Dear Governor Charlie Crist,

Senate President Ken Pruitt, House Speaker Marco Rubio, and members of the Florida Legislature,

As you enter the last few weeks of the 2007 Legislative Session, amendments will be flying fast and furious as lobbyist look for moving legislation as their target to get their issues amended on.  I do not need to tell you that this is a dangerous time for your communities and its citizens.  One such last minute proposed amendment being pursued by the Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association is fertilizer preemption language.

The Florida Fertilizer and Agrichemical Association is seeking preemption of local government fertilizer regulations.  As Chair of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, my colleagues and I strongly urge you to defeat the proposed fertilizer preemption amendment. 

Local governments regulations are coming under attack this session by the Florida Legislature.  Every year Florida's water quality is deteriorating.  Local governments are the last line of defense for Florida's natural resources and water quality standards.  Local government's ability to protect our environment and water quality standards are critical and should not be removed by the state legislature.

We in Lee County remember a Florida where we could fish in a river without worrying whether the fish were safe to eat, and you could swim in a stream without worrying whether you might get sick.  To this day, we are fighting to seek greater protection for the Caloosahatchee River and one such issue is ensuring the proper use of fertilizer on residential lawns.  To that end, we have been working with our Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS) Extension Service, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, and Florida Association of Counties on our concerns as it relates to the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program. 

As new, stricter water quality standards are developed, they will be included in local government stormwater permits.  We are responsible for meeting those water quality standards.  If local governments lose the ability to regulate issues that impact water quality, such as where impaired waterway has a TMDL for phosphorus or nitrogen, we will be hard pressed to meet more protective water quality standards and greater setbacks from that waterway.

I strongly urge you on behalf of the citizens of Lee County to defeat any fertilizer preemption amendments and let local governments continue to protect our lakes and rivers and improve our water quality standards.  We have a unique ecosystem that deserves stringent protection.

Sincerely,

Robert P. Janes, Chair

Lee County Board of County Commissioners

Post Office Box 398

Fort Myers, FL 33902-0398

239.335.2224 (Office Number)

239.335.2355 (Fax Number)

Dist1@leegov.com