Mary Radabaugh is the manager of Central Marine in Stuart. She was one of dozens of people who spoke before the Martin County Commission Tuesday concerned about the spread of blue-green algae in the St. Lucie River.
“You can see my eyes. They are red from the effects of it being there for a week.”
Radabaugh says she hasn’t seen the algae this bad since 2005. Then there’s the horrible stench, so bad it burns.
“Burns your eyes, your throat, your nose. It’s just gross. The smell is as gross as it looks,"
Radabaugh says the health concerns are real, especially as her employees come into contact with the water.
"They are washing with antibacterial soap after we haul boats to prevent anything of that nature. But our bigger concern is what’s in the air, what we’re breathing.”
As part of Tuesday’s disaster declaration, Martin County Commissioners are asking not just that the St. Lucie Lock and Dam be closed immediately, but also that experts look at air and water quality standards.
“I hope that we do something. We’ve been hearing the same thing over and over for many years now. Hopefully we will move forward and somebody will notice this," said Radabaugh.
St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said Tuesday he intends to rally his board to consider a similar resolution. In addition, he has asked his staff to look at a possible lawsuit against the state and federal governments for what he called "environmental terrorism".