Here is the video of the Emergency Meeting for Red Tide conducted by Charlotte County, please be patient while the video loads, thank you!

By Lou Ellen Wilson
​​Recap of Red Tide Meeting – July 27th     Skip’s Marina, Englewood, Fl.
“People for a Solution to the Pollution”
Wild guestimate – approximately 250 people there.  Was very well organized and participants were knowledgeable and attendees were orderly – was NOT political
Education:  Problem was not made in a day, will not be solved in a day and has many facets:
a. Lake O pollution is caused by run-off of all the streams and rivers in the middle of the state from Ocala south thru Lake Kissimmee and into the Kissimmee River which was “ditched” in the 60’s into Lake O.  This reduced the amount of natural filtering of water and sheet flow.
b.Pollution caused by farming, large groves, phosphate mines, many, many new subdivisions, highways, etc.
c.Portions  of Lake O in the 30’s was diked to stop flooding in the northern portion of the Everglades which had been drained for commercial farming and sugar cane (this drainage reduced the area for natural filtering of water)
d.The Charlotte Harbor Watershed area has been polluted- causes:  Phosphate mines, at the headwaters, subdivisions building canals (over 153 miles) without thought of proper water flow, over fertilization of home lawns and the subsequent run off, state agriculture laws that maybe mean well but may not prove out scientifically, failing septic systems, and cut off of proper (natural) water flowstarting at the Gulf backing up all the rivers, streams, etc.
e.Fact:  Red tide has been here for a long time, first recorded back in the 1500s; however it has gotten worse because it is an algae that grows faster from “fertilizer” and polluted waters that are full of nitrogen, etc.
 
Proposed Solutions: - not easy but have to START sometime, somewhere!!
a. Reservoir south of Lake O – land has been purchased for the 1st phase and Fl. Legislature has allocated 50% of the cost, waiting on Congress to approve their 50% - take approximately 5 years to build
b.In 2008 Governor Charlie Crist signed an option to purchase more acreage for additional reservoirs, but only a small portion has been acted upon.  Many of the options run out in 2020.

1. Convince politicians that long term effects on Florida’s number one income source, tourism, needs to take precedence over big money political contributions from sugar cane, fertilizer companies, and developers. 
2. Explore filtering plants at the release points from Lake O., and explore pumping/ routing more water south to the Everglades that need the water and create a natural filter before the water gets to the Atlantic and Gulf.
3. Educate homeowners on proper ways use fertilizers – encourage owners to not use it.

What Can We do to Help:
a.Write a personal impact statement describing what you see/happenings (Pictures help) and send it to our local, state and federal officials.  Postage stamped letters receive the most attention – also e-mail and/or call 1-888-343-0515, then push *.  Will connect to your representative – leave a message which are recorded and monitored.
b.Stay Informed:  Subscribe to Calusa Waterkeeper facebook page/South Florida Clean Water Movement facebook page/Captains for Clean Water facebook page./Suncoast Water keepers facebook page.
c.Suggested reading:  The Swamp: The Everglades, Fl. and Politics of Paradise by Michael Grunwald.
d.Contact all friend and relatives in other states, etc. and ask them to contact their congress representatives and request support of the Everglades projects.
e.Participate in rallies, sign petitions – but always in a polite, orderly manner.
f.Mosaic request for mines at the headwaters of the Peace river were denied by the
County BCC, which was the first time they had ever received a denial.  This is the last large deposit of phosphate in Florida.  They are a billion $ company, so this was only the first round of a long fight, they need our support when Mosaic changes their request and applies again.
 
