Toxic algae bloom spreading through Florida coastline

World Today

Toxic algae bloom spreading through Florida coastline2

A toxic algae bloom is spreading along the coastline posing a health concern and threatening the Florida economy.

CCTV America’s Nitza Perez reported.

A thick layer of green toxic algae bloom is covering a number of beaches and marinas along Florida’s east coast, killing animals and hurting businesses.

The algae has been spreading for almost a month with the potential to sicken people.

“Let’s put it bluntly, this sucks. This is terrible. It got to the point that I couldn’t put boats on the water running any longer, because the algae would clog the cooling systems on the boats. Basically, I’ve been shut down for a week and a half, two weeks,” Phil Norman, co-owner of Outboards Only said.

Environmentalists also point to a lack of state pollution regulations and population growth. Algae outbreaks also occurred in 2005 and 2013 but not as extreme.

Experts warn that people will see more of these blue green algae blooms as global temperatures rise in Florida and nationwide.

For now, local businesses are receiving government loans to finance their own clean-up.