Red Tide that bad??? (Miami, Sarasota: rankings, financing, small businesses)

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by kiggy

Ok, since we have all the facts, would you go to Englewood Beach at this point in time, or not?

Sure, but not today, or tomorrow (1-28-19 or 1-29-19) because its too cold for me to go to the beach. I don't typically go to the beach unless its 75+ degrees, but that's just me.

[craigiri]

Thread is so old - I'm going to start another for 2019 due to the massive recent front page coverage and the final realization of the Florida officials and economy that this is the biggest disaster they have seen since 9/11 - and will be MUCH bigger.

It makes the Great Recession look like a picnic.

Check out the other thread for updated news and links. Maybe this one can still go as "is it OK here now?" but that's not really the best way to find out about current conditions.

It's cold out now anyway!

[craigiri]

Finally - maybe because Red Tide Rick has not banned discussion of it (or else the pressure from business is just too great), there is some admission of this disaster"
https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...-dip-since-911

"Hotel occupancy dropped by 11.3 percent in Sarasota County during the last three months of 2018, the steepest year-over-year decline during that quarterly period since the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in 2001 and a sign of just how bad red tide has been for the region’s economy."

As I have been saying all along, this is a multi-billion dollar event. Likely it will be 10's of billions because the effects will be lingering for years or longer.

"81 percent of Sarasota County hoteliers surveyed in December reported that business looks down for January, February and March."

Wow.....that's not exactly a positive outlook...and they KNOW because reservations are made far ahead of time.

It appears they disagree with some of the "it's normal and natural" cheerleaders:

"Local officials said it is hard to overstate how severe red tide’s impact has been" - put me in the camp of local officials, who - although they are partially to blame - at least know when things have hit the fan.

Think about that. You CANNOT OVERSTATE IT. That means nothing they or we or I say is enough to describe it...

Sadly, it's too late for the current residents. As we speak they are approving vast developments on the Bay and elsewhere. No thought of a moratorium or emergency action. At least they are getting the right idea (to DO things), but now that we are a decade or more behind in taking such action it will be that much longer before anything real gets mitigated. Instead, 10's of millions will be given out to "research" it.

My Solution(s)?
I've given them already many times. But the really big ones are somewhat general...not specific to Red Tide but they affect everything.....


1. Florida MUST realize who they are! 22 Million people and counting! That means 30 million is on the horizon (let alone tourists...add to population and pollution) , on limited land mass (lots of Florida is water).....this means Florida is intensely urban and highly populated. Yet the Politicians act like it's a rural state - i.e., no state car inspections, lax regulations, unprogressive policies, etc.
In the end Florida cannot be a densely populated urban place and not act like it......head in the sand.

2. Florida MUST realize WHERE IT IS. If we lived next to a deep and cold sea on Bay (Left Coast, Northeast), it would be easier to clean up. But we don't - we live next to a warm and shallow Gulf....vastly smaller amounts of water, easier to pollute (and, believe me, the MS. River, Texas, Oil Rigs and Florida are doing a good job of it)...

3. Florida must change the Development Mindset. I have lived in many places - and never have I heard the term "the landowner has the RIGHT to develop" as much as here. In fact, many other places landowners DO NOT have the right to develop (beyond a certain point). The mindset of "he owns some swamp and therefore has the RIGHT to create 2500 housing units" must go. Land Trusts and the state can buy up development rights to some extent....but its easy to make zoning and law to state that wetlands cannot be developed or changed. Wetlands are the "filter" for runoff.

These are the big picture items. Taken together they inform what changes need to be made.
Too late for "Red Tide Czars" and studying more. We need building moratoriums, etc.

[kiggy]

Craigiri have you been out to the local beaches personally?

[kombuchaluchador]

Originally Posted by kiggy

Craigiri have you been out to the local beaches personally?

I think he is referring to this: https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...-dip-since-911

OR: Sarasota officials: Tourism during red tide similar to post 9/11 downturn - Story | FOX 13 Tampa Bay

Which, frankly, is a pretty big deal.

Public perception is everything when your entire economy revolves around tourism.

[beach43ofus]

In the 2nd link, I read where tourism czar Virginia Haley was asking polititicans to keep fully funding Visit Florida, even during the worst of the Red Tide. That is crazy! ALL of those funds should be shifted to cleaning up water in Lake O before it gets released into the Atlantic and Gulf to stop the Blue/Green algae. That stuff it totally avoidable.

Haley trying to keep her cushy government job (and all her staffs) during a crisis like this is sickening...shame on her for being so selfish.

I hope our newly elected Conservative politicians send her packing along with the SW Florida Water Distric Board DeSantis already fired. This new group of Conservatives are taking bold and decisive actions to eliminate the Blue/Green, and increase funds to study what, if anything, can be done to minimize the naturally occurring Red Tide. They've already thrown a pile of cash at Mote to boost Red Tide research.

President Trump attempted to fund Lake O clean up for $2.3B, but Dems in Congress blocked it in a purely political move to prevent the Presdient from being able to take any credit for improving our waterways. Shame on them too for playing politics with our States waterways. Please remember that the next time you vote.

