'Hands Along The Water' event takes aim at toxic green slime killing our fish

By Susannah Bryan Contact ReporterSouth Florida Sun Sentinel

They stood hand in hand on beaches across the state, arms raised to the sky for 15 minutes, all in hopes of drawing attention to the deadly problem plaguing the state’s waterways.

“This is my home,” said Rebekka Mackey, who organized Sunday’s Hands Along the Water event on Fort Lauderdale beach. “I don’t want to see it die.”

Mackey, of Miami, was among dozens who gathered throughout Florida to spread the word that toxic green algae released from Lake Okeechobee is hurting marine life and people too.

Similar gatherings were held in 18 spots around the state, including Miami, Cocoa Beach, Naples, Fort Myers and Sanibel to “to show love for the wildlife, water, beaches, Mother Nature and one another,” according to Mackey’s Facebook post.

Lake Okeechobee, polluted from decades of agricultural fertilizers and manure, sends algae-laden water to coastal communities through the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers. The algae can cause fish kills and harm people too, generating toxins that can lead to nausea and cause liver and neurological problems.

“The environment needs saving,” said Carolyn Edelstein, a Fort Lauderdale resident who was among nearly 80 people who showed up for Fort Lauderdale’s Hands Along the Water event. “I don’t know why we don’t do more to protect our environment. We’re destroying it.”

Organizer Rebekka Lee made this poster for the Hands Along The Water event on Sunday. (Susannah Bryan/Sun Sentinel)

Sunday’s event focused on the damage done to wildlife, homes and beaches when algae-tainted water is released from Lake Okeechobee.

A different phenomenon has been fouling beaches in southwest Florida.

A naturally occurring toxic algae in the Gulf of Mexico known as red tide is killing fish, turtles and manatees from Naples to Tampa.

Dead fish — including grouper, trout, eel, snook and tarpon — have been found in Monroe, Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier and Manatee counties, officials say.

Susan Starkey, a longtime Daviecouncilwoman, said she came to Sunday’s event to help raise awareness about Florida’s waterway woes.

“Our beaches affect all of us, whether we live in Davie or elsewhere,” Starkey said. “So we have to protect them.”

Hollywood resident Joe Carazola spotted the event on Facebook and decided to come out too.

“We need to come together and fix this,” he said. “I’m here for the wildlife, who can’t speak for themselves. Businesses are being hurt too, because tourists don’t want to walk on beaches with dead wildlife.”

Three tourists from New Jersey lounged on beach towels nearby, watching with curiosity as dozens of people joined hands at the shoreline.

Matt Perlman said he and his friends had rented a condo in Siesta Key for a week, but ended up just staying a day — because of the red tide.

“The smell was so bad, we changed plans and now we’re here in Fort Lauderdale,” Perlman said. “We walked on the beach [in Siesta Key] and saw 75 dead fish. It’s sad. It’s one of those problems you hope gets fixed.”