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Staff ReportsAugust 15, 2018

Small businesses hurt by algae blooms and red tide can now apply to the state for emergency loans, Gov. Rick Scott‘s office announced Tuesday. Scott activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, which provides “short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses experiencing physical or economic loss.” The program is managed by the Florida Department of […]

Danny McAuliffeAugust 13, 2018

Florida is now in a state of emergency over the impacts of red tide, a colloquialism used to describe the harmful algal blooms plaguing Florida’s Gulf Coast. Gov. Rick Scott issued the executive order declaring the state of emergency on Monday. “As Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area continues to feel the devastating impacts of […]

Scott PowersAugust 7, 2018

A few days after seeing Republican Gov. Rick Scott‘s campaign launch a TV commercial seeking to blame him for Florida’s algae crisis, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is firing back with an internet ad attempting to portray the environmental disaster as entirely Scott’s fault. The new 30-second video, “Algae,” begins with images of putrid, green […]

Staff ReportsAugust 3, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday said he directed state agencies “to mobilize all available resources to address red tide impacts in Southwest Florida’s coastal communities.” The announcement mentioned the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Red tide is a “naturally occurring algae that has been documented along Florida’s […]

Ryan NicolAugust 1, 2018

U.S. Reps. Brian Mast and Bill Posey have co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that seeks to increase federal assistance to deal with toxic algae blooms in Florida and other states. The pair of Florida Republicans joined with Democratic Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon to co-sponsor the “Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia […]

Scott PowersJuly 25, 2018

Philip Levine gets down in the muck — literally — in his latest television commercial, pulling a cup full of algae-clotted seawater out of a polluted bay and blaming Republicans and Gov. Rick Scott for neglecting the environment and creating the messes plaguing Florida’s coasts east and west of Lake Okeechobee. The 30-second spot, “A […]

Staff ReportsJuly 13, 2018

Democratic candidate for governor Philip Levine has dropped a new ad focused on Lake Okeechobee’s algae crisis. The ad comes “as discharges are set to resume and bring toxic blue-green algae flowing into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers,” the campaign said in a Friday release. The new 30-second spot, “Toxic,” highlights Levine’s “commitment to […]

Drew WilsonAugust 4, 2017

Scientists working for the South Florida Water Management District presented findings Thursday pointing to inflows north of Lake Okeechobee as the source of nutrients causing recent algae blooms in the lake. The results show runoff from north of the lake, due to high rain levels and the warm temperature, was the principal cause of the […]

Staff ReportsFebruary 13, 2017

The co-chairs of Florida’s congressional delegation, Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, and Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings will hold a bipartisan delegation meeting on some of the state’s most pressing water issues. The meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8:30 a.m. in 2020 Rayburn House Office Building, in Washington, DC. The delegation will discuss red tide, […]

Peter SchorschSeptember 23, 2016

While much has changed in Florida over the years, for environmentalists, one thing has remained somewhat constant — polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee. And when they point fingers at what is causing the recent toxic blue-green algae blooms plaguing the Treasure Coast, agriculture has reliably been held up as one of the “usual suspects.” For […]

Tag: algae

Rick Scott OKs emergency loans to cope with algae, red tide

Red tide prompts state of emergency

Bill Nelson ad: Florida’s algae crisis is made by Rick Scott

Rick Scott says state will fight red tide

Brian Mast, Bill Posey push increased funding to combat algae blooms

Philip Levine’s latest TV ad offers muck, blames Rick Scott

Philip Levine campaign releases ad on algae

Scientists blame northern inflows for current Lake O algae bloom

Vern Buchanan to co-chair Florida Delegation meeting on water issues

Perhaps faulty septic tanks cause algae blooms after all

Florida politics had 11 questions before federal qualifying week. Here are the answers.