Help Protect the Bay and Local Waterways by Speaking Out Against the Proposed Ban of Landscape and Lawn Fertilizers Protecting local water quality is a goal that everyone who lives and works in Hillsborough County should fully support. The Florida Retail Federation is concerned that a restrictive local ordinance prohibiting retailers from displaying and selling fertilizer and forbidding residents from fertilizing their landscape plants and lawns during the summer months will have the unintended consequence of increasing the amount of harmful nutrients entering the Bay and local waterways. A healthy lawn and landscape prevents erosion, filters pollution, recharges groundwater, and cools our environment. Feeding your lawn with fertilizer keeps lawns healthy, but fertilization must be done properly to protect our waterways. Improperly maintained lawns are less able to absorb and filter rainfall, which leads to increased erosion and runoff. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services have all advised against a fertilizer ban, citing a lack of science, contradiction with state regulations, and potential negative consequences for water quality. Protecting the Bay and local waterways is a goal we all support. Healthy lawns are the best way to achieve that goal. How You Can Help: The Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners needs to hear from concerned businesses and homeowners. Please take a moment to phone or email your commissioners to voice your opposition and let them know you oppose the ban. We have attached the names, address, phone and email addresses of the Board members. On March 2nd, the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County will hold two workshops on the proposal to ban residents from fertilizing their lawns during the summer months (June 1 to September 30) and prohibit retailers from selling fertilizer during those months. Your presence is needed at one of the workshops below to let decision makers know a fertilizer ban could hurt rather than help protect our local waterways. Workshop #1 Tuesday, March 2nd 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Children’s Board of Hillsborough County 1002 East Palm Avenue Tampa Workshop #2 Tuesday, March 2nd 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Roger P. Stewart Center 3629 Queen Palm Drive Tampa   For More Information: For more information and for answers to Frequently Asked Questions click here or contact Sally West at (850) 222-4082 or via e-mail.