New UF report says it’s unclear if fertilizer bans stop pollution. Not everyone agrees.

Local government leaders from across Florida tell the Times they support their community’s fertilizer bans.

A highly anticipated new report from the University of Florida argues there isn’t enough research to determine whether seasonal fertilizer bans help stop pollution from dumping into Florida waterways.

It’s a claim that questions a tool that scores of local Florida governments, including nearly two dozen in Pinellas County, have used for years in an effort to improve water quality.

The state-commissioned report by the university’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, born from a lobbying effort by the TruGreen lawn care company, also suggests a widespread, potentially yearslong study is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of fertilizer bans.

Environmental groups fear that possible study could be the reason lawmakers may push to extend an ongoing pause on any new fertilizer bans, which was approved last summer and runs until July 1 this year.