Water Groups Plea for Algae Action from Gov. DeSantis as More Blooms Appear in SWFL Waterways

Water experts from across the state met in a virtual summit to discuss concerns about the current state of Southwest Florida’s waterways.

The concern- a boom in red tide and blue-green algae. The concern has reached a fever pitch that water experts are imploring the Governor to issue an executive order, calling for a state of emergency. They would like to see more flexibility in moving the water south and away from the coasts.

“The last five or six years it just seems like we go from crisis to crisis and so we’re having more of these community outreach meetings, trying to look for solutions,” says John Cassani with the Calusa Waterkeeper.

The Calusa Waterkeeper was one of the environmental groups represented during today’s summit. He says blue-green algae has been exploding on Lake Okeechobee. Both red tide and blue-green algae are harmful algal blooms, producing toxins.

“Blue-green algae is something that’s a little more insidious- it’s what we call a toxin that affects liver function so you don’t see disease manifest from that, assuming you’ve had chronic exposure perhaps for 10 or 12 years.”