Red tide and toxic algae continue to pummel the west coast of Florida. In addition to the loss of sea life, the damage to the marine environment, the health effects to asthma sufferers, the health effects not reported or tracked (discussed later in this diary), we have the economic cost.
Tourism
According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, in one week, in Sarasota, Florida — the jewel of the west coast of Florida — the economic impact was estimated at $931,294 just among tourism companies. ONE WEEK. The article reports that tourism came to a “slamming stop.”
That impact is multiplied over lost tourism dollars to ancillary businesses that support the tourism industry: grocery stores, retail stories, Sarasota’s local arts scene (very much a vital part of our community), realtors, contractors, Uber/taxi drivers...anything that a tourist might impact during their stay. According to local resident, Rachel Revehl, a reporter and concerned citizen who attended a Ft. Myers Town Hall with state and health officials in early August (and reported on Facebook):
—-This current bloom stretches some 30 miles offshore. It also is expected to continue THROUGH 2019(!!!). In a single sail 15 miles offshore, captains reported 20 dead tarpon, dozens of dead cobia fish (known to be an incredibly hearty species) and 1000s of dead baitfish. This is in addition to what we’ve seen wash up on our shores in Fort Myers, Sanibel-Captiva and Cape Coral, which includes hundreds of sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, stingrays, sharks, Goliath groupers and even a whale shark. These kinds of larger animals aren’t typically affected this way by normal red tide. All panelists & captains agreed this is the worst this problem has ever been - but also that it’s likely to continue occurring at this magnitude unless we take decisive action.
While the tourism industry supports our local economy, do understand that this is a community of nearly a half million people (approximate size of Sarasota county). The environmental cost goes well beyond its impact to tourism.
In addition, the images of dead sea turtles, fish floating everywhere, dead dolphins and manatees, and even dead tarpon miles off shore have had an immediate effect on tourism, but will eventually impact the real estate industry. While sales are up 2.3% this August, the industry impacts will be felt if this environmental disaster is not contained.
Residential Real Estate
While the tourism industry is the largest industry in Florida, the residential real estate industry is a significant player in the economies of southwest Florida and the state. When the housing market crashed in SW Florida in 2007, it sent ripple effects across the nation. We all know how well that worked out. Realtors here are waking up to the fact that Big Sugar is ruining their livelihoods. The wealthiest home owners in Florida live along the water, and right now it is intolerable to go near it.
The stench, and the physiological effects that go with it (coughing, burning eyes, itching ears) is not isolated to those on the waterfront. Friends living east of Interstate 75, which runs several miles inland from the coast, report the effects. I can smell it inside my house, two miles inland.
Health
The long term effects on health will make it impossible for those with any kind of respiratory ailments to stay here. In addition, local hospitals and clinics are not tracking red-tide related symptoms. According to Revehl:
—-Neither the FL Dept. of Health nor local hospitals are tracking individuals whose health has been affected. That includes admissions and/or deaths (the latter of which there have been allegations but none substantiated that I'm aware). The physician alleged this lack of information is intentional, as officials want to downplay the impact to reduce the blow to tourism.
. . .
—-These organisms, cyanobacteria especially, contain neurotoxins that can be deadly/ dangerous for marine life (as we’ve seen) but also humans and land animals. It can cause upper respiratory infections, rashes and gastrointestinal infections. It has also been linked to certain cancers (liver & lung) as well as Alzheimer’s and ALS disease. Vulnerable populations (children, elderly, those with lung issues, open cuts or immunocompromised) are at highest risk. If we experience storm surge this hurricane season, it will be catastrophic for human & animal health, with toxins everywhere.
Taking Notice and Asking Questions
The only silver lining to all of this (which, it’s hard to imagine that there is one) is that this fairly conservative town (mostly economic conservatives) is starting to wake up to what life could be like when their beautiful environment is destroyed. Of course there is a vibrant pro-environment movement in Florida but it does not have the platform that industry does. However, I have normally conservative friends starting to ask how this happened. I share with them the Facebook post I shared above.
There is no alternate reality with this, as much as Governor Rick Scott would like people to believe. When your eyes are burning, and you’re coughing constantly, it’s pretty hard to say “Fake News!”. There is a pretty strong understanding that he blocked any environmental regulations that would have impeded the agricultural industry (primarily big sugar) from damaging our state. He’s certainly trying, though. He’s heavily funded in his US Senate campaign against our democratic senator Bill Nelson, and trying to claim that this a federal government issue and that Nelson has done nothing. The truth, of course, is quite different:
—- Water quality management used to be a function of federal govt, but it’s since been relegated to the states. Some states have implemented strict run-off/pollutant guidelines. Florida is not one of them. A state commission was formed to study the algae issue in 2000, but Republican lawmakers de-funded it & have consistently voted down attempts to restart it.
— Years ago, Gov. Charlie Crist - then Republican, now Democrat - worked out a plan for the state to buy a substantial portion of Big Sugar-owned land south of Lake O. for $2.4b, turning some of it into water storage reservoirs for Everglades restoration. (The Fort Myers News-Press explained it was a popular, long-discussed strategy wherein part of the idea was the longer tainted water could stay on the landscape, the more time it would have to be naturally filtered/ improve quality and hopefully replenish drinking water aquifers.) However, when Gov. Scott took office [2010], he basically reversed course on the deal, with one appointed water board member quoted as saying shortly after assuming his post the Crist land acquisition was "dead in the water."
. . . [additional environmental rollbacks noted below]
According to Treasure Coast Newspapers, those include: The repeal of a law to inspect septic tanks; the cutting of $700 million by laying off 500+ employees (mostly scientists) in the South Florida Water Management District, which oversees Everglades restoration, water quality testing and advisement of the U.S. Army engineers on discharge-caused algae bloom; the cutting of $6.5m by laying off 134 DEP employees & freezing a dozen vacant jobs; the dismantling of the state's growth management agency; the stacking of the water district board with only business and agricultural interest leaders. Last year, Scott signed SB10, a lengthy law that (among other things) included a provision to buy some Big Sugar land and create a reservoir south of the Lake, but it's a fraction of what Crist had planned, reduced substantially in acreage and scope, causing many scientists and conservationists to doubt it is enough to be effective. Further, it contained a provision disallowing eminent domain for Big Sugar land. BUT presumably laws can change.
Of course that message may not permeate, so chip in some funds to support Bill Nelson’s campaign against Rick Scott, because this is a senate seat that Florida — and the nation — needs to keep.
As soon as our primary on Tuesday determines who the Democratic gubernatorial candidate will be, then we all need to supporting that person in an attempt to end Republican dominance of our state government and our state’s politics.