Today's (Tuesday Jan 29, 2019) Beach Conditions report from Mote showed 9 of 10 beaches surveyed had no respiratory issues and no dead fish. Only Siesta Key had slight respiratory. Not many will be at the beaches today due to 60 degree temps anyways, but nice to our local beaches are 90% in the clear today.

[beach43ofus]

This thread is not "so old" at all. Starting another Red Tide thread is redundant, and the moderator will likely merge them together when they get around to it.

Originally Posted by craigiri

Thread is so old - I'm going to start another for 2019 due to the massive recent front page coverage and the final realization of the Florida officials and economy that this is the biggest disaster they have seen since 9/11 - and will be MUCH bigger.

It makes the Great Recession look like a picnic.

Check out the other thread for updated news and links. Maybe this one can still go as "is it OK here now?" but that's not really the best way to find out about current conditions.

It's cold out now anyway!

[kombuchaluchador]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

In the 2nd link, I read where tourism czar Virginia Haley was asking polititicans to keep fully funding Visit Florida, even during the worst of the Red Tide. That is crazy! ALL of those funds should be shifted to cleaning up water in Lake O before it gets released into the Atlantic and Gulf to stop the Blue/Green algae. That stuff it totally avoidable.

Haley trying to keep her cushy government job (and all her staffs) during a crisis like this is sickening...shame on her for being so selfish.

I hope our newly elected Conservative politicians send her packing along with the SW Florida Water Distric Board DeSantis already fired. This new group of Conservatives are taking bold and decisive actions to eliminate the Blue/Green, and increase funds to study what, if anything, can be done to minimize the naturally occurring Red Tide. They've already thrown a pile of cash at Mote to boost Red Tide research.

President Trump attempted to fund Lake O clean up for $2.3B, but Dems in Congress blocked it in a purely political move to prevent the Presdient from being able to take any credit for improving our waterways. Shame on them too for playing politics with our States waterways. Please remember that the next time you vote.

Today's (Tuesday Jan 29, 2019) Beach Conditions report from Mote showed 9 of 10 beaches surveyed had no respiratory issues and no dead fish. Only Siesta Key had slight respiratory. Not many will be at the beaches today due to 60 degree temps anyways, but nice to our local beaches are 90% in the clear today.

I definitely agree with you on this. I feel like we waste a lot of money on visit Florida when it could be used for other things.

And I like that Desantis has taken more of a decisive stance on environmental issues, and is putting $$ into it.

Credit where credit is due. But I fear what the long term effects of prolonged red tide will do for this region economically and environmentally.

I have questions of whether or not this is purely a natural phenomenon, I think the continuous development of this region pushes conditions further. But there is no reason that we cannot make attempts to clean up what we are sure is affecting this, even partially, in the meantime.

[beach43ofus]

So long as Red Tide doesn't intensify between now and April during peak tourist time, and doesn't return next Season, I think our economy will be fine. Right now everyplace I go is packed. There's more people here now than this time last year.

I feel especially bad for the small busineses who lost sales because its tougher for them to pull through, but the big hotels will be just fine.

DeSantis and Gruter are all over the environmental issues, and it cant hurt to send them emails through their web sites in support.

I don't want auto emissions testing here like craigiri does. I saw how that went in Georgia. It will turn out to be a huge money grab. Each year they incrementally made the rules apply to more and more vehicles, and increased the prices.
I bought a new car, had to have it inspected, and then 3 months later, had to do it again because my birthday came along.
It started out at $11 and only older cars had to do it, but 10 years later it was $30 and EVERY car had do it every year, even brand new cars, and depending upon when your birthday falls in rleation to when you bought the car, you may have to get it done 2x in 1 year. I had 3 cars and it started to add up. It makes sense for LA due to smog there, but not here.

It would be much more effective to make China clean up its act than chasing new cars in Florida. I like the septic tank inspections every 5 years, but I fear it will wind up being every year and the cost will escalate rapidly.

If you give government an inch, they wind up taking 20 miles. Our air is just fine here, its the waterways we need to focus on.

[craigiri]

Originally Posted by kiggy

Craigiri have you been out to the local beaches personally?

Oh yes....I'm a sailor so I've also been IN the bay. Been to Siesta, coughed at the Botanical Gardens and Bayfront park and tickled where I live a mile inland from downtown.

Sure aren't any dolphins following the boat lately. I see a small amount of life in some areas. But, c'mon, sea turtles and manatees and dolphins don't "come back" in bulk just because a patch somewhere clears up.

Visitors obviously know. That's why the satisfaction rate tanked...and people are not coming.

Consumer have a choice. After 9/11 a lot of people who used to travel abroad decided to go to Florida, etc. instead. Now I suppose they may go where they don't have to worry about poisons and pollution.

With a #34 rating in Quality of Life (among 50 states), Florida has a long way to go. At the moment they are probably in decline or at best treading water. More traffic, more development, more pollutants and lack of planning for the future.

I see some change in the voters and the populace but the government is often far behind. Nature doesn't care about words or prayers. It's brutal that way.