Florida health officials change postings for oiled beaches

After hundreds of people complained about swimming with oil at beaches in Escambia County last week, the Florida Department of Health is making modest changes in its system for issuing beach swimming advisories.

All Gulf beaches in Escambia County were closed Saturday along with most beaches in Walton County, according to a DOH website. More than 400 people complained last week to the Escambia County health officials about swimming in oily water, according to multiple news reports.

During a morning briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center, Dr. Mark O'Neill of the Florida Department of Health said the system of providing for "oil impact" advisories to be posted and removed frequently is being replaced. The new system allows advisories to remain posted at beaches "as long as the threat exists, which could be quite some time," O'Neill said.

He said the choppy surf had made it difficult for people to see oil sheen on the surface of the Gulf. "If something in the future warrants a higher level of concern for human health, we will move in that direction," he said. "Right now we don't have any science showing us higher concern than skin irritation or rash."

A DOH guidance document cites the impact of water pollution on coastal economies. The trigger for issuing advisories is "extensive oil sheen, oil slick, oil mousse or extremely large numbers of tar balls in the water, within 100 yards of the shore, as observed by a designated government professional."

Beaches are not closed. Rather swimmers are told to avoid entering the water if oil or tar balls are present and to avoid contact with dead or dying fish or animals. Young children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are advised to avoid the area.

The oil impact notice can be removed based on a "local determination" that the beach is no longer impacted by the spill, according to the DOH document.

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

Nominating council could limit governor's PSC picks

The Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council in August will interview six applicants for two spots on the Public Service Commission even though all of them have already been nominated to fill two other seats. The council's choices could limit the governor's selection to lead the troubled agency, but the council chairman says that was not the intent.

In a controversial move on Wednesday, the council effectively voted to oust Commission Chairman Nancy Argenziano and Commissioner Nathan A. Skop by not choosing them among the 18 to be interviewed for their seats. (See "Argenziano and Skop ousted from PSC," June 30.) Their terms end on Jan 1, 2011.

On June 15, the PSC Nominating Council recommended eight names for two vacant seats created after the Senate in April refused to confirm the nominations of David E. Klement and Ben A. "Steve" Stevens III.

Gov. Charlie Crist has until July 15 to choose two appointees for the vacant Klement and Stevens seats. Six of the eight are also will be interviewed again for the Skop and Argenziano seats.

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton and council chairman, at a June meeting encouraged the applicants who were being interviewed to reapply for the Argenziano and Skop seats. On Thursday, he said there was no intent to limit the governor's choices for the PSC. Bennett said he would ask the council to submit more than eight names if the six were recommended to the governor again.

"I want to make sure the governor has enough choices to get the right people for the state of Florida," Bennett said.

The six who are being interviewed again are former PSC Executive Director Mary Bane, legislative analyst Kevin Wiehle, Jacksonville City Councilman Art Graham, former Missouri PSC member Connie Murray, Tallahassee attorney Charles Ransom, and Sen. Lee Constantine, D-Altamonte Springs.

Former Sen. Curt Kiser, now the PSC's general counsel, and Rep. Ronald Brise, D-North Miami Beach, were recommended in June but did not reapply for the Argenziano and Skop seats. Click here for a list of the 18 who were selected to be interviewed in August.

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

Fallout continues over ousting of Florida PSC members

Independent candidate for governor Bud Chiles on Thursday called on Gov. Charlie Crist to aks for a grand jury to investigate the Florida Public Service Commission.

The PSC Nominating Council on Wednesday effectively ousted Chairman Nancy Argenziano and Commissioner Nathan A. Skop by not selecting them among the 18 to be interviewed for their seats after their terms end on Jan. 1. Both commissioners said their removal was payback for their questioning utility rate hike requests.

"Never in Florida's history have special interests so actively and effectively subverted the will of the people," Chiles, son of the late Gov. Lawton Chiles, said in a statement. "The message to new commissioners is clear: Side with consumers and we'll have you removed. The people have a right to understand how this travesty happened."

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton and council chairman, said in response that Chiles' statement "doesn't bother me one iota." The council, he said, wanted to clean house of dissension and infighting among PSC members. "This is strictly a political thing on his end -- it means nothing to me," Bennett said.

