People have enjoyed the cool waters of Manatee Springs for more than 10,000 years, from early Paleo Indians to modern park visitors. The first-magnitude spring releases an astounding 100 million gallons of water daily. This makes it a popular cooling-off spot and a great place to stroll on the park boardwalk and gaze into watery depths.

True to its namesake, manatees can be seen in the cooler months, and birds, mammals and fish are spotted year-round.

Let's get in the spring after taking a hike along the boardwalk where we will learn more about the state of the springs.

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By Maryvonne Devensky, SSJ Executive Committee Chair
Summer is coming and the heat along with it. You will probably spend time cooling down in a pool or in the beautiful springs that we have in North Florida. We are all grateful to be able to enjoy these springs, but they suffer from degradation.

The Clean Water Act was signed into law on October 18,1972 and established a framework for regulating pollutants to protect our water quality in the US. It also established the Environmental Protection Agency with the authority to implement pollution control programs, such as setting wastewater standards for industry.

The Florida Department of Environment Protection (DEP) has begun the process of reviewing the Basin Management Action Plans (BMAP) which were established to restore our Outstanding Rivers and Springs.

Once more we need your help in demanding meaningful action for water protection in North Florida. Please join us online on June 13 with "Protecting Florida Springs" as millions of people rely on the Floridan Aquifer.

Also, please join us for an outing on June 22 where we will meet in Levy County at Manatee Springs to examine the state of the springs and cool down in the water.

By David Hastings
First, some history of our utility, for those of us born after 1920…
 
The business model of public utilities is an American tradition deeply rooted in community. The model is simple: provide vital electricity and water to local customers on a not-for-profit basis with a focus on customers and reliability. Money spent stays in the community and not into the deep pockets of wealthy investors. Customers (that’s us!) are the owners; through elected boards or city councils we are also the decision makers for our utility. Like schools, parks, libraries, police, and fire protection, public utilities are part of local government. 
 
It's not surprising that recently there have been efforts to take over Gainesville's municipal utility, Gainesville Regional Utility (GRU), as there is a lot of potential profit for investors! That’s exactly what happened last year when control was transferred to an authority (GRUA) appointed by the Governor. The authorizing statute for this new authority explicitly prevents them from taking any action to address social, ideological or political concerns including climate change. Taking action to address the climate crisis is in stark contrast to the climate denialism we see in Florida.
 
Good News! The city charter can be changed by a vote by Gainesville residents so that control of our utility can be transferred back to local elected leaders who care about environmental issues.

Sierra Club SSJ along with other community activists (League of Women Voters and Alachua County Labor Council) requested that the control of GRU to be decided by voters. Last month, all seven Commissioners voted in favor of putting this on the ballot. This is a major victory for home rule; we do not want our local utility to be controlled by Gov. DeSantis and his anti-environmental policies.
 
We are organizing a city-wide electoral campaign to restore democracy and home rule, taking back control of our locally owned utility. Join us! Contact ssjsierra@gmail.com for details. 
 
Breaking news: Due to the original ordinance lacking a business impact statement, the Gainesville City Commission needs to revise the Local Public Utilities ordinance before putting it on the ballot. This means we will have to pack the room another two times, on June 6 and June 13 at 1pm to make sure all Commissioners stand firm for democracy and home rule for GRU.

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If you have any questions, contact us at ssjsierra@gmail.com
 

Freedom Fest is a Gainesville music and arts festival featuring: 

Join us for this free, family-friendly event, as we celebrate and commemorate Emancipation Day, Juneteenth, & the idea of freedom and equality for all!