Environmental Protection Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026: Awards, Proclamations, and Research Presentations
Environmental Protection Commission Meeting - April 16, 2026
The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) of Hillsborough County, Florida, held its regular meeting on April 16, 2026, at 2:30 PM. The meeting included an invocation, roll call, presentation of an environmental merit award, a proclamation declaring May as American Wetlands Month, and three research presentations from the University of South Florida (USF) funded through the EPC's Pollution Recovery Fund (PRF). The meeting also featured a report on a new permitting process feedback group and an executive director's report on upcoming events.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes and Routine Items: The commission approved the minutes of previous meetings and routine items without discussion.
Environmental Merit Award
- Kohana Pal Basu, a sophomore at Middleton High School, received the EPC Scholastic Environmental Merit Award for her project on designing a protein to remove arsenic from contaminated drinking water. She noted that arsenic contamination affects 220 million people globally. The award included a certificate, an EPC gift pack, and a family membership to the Florida Aquarium. Commissioners praised her work and encouraged her to pursue a patent.
Proclamation
- American Wetlands Month: Commissioner Cohen presented a proclamation declaring May 2026 as American Wetlands Month in Hillsborough County. The proclamation highlighted the ecological importance of wetlands and the EPC's zero net loss policy. The commission voted unanimously (7-0) to adopt the proclamation.
Discussion Items
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9A: Marine Pollutants and PFAS in Tampa Bay – Dr. Steven Murkowski, USF College of Marine Science, presented findings from a PRF-funded study on contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Hillsborough Bay and McKay Bay. He reported that PFAS levels in fish reached up to 34,000 parts per trillion, far exceeding the drinking water standard of 4 parts per trillion. The study also surveyed recreational and subsistence fishing, finding that some individuals fish up to 30 days per month. Commissioner Wostall expressed concern about the widespread presence of PFAS and phthalates in consumer products, and Commissioner Cohen noted that Tampa Bay Water recovered $24 million in PFAS litigation funds that could support further research. The commission voted 6-0 to receive the presentation.
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9B: Microplastics in Tampa Bay – Lindsay Grossman, a USF PhD student, presented her research on microplastic pollution, including atmospheric deposition. She found that during Hurricane Idalia, microplastic deposition reached 95,000 particles per square meter per day, with an average of 50,000 particles per square meter per day. The highest concentrations were near the I-275 and I-4 interchange, with tire wear particles appearing as a major contributor. Commissioners discussed the potential for storm events to exacerbate pollution and the possibility of using CDBG funds for mitigation. The commission voted 6-0 to receive the presentation.
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9C: Community Air Monitoring Network (CAM) – Jason Waters (EPC) and Dr. Amy Stewart (USF) presented the results of a collaborative project to deploy 31 low-cost air quality sensors at 23 sites across Hillsborough County. The network monitors PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide, and data show that air quality is generally good, meeting EPA standards. The project won a Grassroots Initiative Award of Excellence from the Florida American Planning Association. The commission voted 6-0 to receive the presentation.
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9D: Permitting Process Feedback Group – Mike Lynch, EPC Wetlands Director, reported on two stakeholder feedback sessions held in response to a request by Commissioner Wostall. The sessions, attended by over a dozen consultants and engineers, led to immediate changes including allowing larger file uploads, reformatting request for additional information (RAI) letters, and updating form templates. The commission voted 6-0 to receive the report.
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All motions to receive presentations and the proclamation passed unanimously (7-0 for the proclamation, 6-0 for presentations).
- Next Steps: The EPC will continue to implement changes from the permitting feedback group and hold regular sessions. The PRF application deadline is May 1, 2026. The next regular meeting is scheduled for June 18, 2026.
- Upcoming Events: The 25th Annual Clean Air Fair will be held on May 7, 2026, at Poe Plaza, and guided wetland walks will take place on May 2 and May 16, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to an environment protection commission meeting this morning. Let us stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation given by Commissioner Cameron Cepeda. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God indivisible with every feet and justice for all. Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning with grateful hearts. We thank you for the countless blessings that you've poured into our lives in this great nation, and we are humbled by your goodness and your grace. And we especially thank you today for the bright and gifted young students in our schools for the wisdom and knowledge that you've placed within them. We thank you for giving them insight, foresight, and creative minds that are already envisioning ways to protect our natural resources, our land, our environment, and the future that you've entrusted us with, all of us. And Lord, today we ask you for a very special blessing over Kohana Paul Basu, who will be honored and recognized at this meeting. Father, you placed extraordinary gifts and talents within her, and today we celebrate the fruit of her dedication. And we ask you to watch over them and keep them safe. And Lord, wrap your peace around every family member who's waiting for them at home. Thank you, Commissioner. Camus of Peter for doing the holy Pledge of Allegiance and invocation. We have roll call, please. No, Commissioner. Move up approval. Okay. Good morning, Commissioners. It's always my privilege to we do this annually, this environmental merit award winner, and each year they get better and better. I am so impressed with our STEM and STEAM scientists that are coming through the high schools. This year, Commissioners, we are pleased to present the EPC Scholastic Environmental Merit Award from the Hillsborough County Regional STEM Project that best exemplifies sound science and environmental stewardship principles. The 2026 recipient is Kohana Pal Basu, a sophomore at Middleton High School. And she is joined by her mother, Dr. Muha. I hope I'm gonna get this right. Kohana is passionate about the environment and its impact on global health, particularly cancer. The goal of her science project is to address the issue of arsenic contamination and groundwater. I think I was just talking about that with Commissioner Woosteel. She designed a protein that binds itself to arsenic in order to remove it from drinking water. Kohana is also involved in the arts through dance and music, and she aspires to pursue a career in oncology in her future. Today, Kohana receives an APC Environmental Merit Award certificate, an EPC gift pack, and a family of four membership to the Florida Aquarium. We thank the aquarium for its annual support and generous donation of the m of for this membership, which they give every year. The Giving Tree, which is giving all you can. And I don't even need to give this to Kohana because she already knows. What do you do with an idea? So very impressive. And to let you know, in south of us, they store a billion ground uh billion gallons of groundwater through aquafour storage and recovery. Up here in the Tampa Bay area, we use a reservoir, which can lead to evapotranspiration, but there's arsenic naturally occurring in the ground. And so when you have to bring that water up, you have to there's an arsenic interface. So Kohana could go on to be another, you know, billionaire who gets this wonderful idea. So I recommend you patent it. But with that, I would say I'm so impressed. So Kohana, if you and your parents could come up and say a few words. Come on up, Mama Dad. Um, I would like to say thank you so much to the EPC for recognizing my project and inviting me here today. I would also like to thank um Dr. Rutupona Samantha from Samantha Lab at USF for guiding me to this project and my teacher from Middleton High School, Miss Cool Carney, for her continuous support. Um, my project focuses on designing a protein computationally that removes arsenic 3 plus from contaminated drinking water. Arsenic contamination affects 220 million people globally and is considered the largest case of mass poisoning in history.
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