The senator also responded to Skop's challenge to name who among the 18 applicants to be interviewed was more qualified than he is to serve on the PSC. In a statement, Skop, a nuclear engineer with a law degree and MBA, also said he may be among the most qualified in the United States to serve on the panel.

"That tells me this person has a severe ego problem, and his ego problem has been part of the dissension at the PSC," Bennett said. "It is not about one individual -- it is about trying to build consensus and finding a group that can work together to come up with an energy policy for the state of Florida."

Crist on Wednesday night issued a statement saying he was saddened that Argenziano and Skop were being replaced "in spite of their strong record of working to protect Florida consumers." The St. Petersburg Times today published an editorial saying the message sent to commissioners was "Stand up to utilities at your own peril."

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

Weather hampers oil spill response but plans unveiled

Responders remove sea turtle eggs from a nest on the Fort Morgan Peninsula in Alabama on June 27. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photos by Bonnie Strawser.

Bad weather hampered oil spill cleanup operations Thursday as state officials weighed in on efforts to help wildlife, fishermen and counties that are battling the spill.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Melbourne, wrote a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist stating that BP had provided the state with $50 million to respond to the oil spill and that counties are seeking compensation for their spill costs. (Click here to download the letter).

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a plan with BP and other federal partners to respond more quickly to reports of oil-soaked birds in the Florida Panhandle. (Click here to download the plan.)

The state Emergency Operations Center reports that 206 birds have been recovered since the spill began in April. Seventy-nine were recovered dead, 60 died in captivity, 64 are being rehabilitated and three have been released. The birds are primarily northern gannets, brown pelicans and pied-billed grebes, according to a daily situation report.


The Coast Guard and BP unified command announced that Federal Express will help move sea turtle eggs from hundreds of nests along Gulf beaches affected by the spill to Florida's east coast.

And Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced the signup period for Apalachicola Bay oyster harvesting licenses will be extended because fishermen are facing a major burden from the spill. (See St. Petersburg Times story, "Apalachicola, an oyster capital, braces for oil").  

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

Florida solar program ends with $41 million backlog

Florida's solar energy rebate program ended Wednesday with a backlog of more than 11,000 applications totaling at least $41.6 million.

Gov. Charlie Crist has hinted that a special session to address energy issues could be used to extend the program, which paid out $25 million in rebates between 2006 and 2009. The program, which paid up to $20,000 for home solar electric panels and up to $500 for solar water heaters, ran out of money a year ago.

The "Clean Energy Congress" on Tuesday recommended extending the program. The Legislature, dealing with a cash-strapped budget, has not found any money for the program since 2008 and state law called for it to expire on June 30.

On Wednesday, the Florida Energy and Climate Commission agreed to ask the U.S. Department of Energy if $13 million in federal economic stimulus dollars provided to the state for energy projects could be put towards the solar rebate program backlog, said Rob Vickers, executive director of the Governor's Energy Office.

The DOE inspector general issued an audit earlier this month blaming the agency for allowing Florida to spend stimulus money for solar projects completed before Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. "They [DOE] have sort of given us mixed signals in the past [as to whether] there would be willingness to use some amount of the money to address the rebate program backlog," Vickers said.

Most states pay for energy efficiency and renewable energy by putting taxes on electric bills -- but not Florida, said James M. Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. HB 1267 by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, would have extended the program and applied a 25 cents monthly charge on utility bills to pay for the solar rebate backlog and for new projects, but the bill was never heard in committee.

"I don't think Florida will ever do that because it is a tax," Fenton said. "They [legislators] argued forever on whether to raise the cigarette tax."

Some solar installers say the state is obligated to pay for the rebates, although Vickers noted that the application states that rebates will be paid only if funding is available. Shawn Lorenz, who works for Sunbelt Solar Energy in Sarasota and is a member of Floridians for Energy Independence, said applicants and solar installers had to follow detailed guidelines from the state to meet rebate requirements.

"So now it's the solar contractor's fault or the person who installed the system's fault for not knowing about the little wiggle room the Legislature put in?" Lorenz said. "That seems rather dubious to me."

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story and photo copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

Argenziano, Skop ousted from Florida PSC

Chairman Nancy Argenziano and Commissioner Nathan A. Skop have been ousted from the Florida Public Service Commission, meaning that four of the commissioners who voted against utility rate hikes in January have been removed.

