STUART, Fla. (WFLA) — Martin County Board of Commissioners voted to draft a declaration of disaster due to the massive amounts of algae growing along the Treasure Coast.
WPTV said multiple affected residents spoke about their frustration with the situation at an emergency meeting.
Residents and business owners said local, state and federal politicians need to do something.
According to representatives from the Florida Oceanographic Society, the first time algae was spotted inhabiting the are was back in 2005.
“It’s gone beyond a fishery problem. It’s gone beyond an ecological problem. It’s a human health problem, and it’s a legacy problem. These toxins aren’t only in the water now, they remain in the sediment. They remain in the soils, remain in the shoreline, remain in the fish. It’s hard to live here now,” Mike Connor said.
The Army Corp of Engineers was charged with monitoring and controlling discharges, which first caused the growth of the algae.
In the disaster declaration, the county asked Army Corps of Engineers to immediately close the St. Lucie Lock and Dam, to stop freshwater from Lake Okeechobee from entering the infested area.
The Department of Environmental Protection tested algae samples for toxicity this week.
The Florida Department of Health advised residents to avoid the water.
The county said beaches at Stuart, Jensen and Hobe Sound are reopened for swimming. But, Bathtub Beach remains closed for now.