PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Around-the-clock cleanup efforts continue to fight a devastating resurgence of red tide in Tampa Bay.
“People are going to suffer, the businesses are going to suffer,” said Vince Stegura, owner of Skinny Water Culture, a Florida-based clothing store.
Stegura says ongoing fish kills are dealing a major blow to local businesses.
“If the bay is destroyed, they’re destroyed,” said Stegura. “Their livelihood is destroyed.”
Captains for Clean Water, a Florida-based nonprofit, hosted a listening tour across Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
More than 60 people showed up at a Tampa brewery to talk strategy and solutions to the continued threat of red tide.
“This problem has gotten significantly worse just in the last week,” said Daniel Andrews. “We’ve had so much outreach from folks out here asking for help.”
Andrews says they heard from about 200 people in Tampa Bay so far this week, many hoping state officials will step in and take immediate action to not only clear up the present threat, but also enact policies to prevent this from happening in the future.
“What I want to see is accountability,” said Stegura. “I want to see people held accountable for the pollution.”