The Public Service Commission Nominating Council met Wednesday morning in Tampa and voted with little discussion to interview 18 candidates other than Skop and Argenziano for the commission, said Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton and council chairman. The decision means that Skop and Argenziano will have to give up their spots on the commission at the end of the year when their terms end.

Argenziano, a former state senator who was appointed by Crist in 2007, issued a statement saying that the action was "no surprise." She previously told the Florida Tribune that she would be ousted by utility supporters but she was applying anyway.

In April, the Senate refused to confirm David E. Klement and Ben A. "Steve" Stevens III in a vote that was largely seen as a slap against Gov. Charlie Crist and his reform-minded nominees.

"The Public Service Commission Nominating Council and Senate and House leadership got their marching orders from Associated Industries of Florida, and have acted accordingly," Argenziano wrote in her statement Wednesday.

Barney Bishop, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida, said his group didn't contact anyone on the council to oppose Argenziano and Skop. "We didn't have to lift a finger, we didn't have to get involved in this whatsoever," he said. "This is her persecution complex she used to justify her own actions. She will simmer in her own stew."

Bennett said he was disappointed by Argenziano's statement and the accusations about utilities' influence. "It kind of goes to the point -- she is her own worst enemy," Bennett said.

He said the council had closely questioned applicants for the Stevens and Klement seats about dissension and bickering on the commission. "It was time to truly clean house bring another two on board and stop that kind of dissension," Bennett said.

But Skop, a nuclear engineer who has a law degree from the University of Florida and an MBA, said he would challenge Bennett or anyone to name who among the 18 that will be interviewed are more qualified than him. Skop also said any bickering was a result of him and Argenziano trying to clean up ethical lapses at the agency, which he said put them at odds with Commissioner Lisa Edgar and former PSC Executive Director Mary Bane.

"At the end of the day if you do your job, you lose your job -- and that is what happened," Skop said. The council has nominated Bane and eight other candidates for the Stevens and Klement vacancies.

Sen. Mike Fasano, a critic of the PSC for supporting past utility rate hikes, said the council's decision was more evidence of the utilities' control over the process. "It is blatantly obvious that anyone of an independent mind and a consumer-first orientation has no place on the commission," Fasano said in a statement.

The council will meet Aug. 19 to interview applicants to replace Argenziano and Skop, whose terms end Jan. 1, 2011. Crist will have 30 days to nominate replacements once he receives the expected list of eight nominees. The PSC positions pay $133,036 per year.

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)

"Clean Energy Congress" calls for renewables target

The "Clean Energy Congress" concluded Tuesday in Tallahassee with a series of policy recommendations for reducing energy use and boosting renewable energy. With the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a backdrop, representatives from a variety of environmental and industry groups and agencies met in the Florida House chambers to develop energy proposals.

The delegates recommended a renewable energy goal for the state but without a specific targeted amount, said Susan Glickman, an environmental lobbyist who chaired the event. Gov. Charlie Crist recommended a 20-percent "renewable portfolio standard" in 2007 but the Legislature has refused to approve it. The delegates also recommended a special legislative session to set a renewable energy goal but they did not address oil drilling, Glickman said.

"The congress was entirely focused on solutions" rather than the oil spill, she said. Crist has said he wants a special session this summer on drilling and renewable energy but he hasn't laid out a proposed energy policy.

Speakers at the event included CFO Alex Sink, Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee and Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee.

The delegates also supported continuing with the state solar energy rebate program, which ends June 30. Other positions included supporting federal carbon cap-and-trade legislation and support for a goal of 2 percent energy from biomass from urban wood waste and logging residuals if it can be harvested sustainably.

Recommendations by Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach and House majority leader, for increasing the use of electric cars also were supported.

Glickman said the group may reconvene before the 2011 legislative session as the delegates work to spread the message until then. "This is absolutely just the beginning," she said.

Several delegates said they were impressed by the diverse interests represented though a few speakers noted a lack of racial diversity. Groups represented included the Florida Solar Energy Industries Association, the Florida Forestry Association, the Florida League of Women Voters, the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy and Kitson & Partners, the developers of Babcock Ranch in southwest Florida.

"I hope it (the diverse interests represented) will get the policy-makers to pay attention," Glickman said.

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story and photo copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)