Support Naples Fertilizer Ordinance to Improve Water Quality

At the City of Naples workshop on March 18th, Council gave staff direction to strengthen the City’s fertilizer ordinance by reinserting a rainy season application ban and a 4 lb. cap on nitrogen. Thank you to Council for giving this direction, and to staff for drafting an amended ordinance to address these issues.

This is where the rubber meets the road! Council will discuss this amended fertilizer ordinance at two public hearings, the first of which is Wednesday, May 15th at 8:30am in Naples Council Chambers. Please reach out to the Council and, if possible, attend the meeting to thank Council for the direction taken at their workshop and urge them to approve the ordinance as drafted by staff.

The recent water quality crisis, including but not limited to red tide, blue green algae, and impaired waterways, has led to an increased outcry over the need for solutions at the local, state and federal levels to address pollution reduction. At the City level, part of the solution is reestablishing a stronger fertilizer ordinance within the City of Naples to prevent nutrients and pollutants from entering our waterways and contributing to our existing water quality problem.

Some of the major components of a sufficiently stringent ordinance include a calendar-based rainy season ban and a cap on the application of the amount of nitrogen. These critical aspects were eliminated in the 2017 changes by Council, but have recently been reestablished in a draft fertilizer ordinance that will be voted on at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. According to a 2015 Water Quality Report done for the City of Naples, in the nine years the original stringent fertilizer ordinance was in place, Naples Bay saw a statistically significant decrease in wet season nitrogen and phosphorus coinciding with the implementation of the fertilizer ordinance. This is local confirmation that the City is on the right track reestablishing a summer rainy season ban and 4lb. cap on nitrogen.

Attend the Naples City Council Meeting on May 15th at 8:30am at the City Council Chamber, 735 8th Street South, Naples, FL, sign up to speak and express to your desire to approve the amended fertilizer ordinance as drafted by staff. If you cannot attend the Council meeting, please write the Councilmembers and express your support for a stronger ordinance.