County Expands Red Tide Cleanup to Inland Waterways

BRADENTON – On Tuesday, Manatee County Commissioners discussed how to assist homeowners in clearing badly clogged waterways, inlets and canals fouled by fish that were killed in the red tide outbreak, but staff struggled to find potential solutions. By Friday, county officials announced that they would contract with a vendor to extend efforts to inland waterways this week.

On Tuesday, county officials explained to commissioners that the county does not have a marine fleet to remove fish in smaller canals and waterways and that county crews cannot go onto private property to haul dead sea life to the landfill.

By Wednesday the county had made roll-off dumpsters available at Bayfront Park on Anna Maria Island and at three county-owned boat ramps: Coquina North, Coquina South and Kingfish boat ramps. County officials said that homeowners were able to either haul dead fish and debris from red tide without having to pay county landfill tipping fees, or they may contract with local fishermen willing to do the work.

At a press conference Friday, however, County Administrator Ed Hunzeker announced that the county would now extend their efforts from the beaches to inland waters. Hunzeker said that over the weekend, the county and its contractor would survey local waterways to evaluate the areas needing cleanup and to form an action plan.

The vendor will begin cleaning the most affected areas on Monday, said Hunzeker. Due to the small maneuvering space in the canals, he explained that the cleaning must be done by hand with nets and boats

Department directors from the county's Property Management, Parks and Natural Resources and Public Safety departments all gave updates to the board on the coordinated effort to keep public beaches and boat ramps clear of marine animals killed by red tide. Those efforts include constant beach cleaning during daylight hours, relying on inmate labor from the Manatee and DeSoto sheriffs' offices, and hiring temporary workers to help the cleanup effort, said Charlie Bishop, Property Management Director.

Commissioner Steve Jonsson noted that "economic distress is severe" for some marine businesses, and they should keep detailed records on any economic losses from the outbreak in case financial relief is available in the future. Commissioners said that local resources are stretched thin, but that they will look to state and federal leaders for ways to assist with cleaning local waterways and canals.

Also this week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared Manatee County to be part of a group of seven Gulf Coast counties impacted by a state of emergency from red tide. Commissioners said they will work with Manatee County delegation members to ensure our community receives any eligible funding.

Emergency Management officials continue to monitor local conditions and to relay updates of the situation to municipal leaders on Anna Maria Island.