Miami, Florida – The governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, today announced the creation of a task force that will be dedicated to providing solutions to the problem of toxic blue-green algae in the state and will be formed by five scientists.
DeSantis reported his decision at a press conference held at Nathaniel P. Reed National Wildlife Refuge in Hobe Inlet on the Atlantic coast of Florida.
The task force will have as a top priority the reduction of the nutrient component in the waters of rivers, lakes and Floridian estuaries, as they are considered to be the cause of the proliferation of blue-green algae and those that produce the so-called “red tide” at sea, which in 2018 reached record levels.
The scientists who will make up this special force, led by Tom Frazer, the new head of science in the state, will be able to make recommendations to reduce the nutrients in the polluted Lake Okeechobee, the largest in the state, and in the rivers and tributaries that originate in the same.
They will also study the possible connections between blue-green algae and red tide that are not only harmful to aquatic animals, but also harm tourism, which is an important source of income in Florida.
Unlike his predecessor, Rick Scott, also a Republican and today a senator from Florida, DeSantis has shown concern for the environment and especially for the state of Florida’s water resources since taking office in January.
In its budget proposal for fiscal year 2019-2020, for more than 90,000 million dollars, allocated 625 million dollars for the restoration of the Everglades, a huge wetland in the southwest of the state, and the improvement of water quality .
That amount is part of a $ 2.5 billion allocation he intends to make for the Everglades in the four-year term, he announced in February. (EFEUSA)
