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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

There is so much going on in Pinellas this month. Help clean our urban lakes. Or do a beach clean up. Attend a St. Pete Eco Club meeting (tonight there's a presentation about electric boats!). Get out and help save the planet. It's a great way to do good and meet lovely people.

seausrise.org

October's Green Events - Save the Planet and Have Fun - Sea Us Rise

Lots of October events in Pinellas county for those who want to help save the planet. Clean up lakes! Bike to work!

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tonight at Thrive in downtown St. Pete, meet the local candidates that the Sierra Club thinks are best for Florida.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

What will the real impact of Amendment 3 be on where you live? The Florida Policy Institute created a calculator to find out the impact of the property tax cuts. Each municipality will have to make up a chunk of that money to keep normal services working. We urge you to vote NO on Amendment 3.

floridaphoenix.com

Calculator allows individuals to see the fiscal effects in their areas if Amendment 3 passes • Florida Phoenix

The constitutional amendment that would reduce non-school homestead property taxes is the biggest policy proposal on the 2026 statewide ballot. Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption on non-s...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Florida has opened it's bear harvest permits, which is a lottery to kill. The Sierra Club urges us to put in applications to join the lottery to get a permit, to remove as many as possible out of killers' hands. It's just $5. There is no justification for the state's poor management of wildlife

sierraclub.org

Spare a Bear, Bag a Tag!

This December, Florida is set to hold a statewide bear hunt with 215 bear hunting permits issued through a lottery system. Our goal? Buy up all the tags to keep them out of hunters’ hands.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The average amount of time a plastic bag is used is 12 minutes. The average time it takes for a plastic bag to break down after use starts in 20 years, and can take hundreds of them. Let's get Publix Super Markets to stop distributing the 1.7 billion bags they give out each year. #publix

seausrise.org

Publix Plastic Bag Campaign - Sea Us Rise

Publix gives out 1.7 billion plastic bags each year, which is terrible for the environment and bad for fuel prices. Let's get them to stop.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Duke Energy & TECO get extremely low grades from the Sierra Club's report on power companies' embrace of clean energy. Things across the country have gotten worse over the last two years, not better. Their use of fossil fuels are more expensive for consumers & worse for the planet.

cltampa.com

Sierra Club gives TECO, Duke failing grades on clean energy

Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend plant in Apollo Beach, Florida. Tampa Bay’s electric utilities are facing a struggle familiar to those of us who were

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Update - more great eco events in Pinellas for the rest of the month from the Suncoast Sierra Club, Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Boyd Hill, and more. We updated our post so you have the info handy. Hope to see you at one of these as we make the world a better place. 🌏

seausrise.org

September Local Green Events - Save the Planet and Have Fun - Sea Us Rise

September has many green events that you can participate in to make Florida, and the planet, better, Please share.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Climate Justice - making right the environmental wrongs that wealthier nations have caused around the world - is very real for the Nepals and others with horrific flooding. (Gift article.)

nytimes.com

Nepal’s Gen Z Is Taking on the World’s Polluters Over Climate Disasters

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding secret meetings about herbicide spraying in Florida's lakes, streams, & waterways. The coordinating body that FWC created is not subject to Florida's Sunshine laws, according to the FWC. Legal experts doubt that claim. (1 of 2)

floridatrib.org

Florida sets new course for controversial herbicide program behind closed doors

Florida’s herbicide spraying has sparked public backlash and promises to reform the way the state manages invasive aquatic plants. But state officials are starting to form that strategy in secret.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Kids are experiencing climate stress. How can we help them deal with it? NEEF, the National Environmental Education Foundation, is devoting resources to help students. They hope their video will start conversations with kids and their parents, students and their teachers.

neefusa.org

Climate Emotions Video: A Whole Lot

Help kids explore climate emotions with this animated video created with youth artists and educators.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The federal government is seeking an easing of rules for data centers. The EPA wants to suspend clean air rules so data/AI centers don't have to disclose their air pollution. What could possibly go wrong?

theguardian.com

Trump EPA aims to exempt datacenters from disclosing air pollution, advocates warn

Trump administration proposes new rule to dismantle requirement for datacenters to publicly report air pollution

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

St. Pete residents should decide about taking power - literally - away from Duke Energy, according to Public Power St. Pete. They are getting petition signatures to put that choice on the 2028 ballot. What other Florida municipalities run their own power utilities? We did the research for you.

seausrise.org

Public Power (Literally): Which Florida Cities Have a Publicly Owned Power Company? - Sea Us Rise

St. Petersburg is exploring creating a municipal power company and getting rid of Duke Energy. What about the rest of Florida?

