Red tide states of emergencies have been declared to combat the worst red tide Florida has seen in more than 10 years. Tuesday, Manatee County officials unanimously declared a local state of emergency.
It comes after Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency last week which covers Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.
While the algae bloom is naturally occurring, many of our viewers wanted to know: What do these declarations mean and will they change anything?
Ron Kendrick was one of residents who wanted to know.
“What are they going to do about it? I think we really just have a hell of a mess.”
Elliot Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, says the money from the local state of emergency will be used for beach maintenance and cleanup.
The money Manatee County receives from the governor’s state of emergency declaration will be used to promote tourism, which is Florida’s biggest economic driver, supporting families and business.
Falcione says tourism money has always been used to maintain beaches.
Manatee’s state of emergency will coincide with the one Scott declared last week. It frees up an additional $500,000 for the county run its emergency operations center. That money will also be used cleanup outside of beach areas using contractors to clear out bays and canals.
Part of the money will also be used to pay temporary workers $12 an hour to help with the cleanup effort. It will also allow current staff to get overtime for anything red tide-related.
“They’re working 12-hour days out there. For the past week and a half our beaches have been pretty clean,” Falcione said.
Knowing what the state of emergency means helps people feel a little more at ease.
“That’s pretty awesome. It’s great,” said Bobby Fabiano.
“I’d like to see some money being addressed because as a tourist, its heartbreaking. It really is,” said Samantha Wilson, who is visiting from London.
The one thing money can’t do is get rid of red tide. It's why locals hope another act of nature will get rid of it.
“I hope we get a small hurricane that works it just right and blows it out around here,” said Kendrick.
Once beaches in Manatee County are all clear, Falcione says his organization will promote a big campaign letting people know the beaches are open for business.
“We really need to turn a negative into a positive, and what we can do in the marketplace to really recover,” he said.
To help small businesses, Scott is freeing up additional money to allow those impacted to apply for low-interest loans.
If you’d like to take part in the cleanup efforts, there is a volunteer cleanup event at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Palma Sola Causeway.
Manatee County’s state of emergency is set to expire midnight Aug. 29. Commissioners can extend it if needed.
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