Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Gov. Ron DeSantis, in St. Petersburg to see the devastation to Tampa Bay caused by red tide, said a state of emergency — requested by the city and business and environmental groups — is not necessary to support the efforts.

They say the state is directing resources for the cleanup, including money and spotter planes. But they maintain that a state of emergency declaration — which some have called for — won't change anything.

The letter from the group follows a request from St. Petersburg's mayor and city council last week to help fund cleanup of what is being called the worst red tide outbreak ever in Tampa Bay.

Emergency pumps have been installed to combat heavy rain and winds from the storm.

Over two days in May, scientists replanted many of the species of coral susceptible to stony coral disease to see if they can survive now that epidemic levels of the disease have subsided.

An emergency order issued in April by Florida's Department of Environmental Protection expired this week.

Piney Point's owner is among the targets of the lawsuit, which seeks a full cleanup and closure of the former phosphate plant.

Many of Florida’s springs are at risk, largely from a combination of reduced water flow and increased pollution.

Evacuation orders were given late Friday to homes and businesses surrounding the leaking Piney Point processing plant in Manatee County.

Workers at the closed Piney Point phosphate processing plant in Manatee County continue to take emergency measures to reduce the amount of water inside a giant gypsum stack used to hold byproducts of the production of fertilizer.

The leak could signal a repeat of a breach in the gypstack retention pond that killed untold numbers of fish and marine life a decade ago.

The maxing-out, bulging-at-the-seams, gridlock you feel on the highway — is happening underground, too. Infrastructure across the state isn't measuring up to Florida's growing population. And that's not only happening in Fort Lauderdale.