If you have been watching the news recently, you are likely as troubled as I am by the recent reports of toxic algal blooms in the water at the Pahokee Marina. I was out there earlier this week, and it was absolutely putrid. Now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has tested the water there and found that it is more than 100 times too toxic for human contact, according to the health advisory issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
On top of that, a recent University of Florida study found that toxins from harmful algal blooms, such as the microcystin found at Pahokee Marina, can become airborne and travel roughly 10 miles from the bloom source.
That is why I am calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a federal standard to protect communities from the threat of these airborne toxins! In the meantime, I also am asking the Mayor of Pahokee to offer alternative housing options to potentially-impacted residents.
These health threats are real and they are serious. Immediate action is needed now to protect the community in Pahokee!
As we continue to get closer to the summer wet season, I will also do everything I physically can to prevent the Army Corps from dumping this toxic water onto the Treasure Coast. I don’t care if they lock me up and put me behind bars, I will not sit idly by while they poison us!
Read the letters here below:
