Florida needs to stop algae pollution at source, not fund fake studies
When Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced the devotion of $14 million of taxpayer money for yet another control/mitigation/research/cleanup scheme, Sierra Club Florida decided it was time, yet again, to call the governor’s bluff.
Nine months ago, the Sierra Club put the governor on notice with a letter titled “Stop the Greenwash and Hold Polluters Accountable,” but alas, DeSantis has made a huge deal out of greenwashing his failure to stop pollution at its source, and the unsuspecting are likely to buy his sales pitch.
We want to set the record straight (again). Per media sources, state officials claim that Florida has invested $40 million to detect and mitigate red tide since 2019. This has put a lot of money into the coffers of Mote Marine Laboratory but has it stopped the pollution that fuels red tide, cyanobacteria, and other toxic algae? The answer is “no.”
Another $14 million to research/control/mitigation/cleanup is nothing to celebrate, and in fact is a loss for Floridians. There is only so much money to spend in the state budget, and taxpayer money spent on after-the-fact "cleanup" projects cannot then be spent on proven measures to stop the sewage, manure and fertilizer pollution from being dumped into our lakes, rivers, bays and spring sheds.
The never-ending control/mitigation/cleanup treadmill not only fails to remedy the harmful algal bloom problem but makes it worse by letting more time pass without regulating the pollution that fuels it. The failure to implement or even encourage or promote stopping pollution at its source makes our toxic waterways inevitable.
The science is clear: Human activity intensifies red tide blooms. Control and mitigation research and technologies and states of emergencies keep taxpayers on the cleanup treadmill but do nothing to stop pollution at its source; you never get anywhere on a treadmill, you just spend your resources without forward progress.
After-the-fact attention to harmful algal outbreaks is not what Florida needs. Until pollution is stopped at its source, polluters will go on setting taxpayers up for a never-ending series of costly cleanups.
It is time for Gov. DeSantis to exchange the greenwash for direct, enforced, restorative regulatory action.
Cris Costello is senior organizing manager for Sierra Club Florida.
Join the conversation
Send a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.
Journalism matters. Your support matters.
Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Cris Costello: Florida needs to stop algae pollution at source
