News

Stuart, Florida –  U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the South Florida Water Management District, and local officials at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam to survey algae bloom damage and see firsthand how it is impacting communities along the Treasure Coast.

“Today, I saw yet again the damage that toxic algae is inflicting on communities on the Treasure Coast and in Southwest Florida,” Rubio said. “While we’re making progress, there’s still a lot of work to do and it begins with getting a vote in the Senate on the WRDA bill.”
 
Last week, Rubio surveyed area damage from blue-green algae and red tide in Captiva. He also introduced the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act, legislation that would direct the Interagency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) to assess the causes and consequences of HABs in Lake Okeechobee and around Florida’s south and southwestern coast to determine the federal resources available to solve these challenges. He recently secured $1 million of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds for areas affected by harmful algal blooms.
                         
An extended timeline of Rubio’s efforts to fight the South Florida algal blooms can be found here.
 
Photos courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office.