Acting Manatee County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes says the deep injection well will be dug almost 2,000-3,000 feet into the ground. Water from the site will be treated and filtered in. Officials say it will take a century for the water to filter out into the Gulf of Mexico. Piney Point has had decades of this story that just sounds like the same story over and over again. An incident that s not being fully addressed or closed, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein said. I m excited that the county is committed to making sure this is the last chapter of this story.
By MARK YOUNG AND RYAN CALLIHAN | Miami Herald | Published: April 3, 2021 PALMETTO, Fla. Less than a day after Manatee County issued an emergency evacuation order for nearby residents of the troubled Piney Point industrial site, public safety officials have announced new and immediate evacuations around the phosphate mine, declaring the collapse of the gypsum stack is “imminent.” Several hours later, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency for the county. “Due to a possible breach of mixed saltwater from the south reservoir at the Piney Point facility, I have declared a State of Emergency for Manatee County to ensure resources are allocated for necessary response & recovery.”
Piney Point: Environmental Disaster Looms as Collapse at Florida Phosphate Plant Imminent
On 4/3/21 at 1:35 PM EDT Evacuate NOW, an extreme-level emergency phone alert sent around 11 a.m. Saturday read.
Saturday s alert follows an evacuation order residents received Friday after a leak was discovered in the plastic liner of the 80-acre pond that holds 800 million gallons of the site s wastewater, which contain phosphorous and nitrogen, according to the
Miami Herald. Officials fear sudden flooding to the surrounding area if the liner were to collapse and release the remaining polluted water in the pond.
.@MCGPublicSafety just sent out an emergency evacuation notice to any persons in the half-mile radius of Piney Point. The evacuation notice was issued due to the imminent uncontrolled release of wastewater at Buckeye Road and Bud Rohden Road. pic.twitter.com/qqFuMVNFlv Manatee County Public Safety Department (@MCGPublicSafety) April 2, 2021
Florida Governor DeSantis prioritizes vaccine rollout for wealthier communities
According to press reports, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has been implicated in a scheme aimed at setting up private, politically motivated COVID-19 vaccination drives in upscale, affluent communities while deprioritizing other poor and working class regions in the state.
News of the pop-up sites emerged last month when email leaks from county officials showed that emphasis had been placed on providing wealthier, Republican-held communities such as Manatee and Charlotte counties before other communities in the state. The private vaccination drives have reportedly allowed more than 6,000 people to jump ahead of tens of thousands of older residents, seniors and other vulnerable populations in desperate need of a vaccine, as demand for vaccinations in the state has greatly exceeded supply since the state began administering them in late December.
UpdatedFri, Mar 5, 2021 at 11:25 am ET
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Local attorney Jennifer Hamey filed an ethics complaint against Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh for her role in a Lakewood Ranch pop-up clinic. (Shutterstock)
MANATEE COUNTY, FL A complaint filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics targets Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh for her role in a pop-up vaccine clinic held Feb. 17-19 in Lakewood Ranch for residents of two of the county s wealthiest ZIP codes.
Baugh, the representative of District 5, which includes Lakewood Ranch, selected the ZIP codes for the state-run event, and also created a VIP list of five people to receive the vaccine at the event and told the county s Public Safety Director, Jacob Sauer, to add their names to the list of those being vaccinated at the pop-up clinic. The list included Baugh and Lakewood Ranch president and CEO Rex Jensen, though Baugh didn t receive the vaccine.