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St. Pete Councilman: Go Native On Plants, Save Water, Money

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By ROD CHALLENGER

News Channel 8

Published: November 25, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Councilman Karl Nurse put in plants native to Florida and no longer needs to water the yard at an apartment building he owns.

Now he wants the city and residents to implement similar measures to save water.

With the area in a continuing drought, Nurse said, he will introduce two ordinances at a St. Petersburg City Council meeting in December. One would require the use of native vegetation where feasible on medians and rights of way and other city property. The other would require anyone redeveloping or rebuilding in the city to use drought-tolerant plantings.

"St. Petersburg has a long history of being a leader in our region in responsible water conservation practices," Nurse said.

The councilman said city law limits the use of mulch and mandates the use of irrigation systems on newly developed property. His ordinance would limit the use of St. Augustine grass, which requires a lot of water.

Nurse, explaining the need for the provisions, said, "If our area continues to grow as it has, we will double the price of water in short order, and the way to avoid that is to reduce the amount of water we use on landscapes."

Nurse said his proposals could cut the use of water for irrigation by as much as 80 percent.

He also said that if the city uses native plants and ground cover, it could cut maintenance costs substantially by reducing mowing.

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