To the editor:

One million acres of Florida’s estuaries are polluted; 9,000 miles of our recreational waters are polluted; 80% of our natural springs are polluted. Every year we have toxic red tide that causes people to have severe allergies, coughing, difficulty breathing, and other symptoms.

Additionally, the marine life our community and state rely on so heavily for tourism revenue suffers from blue green algae growth that shades their habitat and prevents them from flourishing during warmer months.

According to a study performed by Greene Economics LLC and published Dec. 20, 2023, if Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties experience another harmful algae bloom of a scale similar to that of 2005/06 and 2018, our area would lose over $460 million in commercial and recreational fishing, over 43,000 jobs, $5.2 billion in economic output, $17.8 billion in property values and a resulting $60 million in tax revenue, and $8.1 billion in value from outdoor recreation.

The economic health of our community is at risk! We must act now by taking immediate action!

Please go to this website to make a donation and or obtain a petition, sign it and mail it in: floridarighttocleanwater.org/donate. The Florida Right to Clean Waters is seeking to hold those contributing to the pollution accountable for cleaning it up so taxpayers don’t end up footing the bill. We can no longer afford to ignore this issue!

Whitney Taylor

Cape Coral