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Public & advocacy pressure works. FL's PSC ususlly supports energy companies over residents but pushback from citizens & environmental orgs won. The PSC didn't do an expected rule change which would have led to higher prices, starting off with TECO customers. Cheers to those who fight the power!

foodandwaterwatch.org

FL Affordable Energy Advocates Stop Utility Rate Hike

Advocates pushed PSC to retain Rule 25-14.004 in its entirety, allowing ratepayers — especially Tampa Electric’s — to continue benefiting from tax breaks

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Have to repost because we are flabbergasted all over again. Our government got $197 Million to add chargers for electric vehicles. They decided to use it instead on FLYING CARS. Yep, flying cars. Which don't exist. Oh, Florida. We were so close... we'll probably get Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

floridaphoenix.com

Instead of installing more EV chargers, Florida DOT dreams of flying cars • Florida Phoenix

I watched a lot of cartoons as a kid. None was more visually stunning than “The Jetsons.” It focused on a family coping with life in a streamlined future filled with snazzy gadgets. George Jetson, for...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Hey, Florida might do something right, and preserve pristine coastal land, right here in Pinellas County. The north end of Clearwater Beach, Mandalay Point, would be a gem, and a great way to protect local marine species.

wusf.org

Florida considers $30 million Clearwater land deal

Florida might purchase nearly 28 acres at Mandalay Point, one of Clearwater Beach’s last undeveloped coastal stretches.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Lots of good green stuff going on in our area. Hang out with a Gopher Tortiose! Clean up the beach with awesome people! Help protect Florida wildlife! We updated our September listings. If you want your eco-events listed, please email us at info@seausrise.org. Cheers!

seausrise.org

September Local Green Events - Save the Planet and Have Fun - Sea Us Rise

September has many green events that you can participate in to make Florida, and the planet, better, Please share.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The Public Service Commission has a vital role in Florida's energy costs & availability. Public service seems in name only (our recent story about it in the comments). They've also blocked our advocate from participating in some rate discussions. So yeah, there aren't many reasons to trust them.

floridapolitics.com

Poll: Voters don’t trust the PSC, and blame shifts hard once they learn Gov. DeSantis picks its members

Only 19% of Florida voters trust the PSC on their electric bills. Tell them who picks the Commissioners and the blame moves to the Governor's Office.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The Tampa Bay Coastal Master Plan surveyed residents about flooding in our area. The huge rain dumps we've seen this summer were cited as a big cause of flooding.

tampabay.com

What’s Tampa Bay’s biggest flood worry? Residents say extreme rainfall

The results come from a survey informing the Tampa Bay Coastal Master Plan, a guide to addressing local flooding.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Who owns the beaches? It seems natural that the public owns the property we pay to restore, we take care of, and has always been public. But if you are a rich landowner, it seems obvious that you own all the land. The courts, and maybe the citizens, will decide. @followers #saveflorida

wusf.org

Who owns the beach? A heated battle plays out in the Florida Panhandle

After years of fighting over who gets to use the beach, and where, in Walton County, Florida, public-use advocates are calling for a state constitutional amendment to finally settle the matter.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

You won't know when a data center is coming to your area, if the EPA is successful in cancelling its own rules. No notice will be required. No opportunity to get information. No chance to fight. Time to contact your representative and senator to tell them to fight this. #sayno #epa

apnews.com

EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans

A plan by the Environmental Protection Agency could make it harder for the public to learn about and comment on proposed AI data centers that have sparked a backlash in communities across the country ...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Why is an environmental nonprofit posting about Dump Duke? Because municipal-run energy is likely to utilize more sustainable ways of providing electricity, our energy bills would likely be significantly reduced, & we want them to have a little less power (ha!) in the state.

tampabay.com

How a proposal to ditch Duke Energy could get on St. Petersburg ballots

A new coalition officially kicked off their petition drive with Dump Duke, saying voters should have a say in their electric bills.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Pinellas county has great voter turnout. Both Florida and Pinellas have turned from purple to red, though that ignores the 29% of indie and small part voters. How will this impact the midterms and November elections? We dive right in. #votingstats

seausrise.org

Pinellas Voters' Turnout - We're Good Voters! - Sea Us Rise

Pinellas voter turnout is something we can be proud of. Let's look at the voting statistics for Pinellas County.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Florida's environment - and controlling suburban and rural sprawl - will be harmed by Amendment 3. You might think the legislature did an analysis of the impact of drastically cutting homestead taxes, but you would be wrong.

yahoo.com

Care about Florida’s environment? Vote no on Amendment 3 | Column

From rural communities to Florida’s largest cities, from the Keys to Pensacola, Floridians are universally angry about sprawl. Poorly planned development is gobbling up habitat for wildlife and the fa...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

"The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate a federal requirement that states publicize and solicit public input", or in other words, not require states to let people know there will be a data center built near them until it is approved. This isn't going to end well... #datacenters

sltrib.com

EPA moves to curb public input on data centers

The Trump administration is moving to make it harder for communities to weigh in on proposed data centers — or to even learn about them before permits are approved and construction starts.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Should St. Pete keep Duke Energy or have a municipal run power company? Jacksonville, Orlando, Gainesville and 29 other municipalities run their own electric utilities. The Dump Duke campaign filed paperwork to get it on the ballot and let the residents of St. Pete decide. #dumpduke

yahoo.com

Dump Duke on the ballot? Organizers launch petition push in St. Petersburg

After lots of back-and-forth at City Hall, voters in St. Petersburg may be the ones who get the final say on whether the city ditches Duke Energy in favor of a municipal-run electric grid.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

