Indian River Lagoon Champion Dr. Duane De Freese
Honored at Jones Pier Celebration
Indian River County’s Jones Pier Conservation Area in Vero Beach was the setting for honoring Dr. Duane De Freese as an “Indian River Lagoon Champion”. Hosted by the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County on February 28th, the event attracted a large crowd of environmental advocates, local officials and scientists who gathered to recognize Dr. Duane De Freese's extraordinary contributions to lagoon restoration during his 10 years as Executive Director of the Indian River Lagoon Council.
The scenic Jones Pier Conservation Area is a wonderful example of Lagoon restoration as it filters Lagoon waters through a created wetland while serving as a great habitat for birds, fish and wildflowers. A commemorative live oak tree and plaque were installed at the historic Jones residence and pavilion, recognizing Dr. De Freese’s achievement and status as a "Champion of the Lagoon."
Indian River County Commissioners Flescher, Earman, Director of Parks & Conservation, Beth Powell, along with NEP Council Board Member, Doug Bournique delivered heartfelt speeches acknowledging Dr. De Freese's pivotal role as Executive Director of the Indian River Lagoon Council and Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.
CWC President, Judy Orcutt, noted “Duane has succeeded in bringing diverse stakeholders together to create a comprehensive plan for the restoration of this treasured estuary.” By serving on statewide boards, contributing to policy discussions, and informing decision makers, Duane has helped to shape environmental policy, brought much needed funding, including a $9.4 million NOAA Grant for Habit Restoration, and completed 252 projects throughout the 156-mile estuary.
Dr. De Freese's distinguished career spans academia, non-profit work, and government service. His academic credentials, an MS and PhD from the Florida Institute of Technology, combined with his practical approach to environmental policy, has made him a respected figure in coastal management. He has also been recognized for excellence with the 2024 Environmental Science Award, the 2023 Water Champions Award, the 2022 Harbor Branch Oceanographic Space Coast Water Guardian of the Year Award, and his induction into the Florida Hall of Fame by the Brevard Zoo in 2022.
To inspire future generations of environmental stewards, The Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County will continue to honor individuals dedicated to restoring and preserving the health of the Indian River Lagoon as “Champions of the Lagoon.”
DeSantis' Boat Inspection Plan Threatens
Environmental Protection of Florida Waterways
Governor DeSantis has announced his intention to end what he characterizes as "intrusive unannounced inspections" of recreational vessels. His proposed alternative is a decal system that would indicate a boat's compliance with safety requirements. The Governor has justified this approach by citing concerns about "rogue cops" and boater harassment.
However, even if his argument regarding safety inspections has merit, this proposal fails to address a critical environmental concern: overboard discharge of waste. The only effective method to determine if a vessel is illegally discharging sewage directly from onboard toilets into the Indian River Lagoon or other waterways is through unannounced boarding inspections. During these inspections, officers place dye tablets into marine toilets and flush them. If dye subsequently appears in the water adjacent to the vessel, it conclusively demonstrates that the valves are improperly set or secured, and that the boat owner and crew are releasing untreated waste directly into our waterways. This practice constitutes a clear violation of environmental protection laws, resulting in the issuance of a marine citation.
Without the mechanism of unannounced inspections, there would be no practical means of enforcing these important environmental regulations. The consequence would likely be increased illegal dumping and further degradation of our already fragile aquatic ecosystems.
Contact Governor DeSantis now to tell him this is a bad idea.
Governor Ron DeSantis
Phone: 850-717-9337
Address: The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Board Transitions: Thank You and Welcome
In the spirit of transparency, we wanted share some changes to our board leadership and thank outgoing members and welcome new voices to our team.
Thank You for Your Service
Jean Catchpole has served as a founding board member, using her exceptional writing and editing skills to strengthen our advocacy efforts. While stepping down from our board, Jean will continue her important environmental work with the Indian River Neighborhood Association.
Wayne Mills has been instrumental in advancing our water quality initiatives, bringing valuable experience from his leadership roles with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Brevard Clean Water Coalition, and Ocean Research and Conservation Association. His knowledge and dedication have helped shape our approach to waterway protection.
Welcome to Our New Members
As we move forward, we're pleased to introduce two new board members:
Bobby Parson joins us with a background in environmental and land use law. A Florida native and avid outdoorsman, Bobby has spent over a decade in civil litigation addressing property rights and environmental protection issues. His connection to Florida's waters through fishing and surfing drives his commitment to conservation.
Adam Honour brings expertise in project management and continuous improvement, particularly in agriculture, hydroponics, and environmental sustainability. His experience managing significant projects across farming, manufacturing, and conservation sectors will be valuable as we advance our mission.
We appreciate Jean and Wayne's contributions and look forward to working with Bobby and Adam as we continue advocating for clean, healthy waterways.
Morning Star Fields – Permitting Evolution & Promising Future
The proposed Morning Star Fields (MSF) egg production facility is expected to have almost 200,000 hens in 24 henhouses by the end of 2025; wastewater from the facility is proposed to be discharged into a septic tank system. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) recently determined the MSF “proposed activity and discharge of industrial wastewater is exempt from industrial wastewater permitting requirements …since it will serve the complete wastewater needs …with a design capacity of 5,000 gallons per day or less of commercial wastewater” and “will not result in a discharge of wastewater into waters of the State and the activity is not otherwise reasonably expected to be a source of water pollution.” Although CWC recognizes surface water pollution from septic tanks, FDEP has exempted MSF from FDEP permitting oversight - based on FDEP rules.
MSF is actively constructing the proposed facility – with four henhouses already containing chicks and 24,000 more chicks to be delivered in April. It is our understanding that:
MSF recently filed an application for an Indian River County “flood plain permit”, while the ongoing construction is in advance of needed authorizations from the County.
The County is moving forward with: (1) resolution of “Code Enforcement proceedings”, and (2) evaluation of the MSF application for the County required “flood plain permit”.
In response to CWC’s public information request for information about the proposed facility, County staff have advised us that:
The “County can only provide CWC with the relevant information once the required permits have been issued.”
“CWC will not have an opportunity to provide comments on any proceedings related to the issuance of these permits or the resolution of the code enforcement case.”
The County Health Department is expected to issue permits for the proposed MSF septic tank systems.
Overall, it alarmingly appears there has been no public oversight of the proposed agricultural facility through a State or County permitting or regulatory process. Fortunately, there’s some promise to be found:
The MSF website quite nobly reflects their intent “to produce the highest quality farm products while minimizing …environmental footprint”. This intent is consistent with the mission of both the Clean Water Coalition (CWC) and the St Johns Riverkeeper (SJR) – particularly as related to water quality.
CWC and Riverkeeper representatives have toured the facility – led by Bruno Ramos, MSF President, who has advised us that:
All chickens are to be fully contained in the hen houses where chicken manure is to be collected, transported, processed, and bagged in a closed system to produce fertilizer to be hauled to markets off the MSF site.
MSF will conduct water quality sampling and analysis every 6 months, or every 3 months if warranted. The next scheduled sampling event is in May 2025.
Within 4 to 5 months, MSF intends to close flow from the septic tanks to the drain field and pump effluent from the tanks to use in a closed hydroponic system to grow leafy plants and herbs to supplement chicken feed and avoid any wastewater discharge.
There’s good and bad in this picture. MSF has the promising intent in the future to be a model facility that could demonstrate the economic viability of environmentally responsible agriculture. The absence of State and County oversight points to the need for improved codes and regulations that avoid agricultural pollution of County water resources.
Comments