Molly Duerig

1 week ago | cfpublic.org | Molly Duerig

As lawmakers in the U.S. Senate face a July 4 deadline to pass a budget reconciliation package narrowly approved by the House of Representatives, renewable energy industry groups and businesses in Central Florida are bracing for painful “disruptions” they say would come from the bill’s proposed repeal of clean energy incentives. Many of those clean energy incentives enacted under the Biden administration funneled jobs and billions of dollars into Republican-controlled states, including Florida.

1 week ago | cfpublic.org | Molly Duerig

Seasonal fertilizer restrictions begin for five Central Florida counties on June 1, which also marks the official kick-off of hurricane season. During Florida’s rainy season, fertilizer can wash off lawns and into water bodies, bringing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution along with it.

2 weeks ago | cfpublic.org | Molly Duerig

Orange County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday against a major development proposal for the Shingle Creek watershed, echoing two earlier decisions by the Development Review Committee and Planning and Zoning Commission last month.

2 weeks ago | cfpublic.org | Molly Duerig

Proposed legislation currently awaiting the governor’s signature could effectively derail the Orange Code and Vision 2050 plans Orange County has been working on since 2017, according to some community stakeholders. The county’s goal with both the pending Orange Code and Vision 2050 is to launch a more sustainable, strategic approach to long-term growth management.

3 weeks ago | cfpublic.org | Molly Duerig

The new land development rules in a pending Orange Code that Orange County plans to adopt soon don’t adequately address future impacts anticipated from climate change, like extreme heat and population growth expected from climate migration, according to some community stakeholders. The county’s new comprehensive plan, Vision 2050, does include goals, objectives and policies aimed at mitigating various climate change impacts.