SUCCESS IN CAPE CORAL!
November 30, 2010
Last night, the Cape Coral City Council unanimously approved a new fertilizer ordinance, finally bringing Cape Coral—the state’s second-largest city in area—in line with, and in some instances beyond, the ordinances already in place for both Lee County and the state of Florida.
PURRE volunteers Capt. George Howell and Lynda Mastronardo of SWFL Naturally were on hand at the council meeting to speak on behalf of the ordinance and reported back to PURRE that the fertilizer/lawn care companies speaking in opposition did not get much footing.
The proposed ordinance is more stringent than state law because it would prohibit the spreading of fertilizers during the rainy season, from June 1 through Sept. 30, city engineer Oliver Clarke was quoted in the Ft. Myers News-Press. Lee County has had a similar ordinance in effect for two years. Cape Coral—with more than 400 miles of saltwater and freshwater canals—was the only city in Lee County without fertilizer restrictions.
The city ordinance would generally prohibit the spreading of fertilizers within 10 feet of ponds, lakes, streams and canals, except by hand. Marti Daltry, Sierra Club spokeswoman, wanted hand spreading of fertilizers within the 10-foot zone to also be banned. But with many Cape Coral back yards only 10 feet from the pool to the canal, city leaders determined hand spreading to be the best way to fertilize plants while keeping the chemicals out of the canals and the ordinance was adopted that way.
A Snapshot of Cape Coral’s Fertilizer Ordinance
• Only slow release, controlled released, timed released and slowly available water insoluble nitrogen fertilizers can be used.
• Fertilizer for turf or plants shall contain no less than 50 percent slow release nitrogen.
• No fertilizer may be applied from June through September
• New turf or plants may be fertilized for 60 days, but only 30 days after planting.
• Fertilizers should be applied at their lowest rate but no more than 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 feet in any calendar year.
• Deflectors must be used on spreaders and positioned so granules are deflected away from fertilizer-free zones and water bodies.
• A fertilizer-free zone is any area within 10 feet of a pond, stream, watercourse, lake, canal, wetland or top of seawall.
• No grass clippings, vegetative material or debris, either intentionally or accidentally, may be swept or blown into storm water drains, ditches, conveyances, water bodies, sidewalks or roadways.
• All commercial and institutional applicators within the city must complete a 6-hour training program in the Florida Friendly Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources by the Green Industries and offered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through the University of Florida extension “Florida Friendly Landscapes” program. The course, which can be taken in Lee County at Terry Park, must be completed within 180 days and at least one person from a company needs to take it. The class must be repeated once every five years.
Violations
First offense: $100
Second: $250
Three or more: $500
Sources: Cape Coral Daily Breeze and Ft. Myers News-Press
