From: Florida Today
“But some critics of the state agency argue those fines typically aren’t enough to force utilities to fix longstanding sewage infrastructure issues before frequent big wet-weather spills take drastic ecological tolls on coastal waters. They see a similar soft approach to sewer-overflow enforcement under Gov. Ron DeSantis as they did under his predecessor, Rick Scott. “I’m not hearing anything from employees to suggest that things are improving in terms of enforcement or compliance,” said Jerry Phillips, director of the nonprofit Florida PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility), who does periodic watchdog reports analyzing DEP’s enforcement.”
