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Toxic algae bloom blankets Florida beaches, prompts state of emergency.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/01/us/florida-algae-pollution/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/01/us/florida-algae-pollution/
(CNN)Jordan Schwartz, owner of the Ohana Surf Shop, said he wanted to cry when he saw the green slime -- a toxic algae bloom -- covering his swath of Stuart Beach on Florida's east coast.
"Animals are in distress, some are dying, the smell is horrible," he told CNN on Friday. "You have to wear a mask in the marina and the river. It's heartbreaking and there is no end in sight."
The economic impact is devastating, he said.
"This town is 100% driven by tourism but the tourism is empty," he said. "You go to the beach and it's the height of summer and we have empty beaches, empty restaurants, empty hotels."
Gov. Rick Scott,declared a state of emergency midweek in Martin, St. Lucie, Lee and Palm Beach counties because of the toxic algae bloom that originated in Lake Okeechobee and spread to the beaches.
"We are used to seeing our rivers continually being polluted year after year but we have never seen our beaches polluted. What we are witnessing right now, it's the tip of the iceberg," he said.
"Animals are in distress, some are dying, the smell is horrible," he told CNN on Friday. "You have to wear a mask in the marina and the river. It's heartbreaking and there is no end in sight."
The economic impact is devastating, he said.
"This town is 100% driven by tourism but the tourism is empty," he said. "You go to the beach and it's the height of summer and we have empty beaches, empty restaurants, empty hotels."
Gov. Rick Scott,declared a state of emergency midweek in Martin, St. Lucie, Lee and Palm Beach counties because of the toxic algae bloom that originated in Lake Okeechobee and spread to the beaches.
"We are used to seeing our rivers continually being polluted year after year but we have never seen our beaches polluted. What we are witnessing right now, it's the tip of the iceberg," he said.