Letters Get More Attention than phone calls or e-mails
 
US Congress Representatives:
                Tom Rooney – House of Representatives (202) 225-5792 – 2160 Rayburn House Office Bldg,
                                                                                                Washington, DC 20510
                Marco Rubio – Senate  (202) 224-3041 -  284 Russell St Office Bldg, Washington, DC 20510
                Bill Nelson – Senate (202) 224-5274                                          “
 
State of Florida:
  House :  Michael Grant  (850) 717-5075 – 1401 The Capitol, 402 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee 32399
                  Julio Gonzalez (850) 717-5074                                 “
  Senate:  Greg Steube (941) 342-9162                                    “             
 
Southwest Florida Water Management District, Randall S. Maggard, Chief – 2370 Broad St.,
                                                                                                                Brooksville, Fl. 34604

Hello fellow island residents,
Please find attached a DRAFT copy of the Agenda for the upcoming Don Pedro & Knight Islands Street & Drainage Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) meeting.  The meeting will be held on Monday, April 30, 2018 @ 9:30am at the San Casa Conference Room, 6874 San Casa Drive, Englewood.  The FINAL copy of the Agenda will be released 7 days prior to the meeting.  The Advisory Board stated that the period for comments on the draft agenda has been extended to April 18.  You can locate more information on the Charlotte County website here.  https://www.charlottecountyfl.gov/msbu-mstu/don-pedro-knight-islands/Pages/default.aspx

You can email any questions regarding the DRAFT Agenda directly to Gina Gilbreath  Gina.Gilbreath@CharlotteCountyFL.gov

​

The upcoming Info-Central meeting  at the Resort Clubhouse will be with Dee Hawkins, Ellen Pinder and Patrick Mahoney.  Thank you to Sally Johnson for organizing this event for all island residents.

Dee Hawkins is the Charlotte County EMS/ Fire Public Safety Information Officer.
Ellen Pinder is a CERT representative( Community Emergency Response Team).
Patrick Mahoney works with FL Forest Service. He will speak on how we can protect our homes from wildfires. 
The  speakers will address how we can prevent, protect and handle emergency situations.
They will address concerns regarding our 911 calls as well.
 
Resort ClubHouse
Wednesday April 25th
1:00 PM

Charlotte County Passes Burn Ban
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (March 27, 2018) — Charlotte County commissioners passed an emergency ordinance on Tuesday banning outdoor burning (including yard waste and recreational fires) and the private use and discharge of fireworks and sparklers. This prohibition does not affect attended barbecue/cooking equipment or burn permits issued by the Florida Forest Service.

Charlotte County is experiencing a severe drought and the county’s Fire Danger Index rating has reached four out of five on multiple days in recent weeks. The ban will remain in effect until the threat of wildfires no longer exists and the board terminates the state of local emergency.

Now through April 15
Please leave non-perishable, unexpired, unopened food items and personal hygiene items in food drive drop-off boxes that are located in the Islander office, in the Resort office and at the gazebo at the ferry landing now through April 15. Donations will be distributed to Englewood Helping Hands and the food pantry at St. Francis of Assisi.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Questions or comments: call or text Jayne at 630-414-6636

​Suggested Food Items:
Tuna/Canned meat                 Canned vegetables/canned fruit           Applesauce
Peanut butter and jelly           Dry milk                                                    Soups
Spaghetti sauce and pastas   Ramen noodles                                        Dried beans
Crackers                                   Condiments                                              Cereal
Suggested Personal hygiene items:
Toothbrushes/toothpaste      Shampoo/conditioner                             Toilet paper
Bars of soap                             Razors/shaving cream                             Deodorant

Everyone is invited to attend the Easter Sunday Beach Service which will be held at 8:00am at the North end of Gulf Blvd beach access.  The Island Fellowship Church will once again be hosting the service, please bring beach chairs and/or beach blankets.

Beach Party on Friday, March 30, 2018 6:00pm until 10:00pm on North Gulf Blvd.  We will be featuring a "Band in the Sand" party that everyone is welcome to attend.  Please bring your own chairs, this is a BYOB event.  A $5 DONATION "At the Door" with a 50/50 raffle.  This event is sponsored by Palm Island Estates.  We are looking forward to seeing you there!

​Researchers are monitoring elevated levels of the naturally occurring Florida red tide algae, Karenia brevis, along southwest Florida. The public can follow online updates from multiple monitoring partners and even report coastal conditions using Mote Marine Laboratory’s smartphone app.
Check out more information here under News. Red Tide Updates
Read the full article here. Mote News Elevated Counts Red Tide