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Scott Wants 24-Hour Notice Of Major Spills

wfla.com

Governor Rick Scott is issuing an emergency order in the wake of two major toxic spills.

The emergency rule requires polluters to notify state and local governments and the public within 24 hours of a toxic spill or other potential health hazard.

Scott is scheduled Tuesday to visit New Wales, the site of Mosaic’s phosphate fertilizer plant.  Residents filed a class-action federal lawsuit after more than 200 million gallons of acidic, reprocessed water spilled into the Floridan aquifer when a sinkhole opened under a gypsum stack.

Critics accuse those responsible for waiting three weeks to notify authorities.

Earlier this month, millions of gallons of raw sewage spilled into Tampa Bay when a treatment plant failed in the wake of Hurricane Hermine.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.