Florida’s water crisis is no longer just a state issue — it’s a national failure of enforcement under the Clean Water Act.

For decades, Florida officials have allowed massive development and industrial farming to pollute rivers, springs, and coastal ecosystems with almost no accountability. Instead of enforcing federal standards, the state relies on an “honor system,” assuming polluters are doing the right thing without ever checking.

The results are devastating.

Manatees have starved to death in the Indian River Lagoon, their food wiped out by algae fed by unregulated runoff. In Jackson Blue Spring, nitrate levels are more than ten times the healthy limit. Statewide, nearly one in four waterways are now contaminated — and in about half of those, pollution is still getting worse.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the legal authority to step in when a state fails to uphold the Clean Water Act. Florida has failed — and the record is clear. The state has:

• Fought federal water quality standards in court, siding with industry lobbyists
• Ignored court-mandated pollution cleanup goals for decades
• Permitted over half a million acres of development after discovering that its pollution control rules were ineffective
• Claimed progress without proof while manatees die, springs choke, and neighborhoods sit atop aging septic tanks

The EPA cannot keep looking the other way while Florida’s natural heritage is destroyed.

We are calling on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to take emergency action by reasserting federal oversight of Florida’s water pollution programs. That includes enforcing monitoring requirements, revisiting weak standards, and intervening where the state has clearly abdicated its responsibility.

Florida’s ecosystems are collapsing — and the damage is rippling far beyond the state’s borders. This isn’t just a Florida problem. It’s a national failure that demands federal leadership.

Sign now to tell the EPA: Step in before it’s too late.