One has to wonder if Julia Tuttle would have been able to convince Henry Flagler to extend his train down to Miami by sending him orange blossoms from Biscayne Bay if she faced today’s Red Tide instead of the Great Freeze of the 1890s. The sight of schools of dead fish washing ashore and the smell of stinky beaches would have been hard to overcome, even for Tuttle.
This is a timely question because Florida’s tourism-dependent economy thrives on clean water for drinking and swimming. Our pristine beaches, fishing and wildlife are major economic engines for the entire state. Just in Miami-Dade County, Tourism & Hospitality support 145,000 direct jobs and provide $238.5 million in tourism-related revenue, which makes possible a variety of everyday, quality of life services.
The current crisis created by poisonous Red Tide in our local waters and toxic green algae in Lake Okeechobee threaten these jobs and related revenue. In South Florida, there is the added risk of the King Tide, occurring now, which brings these contaminated waters further inland, increasing our health and economic risks even more.
By rolling back environmental protections and allowing industrial pollution and runoff for the past eight years, Governor Rick Scott and the Republican Legislature have contaminated our coasts, undermined our health and sabotaged our economy.
The governor was forewarned that a disaster of this magnitude could occur. In 2011, the same year that there was a devastating algae bloom that blanketed the Indian River Lagoon, Scott pushed through a big rollback of state regulations that had helped control development and possible related impacts, such as fertilizer runoff and fecal leakage into our water-based ecosystem.
He also slashed funding for the state’s water management districts, which play a vital role in protecting waterways, and appointed board members that are subservient to polluters. Our own South Florida Water Management District lost 300 technicians, scientists and other staff because of the reduced budget.
In 2012, Scott signed legislation that repealed a state law mandating that septic tanks receive regular inspections to prevent untreated waste seepage into water systems. Under his leadership and with the collaboration of the Republican-led Legislature, Florida reversed course on a plan to buy sugar land to use for environmental reclamation.
While Governor Scott claims to be pro-tourism and recently fought for $76 million for Visit Florida in last year’s budget, what “Red Tide” Rick fails to grasp is that our environment is our state’s top business engine. No amount of marketing money or orange blossoms can mask the neglect of this Republican administration. This Republican-led Legislature doesn’t have the will to reverse the damage done, but Democrats have the vision and commitment to reverse this trend and put Florida on the road to environmental recovery and long-term business sustainability.
Republicans or shall I say Trumpians are rolling back all kind of environmental protections and more…it’s all about oil and large corporations profits which go to management not workers! Research what they are doing all over the country! Too much to list here! VOTE BLUE to save our environment & country.
Uh–yes. Because THEY were the ones in charge.
Greed is the name of the game. When are we going to wake up and realize that without a heathy lagoon/ocean/environment we will wind up with zero? Rick Scott is a disgrace. Send him to Sarah Palin’s Alaska.
This is not about Republicans or Democrats and I dare you act like it is. This is nothing but man’s GREED for money. And now you going to blame a party is just dumb people are waking up to the games you politicians play and getting really sick of it.