St. Pete City Council's HERS Committee will be talking about the Duke agreement today, if you want to watch the City presentation. It will be streamed on the link below. The discussion is scheduled for 9:55am. The Dump Duke people will be watching. youtube.com/@stpetersbur...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This Wednesday night at Outcast. Great way to meet good planet people and have fun, learn how to make a difference.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Duke Energy proposes a plan to Florida regulators, and is trying to shut out consumer advocates that say the plan protects no one. This is why the Public Service Commission matters. They've allowed up to 85% increase in power company rate hikes. Why trust them with this decision?

wusf.org

Florida utility regulators will decide if Duke Energy's data center tariff protects residents

Consumer advocates say residential ratepayers could see their bills go up substantially, while Duke says shareholders — and not customers — would pay up if a massive data facility were unable to pay i...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

No mention what poltical party Eloise or her people are in, nor which party their county commission members belong to. That is because regular people are over the rich getting rich off degrading their lives. Is this the beginning of rethinking what citizens have to accept on a bigger scale?

yahoo.com

How a donkey named Eloise became a symbol in the fight against Florida data centers

It was a marathon government meeting that stretched more than nine hours. There were complicated PowerPoints filled with maps and charts.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

YOUR calls and emails have made a difference. Pinellas County Commission is looking for ways to continue funding for Weedon Island and Shell Key. The current proposal is to continue funding for a year while they try to get the state to step up its commitment. #saveflorida #weedonisland

tampabay.com

Pinellas considers funding Weedon Island, Shell Key preserves for another year

Meanwhile, county leaders say securing state funding for both parks will be a priority.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

This is SO interesting - how Max Chesnes and Emily Mahoney broke the story on the DeSantis' administration's secret plans to swap protected park land for golf courses & build all sorts of amenities in protected beloved state parks. It starts with anonymous document dump!

sej.org

Reporters Uncover a State Parks Scandal in Florida

Emailed documents and an anonymous memo set two Tampa Bay Times reporters to investigating government development plans for sensitive state lands. Max Chesnes and Emily L. Mahoney followed the fast-mo...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Pinellas turnout: 54% regitstered Republicans (84,491/156,098), 70% registered Democrats (78,151/111,899) voted in the primary. Indies & other party voters are shut out of most primary races, voted at about 15% (22,314/152,372). That averages to about a 44% turnout. (Info from FreshTake.Vote)

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

How was the turnout in Florida's primary? It is a closed primary, so almost a third could vote in just a handful of races. 3,381,724 votes were counted, out of the possible 13,499,674 registered voters. Looks like a 25% turnout. Rep turnout outpaced Dems, by a large margin. Theories as to why?

freshtake.vote

2026 Florida Primary Election Turnout

Get the latest turnout numbers for the State of Florida. Brought to you by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The economy is the driving force in elections right now. Candidates are showing how political corruption makes the economy worse for everyone but the rich. Harming the environment also makes the economy worse for everyone but the rich. Please vote for people who want to protect you & the planet.

floridaphoenix.com

Here's the memo: Primary Election Day 2026 • Florida Phoenix

Florida voters have until 7 p.m. local time Tuesday to cast ballots in the primary elections. As election results become available Tuesday night, the Phoenix will provide updates on key races across t...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

So far almost 2 million Floridians have voted in the August primary, counting up early voting and vote by mail. Tomorrow (Tuesday) polls are open 7am-7pm. There are still more than 800,000 mail in ballots that haven't been returned. Let's have record turnout!

tallahassee.com

Florida primary turnout nearly 2 million. Which party voted most so far

Republicans hold an early voting advantage, while Democrats lead in mail ballots returned before Florida's primary election.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Here's the Tampa Bay Times primary voting guide, if you haven't turned in your ballot yet. It poses a series of questions to each candidate, so you can read and find out yourself who aligns with your beliefs. Early voting ended yesterday, in person voting is tomorrow, 7am-7pm. #VOTE

tampabay.com

2026 Florida election candidates: Primary voter guide

Here’s who’s on the ballot in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco — and what they think about data centers, property taxes, immigration, Tropicana Field and more.

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Florida AG changed the language of Amendment 3, following a court order to rid it of its politicized tone. That doesn't change it from shifting the tax burden from the state to the city/county. Or threatening public safety and things we hold dear. Vote NO on Amendment 3, no matter what is called.

floridaphoenix.com

Toned-down Amendment 3 ballot language ready for another judicial review • Florida Phoenix

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has submitted for judicial review a rewritten version of the title and ballot summary for Amendment 3. Circuit Judge David Frank in Leon County ordered the AG’...

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Sea Us Rise @seausrise.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Progress Florida has released their FL legislative scorecard. You can see who votes in the best interest of everyday Floridians, and who votes in other ways. August 18th is the last day of voting in the primary. Can we elect more pro-Floridian legislators?

floridareportcard.com

2026 Florida Legislator Report Cards – Who’s Putting People First?

Find out how your lawmakers voted on critical issues like education, healthcare, housing, and more. Use the 2026 Florida Report Card to see if your legislator puts people first or powerful special int...

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