies and pave groundwater recharge areas.
• Wetlands - Building requires the filling of tens of acres of wetlands, and existing wetlands will receive direct Stormwater discharge from the development.
• Wildlife - The land scheduled to be bulldozed contains habitat for three endangered species: the Wood Stork, the Eastern Indigo Snake, and the Florida Scrub Jay.

Efforts are underway by the Developers to move the court case from Washington, D.C. to Florida. CWA believes this is a precedent-setting case, national in scope, and does not just impact the Tampa Bay area. For more information, please contact Kathy Aterno either via e-mail or by phone at (813) 247-2150.

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Be Water Wise - Ways to Save on Water

With 1,350 miles of coastline, the 700 mile wide Lake Okeechobee and 10 million acres of wetlands including the Everglades, Florida is known for its abundance of water. Yet, even with an average of 54 inches of rainfall a year, the sunshine state is still suffering from a severe drought that is only expected to worsen in 2008.

Add to this the 175 gallons of water the average Floridian uses each day -- about 65 more gallons per day than the average American.

It's time we all do our part to protect our most important natural resource. Here's how you and your family can make a real difference in just a few simple steps.

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Clean Water Action And Save Our Canals Launch Joint Initiative To Combat Water Pollution

Clean Water Action has partnered with Save our Canals (SocS) on a new water pollution prevention project called the Water and Coastal Area Restoration and Maintenance project (WARM). WARM is an education and awareness campaign that seeks to combat water pollution by focusing on the issue of stormwater run-off.

The goals of the WARM project are to prevent trash and harmful toxins from entering local waterways, to educate community and policy-makers about stormwater run-off, and to promote practical methods of pollution prevention. Clean Water Action is concerned with the effects of stormwater run-off on our water quality.

Stormwater is a major carrier of non-point pollution sources like trash, oil, gasoline, coolants, pesticides, and fertilizers. When it rains, these pollutants are washed into storm drains and subsequently into our rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Clean Water Action and SocS will focus on pollution prevention through educational campaigns and promoting the use of stormwater filtration baskets. These baskets are placed inside storm drains and serve to block debris, sediment, and even chemicals from entering our waterways. WARM includes plans for a local community clean-up event and engaging the community in our storm drain stenciling campaign.

WARM Project Coming To City Of Tampa

At the October 4, 2007 Tampa City Council meeting, Council members voted in support of the City's Public Works and Utilities Department working with Clean Water Action and Save Our Canals to improve the City's stormwater management.

Council members listened to Clean Water Action's Florida Director, Kathy Aterno, and SocS' Marianne Cufone speak about the WARM project, including the benefits of filtration devices and the importance of stormwater run-off education. Clean Water Action and SocS will work with the City over the next several months and report back to the City Council by the end of the year.

Take Action: If you are interested in participating in WARM, please e-mail us.