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Hurricane Dennis has come and gone. For some the hurricane
is just a memory, but for many Floridians the effects will
be felt for some time. To speed recovery and expedite
rebuilding and restoration in the affected areas, the
Department issued a 60-day Emergency Order on July 11, 2005,
authorizing local governments, businesses and property
owners to immediately begin certain activities, such as
debris removal and structural repairs, without the need for
permits.
The Emergency Order applies to the nine Florida counties hit hardest by Hurricane Dennis – Monroe, Bay, Franklin, Wakulla, Gulf, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton and Okaloosa – and allows residents and governments to repair public roads, utilities, and beach access ramps along with damaged windows, roofs and stairways. Local governments are also sanctioned to remove hurricane-generated debris and sunken vessels; repair roads, beach access points and dune walkovers; return sand deposited upland by the storm to the beach; and restore damaged dune systems. To further help communities, the Department this week opened a field office in Walton County. A team of agency engineers will be working within the impacted areas to quickly issue any needed emergency field permits to area residents and provide local governments with technical assistance during the recovery. In the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis, rebuilding will take time and patience. By allowing property owners and local, state and federal agencies to quickly begin the reconstruction process, Floridians can begin to re-establish their lives and return to a sense of normality. For more information on beach restoration and coastal recovery activities and the Walton County field office, visit www.floridadep.org. 
Power Restoration Complete in Areas Hit by Hurricane Dennis
“I commend Florida’s utility companies for their hard work restoring services to those impacted by Dennis,” said Governor Jeb Bush. “As we proceed through the recovery process, the state will continue to provide our impacted communities with unwavering support and assistance.” “Floridians have demonstrated patience and understanding during this hurricane season,” said Secretary Castille. “Our ability to work together and quickly return power to our communities is a testament to the resiliency of our residents, businesses and emergency responders.” Power outages in the southern and panhandle regions of Florida affected customers with FPL, TECO and Gulf Power, as well as cooperative and municipal customers. With more than 279,000 customers out of service, 48 counties were affected during Hurricane Dennis. More than 4,300 outside workers joined Gulf Power’s 1,400 employees to undertake the massive job of removing trees from power lines, restringing wire, replacing broken poles and replacing damaged transformers and other equipment. Just over a week after the storm, power is restored to over 99 percent of homes and businesses with the capacity to receive power. As work continues across the State, officials advise taking the following safety precautions:
For more information visit, www.floridadisaster.org. Appeals Court Upholds Everglades Water Quality StandardTALLAHASSEE– Today, the First District Court of Appeals upheld an administrative law judge’s Final Order in favor of the State of Florida’s rule to limit phosphorus levels in America’s Everglades. The rule establishes the process for improving water quality and restoring the natural system in the famed River of Grass. Decades of biological research provide the basis for the numeric water quality standard proposed by DEP. “Today’s action by the Court upholds Florida’s science-based strategy for cleaning up the Everglades and returning a natural balance to one of the nation’s most treasured ecosystems,” said Secretary Castille. “Florida has set aside an unprecedented $1 billion for water quality improvements alone. Our comprehensive plan, accelerated schedule and continued financial investment will lead to additional phosphorus reductions in the remaining impacted areas.”
Together with improved farming practices, manmade wetlands have prevented nearly 1,700 tons of phosphorus from entering the Everglades over the last ten years – cutting loads by more than 60 percent. The stormwater treatment areas are cleaning water from the 170 parts per billion phosphorus levels of a decade ago to as low as 12 parts per billion today. The rule requires the use of best available phosphorus reduction technology to ultimately achieve the water quality standard. More than half a billion dollars will be invested over the next decade to implement an enforceable, long-term plan to ensure continued water quality improvements and protection of America’s Everglades. In July 2003, the Environmental Regulation Commission approved the rule proposed by the Department as a part of the Everglades Forever Act. In June 2004, Judge David Maloney issued a Final Order formally upholding the Department’s rule. Today’s action by the First District Court of Appeals affirms Judge Maloney’s findings. Florida Department of Environmental Protection
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TALLAHASSEE – Since Hurricane Dennis made landfall in Florida on July 10, power has been restored to over 99 percent of the more than 279,000 customers affected by the storm.
The rule establishes a phosphorus standard of 10 parts per billion for the entire freshwater area of the Everglades Protection Area. As part of its intensive schedule to improve water quality in America’s Everglades, the State is operating more than 36,000 acres of constructed wetlands that use plants to naturally remove nutrients from water flowing into the 2.4 million-acre marsh. Florida is on schedule to construct an additional 5,000 acres of treatment marsh by 2006 and another 15,000 acres by 2009. 
The Department is currently conducting environmental sampling on an unused property at the Clara White Mission’s main facility in downtown Jacksonville to provide a detailed evaluation of soil and groundwater conditions for the Mission. Earlier environmental investigations conducted by the Mission suggested that soil in some areas contained low levels of a petroleum-based pollutant commonly found in urban areas. DEP will develop a work plan and carry out additional assessments at residential properties to determine if cleanup actions are needed. 
TALLAHASSEE – The Department welcomed the Hotel Motel Association of Volusia County to Florida’s Green Lodging program last week. The voluntary State initiative provides the lodging industry with technical assistance, encouraging hotels and motels to adopt cost-saving ‘green’ practices that reduce waste and conserve natural resources, and providing consumers with an environmentally-friendly choice. |
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Governor Jeb Bush
Secretary Colleen M. Castille
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