Gov. DeSantis pitches water quality website he says will help public better understand algae blooms, water quality issues

Chad Gillis
The News-Press

State officials Tuesday celebrated a new website designed to give Floridians and visitors more information about local water quality. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Stuart and Bonita Springs to talk about protectingfloridatogether.gov, a site that will at first focus on the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and Lake Okeechobee. 

"We've obviously experienced things like blue-green algae and red tide and people obviously care about it from an environmental perspective, but folks also care about it from a health perspective," DeSantis said during a press conference at Lovers Key State Park. "But up until now those have been totally different things."

Governor Ron DeSantis speaks about the state's new website for water quality, protectingfloridatogether.gov, during a press conference at Lovers Key State Park on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

Other Florida waters will eventually be added to the site, he said. 

DeSantis has pushed several water quality initiatives in his first year in office. 

Earlier this year he mandated that a water quality component be built with the Caloosahatchee River reservoir, often called C-43, and appointed members to the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. 

More on this topic:High hopes for Caloosahatchee reservoir, as officials break ground on giant wall that will one day contain it

He said the site contains information on things like active blue-green algae blooms, red tide conditions and information on how the public can volunteer to improve the state's ailing water quality. 

Southwest Florida waters took a major hit in 2018, when a blue-green algae bloom in the Caloosahatchee River and a red tide outbreak in the Gulf of Mexico turned local waters toxic. 

Read:Red tide lingers in Southwest Florida with high concentrations reported in Lee, Collier

More:Researchers find strong red tide off Sanibel, fear it may intensify

The red tide bloom killed hundreds of dolphins and sea turtles as well as a 27-foot whale shark and millions of pounds of fish and eels. 

Conditions were overwhelming for beachgoers, and many coastal restaurants and hotels struggled with lost sales.

DeSantis said this new website will allow the public to get recent information on water conditions to avoid being exposed to toxic waters.  

"We think this is the best way to go to get the public the information they need," he said. 

Noah Valenstein, secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said the website is part of a culture shift in the Sunshine State. 

"We've got a great environmental movement really starting here in Florida, and I think leading the nation, about the importance of water quality and making a difference for our environment," he said. 

Visitors to Lovers Key State Park watch a press conference by Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.

Valenstein said the site will help the public better navigate public information about blooms and other water quality issues. 

"I know we've heard from families before that 'Hey, I don't want to go to multiple agencies to find out what the quality of my water is or how I can be involved,'" he said. "'I shouldn't have to figure out which agency does what.'" 

Exclusive:Florida governor announces new water website, but data is old, misleading, expert says

But a first look at the website shows some of the science appears to be dated, incomplete and misleading. For instance, the website has an interactive feature letting you check sites in Lake O and the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers for levels of nutrients or algae.

First Lady Casey DeSantis talks about her inspiration for the state's new water quality website during a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, at Lovers Key State Park.

Click to get the levels of nutrients at Buckhead Ridge on the north side of Lake Okeechobee, for example, and the concentration of phosphorus is listed at 110 parts per billion. The problems: The website indicates the data is from April 2, although water conditions on Lake O are sampled at least once a month.

Also, an accompanying graphic that looks like a fuel gauge indicates the 110 parts per billion is low based on the annual average amount of phosphorus. In fact, the level is more than twice the goal of 40 parts per billion.

Florida surgeon general Scott Rivkees said the site should be helpful for people who are concerned about health issues related to poor water quality. 

"It's important that our water quality and recreational areas be safe and healthy," Rivkees said. "What we're talking about is agencies working together in a collaborative way to provide information to residents and visitors of our state." 

Connect with this reporter: @ChadGillisNP on Twitter.  TCPalm.com reporter Tyler Treadway contributed to this report.