Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The nonprofit citizens action group Friends of the Wekiva River is hopeful the new pilot reservation program at the park will mitigate overcrowding while helping preserve the river system.

The state has been slow to adopt rules to protect Florida's endangered springs. A boom in residential construction has increased the amount of groundwater being taken from the aquifers.

Freshwater springs advocates are skeptical of the state agency’s proposed rules for pumping springs, saying the rules as currently written wouldn’t change anything from the current status quo.

The citizen group Apalachicola Riverkeeper has challenged the Department of Environmental Protection to prevent drilling in the floodplain.

As major dams are taken down in other parts of the country, Florida holds tight to its dams and reservoirs, some aging and putting nearby residents and homes at risk.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has OK'd a draft permit in Calhoun County. But Apalachicola Riverkeeper, a citizens group, contends there is a 100% failure rate of wells drilled there.

The long-awaited move comes nearly nine years after a state law mandated the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to propose more protective rules for pumping springs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection approved a draft permit, but the citizen group Apalachicola Riverkeeper has challenged it.

Apalachicola Riverkeeper is challenging a decision by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to grant initial approval for exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Apalachicola River watershed.

Shawn Hamilton's decision comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the department drew criticism in August about a proposal to put golf courses, resort-style lodges and pickleball courts in state parks. State official Alexis Lambert takes over.

The EPA didn't ensure that states submitted accurate estimates of the number of lead pipes they had. Big problems were found in data submitted by Florida and Texas.

Florida's springs are threated by pollution and nitrogen runoff that lead to algae growth and interfere with habitat for manatees, fish, turtles and otters.