Change the song and dance
To the editor:
News reports once again highlighting the effects of Red Tide on Southwest Florida as a tourist destination. Our Southwest Florida coastline is turning into a year-around giant flourishing Petri dish that is severely tarnishing the area’s reputation.
And this has been happening for several years now. Yet our elected officials are steamrolling ahead approving mega projects.
While I’m not against growth, uncontrolled growth without regards to end results is NOT OK. Our elected officials show up during crises, make statements on how terrible it is and needs to be fixed, but then keep approving deals.
A UCF study found $1.27B loss to SWFL’s economy from just one red tide season in 2018. Health care costs from hospital and doctor visits, beach clean-up activities following fish kills, and losses in tourism revenues are some of the costs associated with these blooms (Florida Department of Health).
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is reporting that the state of Florida has spent $8 billion since 2019 to restore America’s Everglades and improve the quality of the state’s water resources (FDEP News Release Feb. 3, 2025). Why are algae blooms and red tide not getting better?
Florida Right to Clean Water is a nonpartisan citizen initiative for enforceable right to clean and healthy waters on the 2026 ballot.
Go to FloridaRighttoCleanWater.org to explore the many ways to help as an individual, as a group, as a nonprofit, as a business, or even as a local government entity.
Dave Bortell
North Fort Myers