News

Miami Beach Commission Approves Eco-Friendly Fertilizer Ordinance

January 13, 2021

Miami Beach, FL – Responding to the recent fish kills and algal blooms in Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach Commissioners voted unanimously today to adopt a strong fertilizer restriction ordinance that limits the use of fertilizers for five months of the year and prohibits them entirely along city waterways and stormwater drains.

“The nutrients commonly found in fertilizers have been identified as one of the causes of the devastating fish kills that occurred in the northern Biscayne Bay basin over the summer and fall of 2020,” Commissioner Michael Góngora who sponsored the ordinance said. “As city officials, we want to do everything we can to reduce the likelihood of similar environmental incidents in the future.”

In addition to imposing restrictions on the use of fertilizers, the ordinance also creates the Miami Beach Biscayne Bay Protection Trust Fund, which will be funded entirely by the fines collected from violators.

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