Nikki Fried, Michele Rayner-Goolsby roll out clean water initiative

Rayner-Goolsby plans to sponsor legislation next year dealing with gypsum stacks.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and state Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby rolled out plans Tuesday to revamp the state’s out-dated clean water policies, including with legislation that would help mitigate red tide outbreaks currently plaguing the Tampa Bay area.

The announcements, one in Tampa and another in St. Petersburg, were part of Fried’s tour to promote the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Clean Water initiative.

The initiative seeks to update and strengthen the Office of Agriculture Policy’s water policies, which haven’t been revamped in more than a decade, Fried said.