The only sure cure for Algae Gone Wild
The economic impact of another major red tide event in Southwest Florida would be catastrophic.
Those who remember the effects of red tide in 2016, and then again in 2018, remember the horror of the dead fish and the foul air, the pain of ruined vacations and lost earnings.
For the first time, the economic impact of these events has been quantified by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Captains for Clean Water, and the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. They hired Greene Economics to conduct “a thorough analysis of the economic repercussions of degraded water quality” intended to “translate the ecological impact into tangible economic figures.” This report shows the stakes involved if we fail to address the growing threat of Algae Gone Wild.
And that’s what we’re talking about here. Collier County’s population explosion means more development reducing the wetlands that are critical to recharge the aquifers. These aquifers provide affordable drinking water for all of us! More people in Collier County means more business. But who would want to move to Collier or even visit Collier if there is a threat of dead fish on the beaches. It’s the sight of green slime coating our canals that turns potential visitors into lost profits and causes For Sale signs to remain on properties. And if the visitors go away, so do the myriads of businesses supporting our tourism industry.
To make that point, the Greater Naples Chamber, with presenting sponsor Collier Community Foundation, gave the public a crystal-clear view of the future we face.
Blue Equals Green: How Water Quality Impacts Your Business’s Bottom Line, featured representatives of the three environmental groups in a panel discussion that added dollar signs to the path of inaction.
Another Harmful Algal Bloom of the intensity experienced in 2018 would take $243 million out of Collier County’s economy just in losses to commercial and recreational fishing. We would lose 13,933 jobs. Property tax revenue based on a $6.8 billion decline in property value would total $35.7 million. Our Quality of Life, as measured by the value assigned to outdoor recreation, would take a $2.3 billion hit.
As the economists stated in their summary:
“The ultimate analysis confirms that negative water quality events have clear quantifiable impacts on all sectors of the local and regional economies, that the magnitude of those negative impacts is likely to increase as the frequency and intensity of events compound on an already weakened ecosystem, and that over time the ramifications of continued degradation will threaten the overall character of the region and the quality of life that residents and visitors have come to expect from it.”
But what we wondered, when the frightening future had been revealed, was what can we do?
It seems that citizens who care about Florida’s waters have an opportunity to make a difference. Call it a Hail Mary pass, because it requires hundreds of thousands of us to sign petitions to make protecting our water part of the state Constitution. No longer would the political will kick the can down the road and ignore impaired waters. No longer would we be forced to tolerate political inaction. It’s time to do for ourselves what our elected officials have not done.
The Florida Right to Clean Water is our best hope. Visit floridarighttocleanwater.org and give Mother Earth a Mother’s Day gift worth receiving.
Penny Taylor is a former Naples City Council member and Collier County commissioner. Ray Bearfield is the Collier County Waterkeeper. They worked together at the Naples Daily News in the mid-1970s and continue to collaborate on issues affecting the area’s quality of life.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The only sure cure for Algae Gone Wild
