From our long association on here, I know most of you as pretty conscientious guys. I know many of you are sportsmen, boaters, divers, surfers and fishermen. We are all Floridians.
If you live anywhere close to the Caloosahatchee or St Lucie Rivers ( in Lee and Maine counties, respectively), or anywhere along the adjacent coastline you likely have known about this problem. It has been going on for years. Because of national attention, some of you from outlying sections of the state may be learning about the disaster of Lake Okeechobee and its toxic runoff for the first time.
Its getting ready to be a public health issue. The toxic green slime can cause kidney damage, and the ever-increasing Red Tide blooms from runoff nutrients, cause respiratory issues.
While I was up in Maine sailing, fishing guide friends sent pictures to me of hundreds of dead (huge) breeder snook. They came into the beaches to spawn and got caught in the red tide. There were also dead Tarpon, sea turtles, manatee and tens of thousands of smaller fishes. This winter you could hardly oyster because of the FWC Red Tide closures. Its been building for 20 years with inaction by those who we voted into office.
The hit on the economy is going to be catastrophic-sport and commercial fishing, rentals, tourism, etc.
This is a problem our State's Politicians have allowed to occur. This includes our Senators and Congressmen; because the Army Corps of Engineers is eyeball deep in what's going on, via how they manage Lake O levels and the things they allow the money-grubbers to be pumped in. Why? Because they're beholden to Big Sugar, Disney (The Kissimmee River where their discharge flows, is 60% of the flow into Lake O), Big Ag, and Residential Developers. In addition, State politicians have been misappropriating funds for Amendment 1 passed by Florida voters in 2014 to do things to protect the Everglades like redirecting flow to historical patterns before Big Sugar began hording it and backwashing into the lake, the Corps and SWFTMD began altering it.
Please vote and get involved with this. Its one thing for Carl Haaisan to write novels about how corrupt Florida politicians are - but this shows how based in reality that is.
Gov. Scott has known about this issue from day one in office. He has done little to nothing except try and blame the Corps of Engineers. The only reason you're seeing Gov Scott and Sen. Nelson trying to out-do each other in a BS show of paper shuffling like they're coming to the rescue, is because they are running against each other for the senate. It's a problem they helped create by inaction. They have been shamed into paying attention to it by the people.
Write your politicians, VOTE and/or join one of the half dozen or so organizations like Captains for Clean Water, Save the Everglades, any of the anti-Big Sugar organizations, etc.
If you live anywhere close to the Caloosahatchee or St Lucie Rivers ( in Lee and Maine counties, respectively), or anywhere along the adjacent coastline you likely have known about this problem. It has been going on for years. Because of national attention, some of you from outlying sections of the state may be learning about the disaster of Lake Okeechobee and its toxic runoff for the first time.
Its getting ready to be a public health issue. The toxic green slime can cause kidney damage, and the ever-increasing Red Tide blooms from runoff nutrients, cause respiratory issues.
While I was up in Maine sailing, fishing guide friends sent pictures to me of hundreds of dead (huge) breeder snook. They came into the beaches to spawn and got caught in the red tide. There were also dead Tarpon, sea turtles, manatee and tens of thousands of smaller fishes. This winter you could hardly oyster because of the FWC Red Tide closures. Its been building for 20 years with inaction by those who we voted into office.
The hit on the economy is going to be catastrophic-sport and commercial fishing, rentals, tourism, etc.
This is a problem our State's Politicians have allowed to occur. This includes our Senators and Congressmen; because the Army Corps of Engineers is eyeball deep in what's going on, via how they manage Lake O levels and the things they allow the money-grubbers to be pumped in. Why? Because they're beholden to Big Sugar, Disney (The Kissimmee River where their discharge flows, is 60% of the flow into Lake O), Big Ag, and Residential Developers. In addition, State politicians have been misappropriating funds for Amendment 1 passed by Florida voters in 2014 to do things to protect the Everglades like redirecting flow to historical patterns before Big Sugar began hording it and backwashing into the lake, the Corps and SWFTMD began altering it.
Please vote and get involved with this. Its one thing for Carl Haaisan to write novels about how corrupt Florida politicians are - but this shows how based in reality that is.
Gov. Scott has known about this issue from day one in office. He has done little to nothing except try and blame the Corps of Engineers. The only reason you're seeing Gov Scott and Sen. Nelson trying to out-do each other in a BS show of paper shuffling like they're coming to the rescue, is because they are running against each other for the senate. It's a problem they helped create by inaction. They have been shamed into paying attention to it by the people.
Write your politicians, VOTE and/or join one of the half dozen or so organizations like Captains for Clean Water, Save the Everglades, any of the anti-Big Sugar organizations, etc.
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