The summer rainy season is rapidly approaching, and St. Petersburg will continue its 14-year tradition of banning fertilizer use to prevent harmful nutrients from reaching waterways and fueling toxic algal blooms.
Pinellas County and at least 25 of its municipalities also implement a similar ordinance from June through September. However, State Rep. Lindsay Cross (D-St. Petersburg) and conservationists throughout the state believe lawmakers are on a path to repeal local restrictions.
A budget proviso sends $250,000 to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS) to study the “effectiveness of the timing of seasonal fertilizer restrictions on urban landscapes toward achieving nutrient objectives for waterbodies statewide.” It emerged in the recent legislative session’s final days without public hearings.
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