The ACLU of Florida has wrapped up a months-long investigation into how the state handled last year’s toxic algal blooms; the result of discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. The nonprofit civil liberties organization alleges the state failed its residents in how it responded to those discharges.
The results of that investigation were released in a report entitled “Tainted Waters: Threats to Public Health and the People’s Right to Know,” written by investigative journalist John Lantigua. He joins the program to talk about the numerous aspects of the study, including allegations that the state did not give adequate warning to residents, questions about the toxicity measures, concerns about what was reported to the public, and how a task force that was supposed to monitor water toxicity went unfunded for more than a decade.
Mr. Lantigua will also discuss a study out of Ohio State linking toxic algae blooms to serious health concerns.
