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Enforcement Efforts by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility August 24 Report

August 29, 2024

By: Walter G. Wright

Category: Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law

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The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (“PEER”) organization has issued an August 2024 report titled:

Enforcement Efforts by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (“Report”).

PEER states that it has examined the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (“FDEP”) since 2004 to assess the state’s trends in pollution enforcement.

The August 2024 Report provides the organization’s view of FDEP enforcement efforts in 2023.

PEER argues that state records indicate that Florida’s environmental enforcement actions:

…are well below historical averages and have declined significantly in the last three years of the DeSantis Administration.

PEER argues that the data indicates that the enforcement program has been in decline for the past thirteen years. Such decline is alleged to have begun with the Administration of Governor Rick Scott.

Statistics cited by the Report include:

  • 2010-2013 FDEP enforcement actions dropped from 1,587 to 210 (Rick Scott Administration).
  • 2018-2020 FDEP enforcement actions increased from 371 to 742 (first two years of DeSantis Administration).
  • 2021-2023 FDEP enforcement actions have declined to 579 (past three years of DeSantis Administration).

Three specific focuses of the Report are the following:

  • Dredge and fill.
  • Domestic wastewater.
  • Manatees.

A copy of the Report can be downloaded here.

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