Don’t make it harder to sue polluters in Florida

We have met the enemy and they are winning, at the cost of clean air and water and perhaps our communities’ survival.

Anyone concerned in the least about the environment and the risks posed by Tallahassee must target every state legislator who would even consider voting for House Bill 789 or SB 738. Anyone who supports this should be defeated in the next election. As surely as we face another Cat 5 hurricane, the phosphate mining giant Mosaic will release more toxins into the Peace and Myakka rivers, destroying what makes Charlotte County so special.

Too many people in southwest Florida are ignorant of this threat. I can’t believe the number of times I’ve mentioned the word Mosaic, not just to new residents but long-timers, who respond with a blank look and ask, “What is Mosaic?” We can’t let this continue or southwest Florida will become a toxic wasteland. Older people may not be poisoned by toxic outflows, since we won’t be around too much longer — but what about those under 65?

To you, I say good luck, especially if you don’t at least learn about Mosaic and what they have in store for DeSoto County and their other existing mining operations, which will allow outflows into Charlotte Harbor through Lee County and beyond.

Someone who has diligently studied the impact of Mosaic for years is Tim Ritchie, whose Facebook page, March Against Mosaic, is full of details about what they have done, irrespective of their massive publicity outlays. Mosaic spends millions pleasing elected officials, and it looks like it may be paying off for them. Fortunately, DeSoto County, Charlotte County and the city of North Port have all taken stands against Mosaic, but that won’t stop what they have on the drawing board.

Spread the word. Contact our governor. Tell your legislators that Florida cannot survive without stopping Mosaic. When DeSoto stopped them in 2018, they kept coming back. If they don’t get approvals, they will spend as much as necessary to defeat any opposition in court.

Richard C. Russell, Port Charlotte