skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

New Florida Law on Home Gardens Banishes Local Ordinances

play audio
Play

Monday, July 1, 2019   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As of today, Florida property owners can grow fresh produce in their yards without fear of local government restrictions. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 82 last week, which prohibits local governments from banning vegetable gardens on any part of a residential property.

The law takes effect today, July 1. The issue sprung up after a couple in Miami Shores Village unsuccessfully contested in Florida courts a $50-a-day fine for their long-time front-yard vegetable garden.

Kitty Wallace, co-founder of the Coalition of Community Gardens of Tampa Bay, said she supports the idea of encouraging planting more fruits and vegetables, but worries it could backfire by taking power away from local communities.

"Because I grow all my own vegetables in my garden, I'm supportive of this legislation,” Wallace said. “But I have mixed feelings."

The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of Miami Shores' right to control design and landscaping standards, and the couple replaced their vegetables with pink flamingos. But Republican Sen. Rob Bradley called the village's action a "vast overreach," and sponsored the bill, which effectively voids the court rulings.

Wallace said she was expecting citizens of Miami Shores would simply make note of the unusual restriction by their local government, and vote them out later.

"You know, vote out those people and vote in new people that were going to change the ordinance,” she said. “But it just rose to the state level really quickly. Sometimes, these types of laws take many legislative sessions to make it in and out of committee and to the governor's desk, but this thing — zip, zip, zip!"

According to the National Gardening Association, about a third of all U.S. households grow at least some of their own food. The group said a 600-square-foot garden that costs around $70 a year to cultivate can grow 300 pounds of fresh produce worth about $600 annually.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …


Medicaid has covered more than $28.6 million in claims for dental services since expansion began, according to state data. (DC Studio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

A 2023 report by Oceana and Turtle Island Restoration Network found that more than half of the animals caught in gillnets are thrown overboard as waste. (Oceana and Blancpain)

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Environment

play sound

Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021