News

On the heels of a horrific year for water, we made tremendous strides in 2019 towards securing water management that prioritizes environmental benefits for the whole Everglades ecosystem and protecting human health and safety from the dangers of toxic algae exposure. In 2020, we’re committed to taking those victories further. That means doing everything we can to advocate for management of Lake Okeechobee that mirrors operational changes made by the Army Corps last year--lowering the lake before the rainy season and protecting coastal communities from massive discharge events when cyanobacteria blooms were on the rise. That means maximum flows during the dry season west to the Caloosahatchee and south to Everglades National Park where water is so desperately needed. We’ve [...]

Here's to you and the thousands of Bullsugar supporters who made 2019 the most promising year in a long, long journey to take back our Everglades, our rivers, our estuaries, and our health. May 2020 be known as the year we started our voyage back to the water we remember. And to all the Bullsugar supporters who deserve nothing less than the certainty that their passion and effort is making a difference and turning the tide in a battle for something truly amazing, thank you for all you've done. Happy New Year!

We made history this year. Never before has the human health impacts of toxic algae been a prime consideration for water management in South Florida. In 2019, a change in operational management by the Army Corps lowered the level of Lake Okeechobee before the rainy season, sparing the northern estuaries from another horrific toxic summer. The successful deviation inspired public discussion, political debate, and media coverage in a way it never has before. For the first time, lawmakers and agencies enter a new year with an effective blueprint not just for recognizing our water management crisis, but for solving it. We aren’t stopping there. In the coming days, a bill passed by the House ensuring dedicated federal [...]

There is a very special group of people that choose the hard fight over the comfort of the sidelines every year. You are a part of that group. This year, the hard work and generosity of bullsugar supporters paid off, and we saw changes to water management that were specific to preventing negative human health effects from toxic algae. This was *big news* and we are grateful to all of you that helped us move the needle. Now we have to keep the pressure on to ensure clean, safe water for all Floridians, every year. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support through this revolutionary water movement. Without it, celebrating the holidays certainly would not be the same. [...]

What’s a Florida resident to do when one of the greatest perks of living in this state--close proximity to the water--becomes a danger to your health? Jody O’Konski has lived on a canals in Fort Myers for nearly three decades. In an interview with Bullsugar, she recounts her time spent along the water among her greatest sources of enjoyment. Somewhere she describes spending countless hours sitting or strolling along with her family and her dog, Duke. Somewhere she can watch the dolphins and the birds and take in the scenery that makes this place such an iconic paradise for so many. But in 2018 her perspective changed. A terrible odor filled the air and the canal in her back yard filled [...]

Happy #GivingTuesday! In the next 1,440 minutes, we'd like to ask Bullsugar supporters to support the fight for clean water in the biggest way possible. With your help, we hope to protect the only Everglades in the world for generations to come. This Giving Tuesday, your gift can go even further when you make a donation through the Patagonia Action Works profile page for our affiliate organization, Friends of the Everglades. Now through the end of the year, our partners at Patagonia are matching donations made to Friends of the Everglades in full! CLICK HERE or click the "gift of giving" graphic below to make a matched donation today!  Giving Tuesday ends at midnight. As the clock runs out, we need you [...]

On this Thanksgiving Day, we’re thankful for you. Because of Bullsugar supporters like you, the fight for clean water has only gotten stronger. Much of what we do would not be possible without the support we receive from all across Florida and even beyond the confines of the state. This year, thanks to your support and participation: We finally have leaders at the highest levels willing to acknowledge and combat the corruption and mismanagement destroying this precious public resource and threatening public health. We finally have a water management district that’s putting people before special interests and using sound science to help make informed water management decisions in the best interests of human health and the environment. We have thousands [...]

We need your help. The state’s triennial review of water quality standards is under way and Friday, November 22, is the deadline to ask the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to establish strict numeric standards for cyanotoxins to protect public health. We know that drinking, touching, and even breathing algae-borne toxins can cause skin rashes, eye irritation, nose and throat irritation and breathing difficulty, stomach and intestinal problems, and liver damage. Additionally researchers have linked these toxins to increased risks of liver failure, ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and multiple cancers. This week we joined the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups calling on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to establish legal limits for cyanotoxins that pose [...]

Thursday November 21st, is Give Miami Day – South Florida’s biggest annual day for charitable giving to 501(c)3 organizations. As a 501(c)4, Bullsugar.org is not qualified to participate in this giving event. Instead, we’d like to encourage our supporters to consider contributing to our tax-exempt sister organization, Friends of the Everglades. Friends of the Everglades is a 501(c)(3) organization built to preserve, protect, and restore the only Everglades in the world through research, policy, education, and legal action. Friends of the Everglades works closely with partners at Bullsugar.org and other experts in the Everglades restoration community to compel government agencies to comply with existing environmental laws, and resist efforts to weaken such laws by creating public awareness of the importance [...]

Last month, Congressman Francis Rooney surprised many by announcing he would not make another run for Congressional District 19. Though Bullsugar hasn’t always been apt to praise Rep. Rooney, we’d like to take the opportunity to tip our hats to him on his way out for a few key accomplishments that moved the needle in Florida’s fight for clean water. With the 2020 elections on the not-so-distant horizon, we’d also like to use this chance to issue a challenge to the people of Florida, to replace him in the upcoming election with fresh representation that has true potential to be a champion for our water. Situated on Florida’s southwest coast, congressional district 19 includes Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, and [...]