Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has rejected a permit application from a North Fort Myers company to drill an exploratory oil well north of Immokalee in Collier County, citing the potential for negative impacts on wildlife like the protected gopher tortoise and on water resources.

Over two days in May, scientists replanted many of the species of coral susceptible to stony coral disease to see if they can survive now that epidemic levels of the disease have subsided.

Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Tuesday he might not get sign-off from the state Cabinet for his next appointee to run the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In what would be a precedent-setting action, DeSantis indicated he might only need approval of the appointee from the Legislature.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says varying levels of cyanotoxins have been identified, increasing chances that the discharge at Piney Point will trigger a blue-green algae bloom.

Workers will continue to identify whether there are any additional separations of the liner that resulted in millions of gallons of wastewater flowing from the reservoir.

When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took office two years ago in a state that had been hammered by two major hurricanes in two years and was suffering through an epic toxic algae crisis, he earned widespread praise for appointing the state’s first chief science and chief resilience officers.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce and a major developers’ group are seeking to intervene in a high-stakes lawsuit over a move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to the state for projects that affect wetlands.

Last month, reef organizations were told the $10 million was no longer available. But within weeks of WLRN inquiring, the grant money was reinstated.

Burnett Oil has asked state environmental regulators to construct two roads and concrete pads on wetlands in the national preserve and hopes to begin drilling by 2022.

The tool is part of a new law taking effect July 1 that calls for projects using state money to conduct studies on damage and costs tied to sea rise. Critics say the law falls short by not requiring fixes.

The groups say Florida's application was riddled with errors and fast-tracked to get a decision before the Trump Administration leaves office.

Earthjustice said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to follow the rule-making process for transferring permitting authority used in Michigan and New Jersey.