A one-year moratorium on new, local fertilizer ordinances that the Florida legislature passed during the 2023 March-May legislative session officially expired on July 1, meaning local municipalities across the state are once again free to pass their own rainy season bans on fertilizer application.
Lawmakers took no action on the controversial moratorium during the 2024 January-March legislation session. In February, a coalition of 57 elected officials from municipalities that already had enacted local fertilizer ordinances urged lawmakers to let the moratorium expire, according to a letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and House Speaker Paul Renner.
“As leaders charged with protecting our constituents, keeping Florida’s waterways clean is a top priority,” the letter said. “Water quality is of utmost importance to our health, our environment, and our economy. From the beaches to the bays, Florida’s tourism industry and local businesses require clean water.”
Among the 35 Florida counties that have fertilizer ordinances, 18 have summer bans, TC Palm of the USA Today network reported. Most of the 32 counties that don’t have ordinances are in the Panhandle, North Florida, and around Lake Okeechobee.
The moratorium was passed to give the University of Florida time to study the effectiveness of local fertilizer ordinances, TC Palm reported. Last year, the legislature gave the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences $250,000 for the study.