ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Brevard County commissioners failed to pass a resolution requesting Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency for the Indian River Lagoon, which has suffered a massive fish kill.
Commissioners instead passed a resolution Tuesday that asks the governor and lawmakers to take other steps that they say will help address the problem.
Those measures include requiring septic tanks to be inspected when a house is sold, increasing funding for dredging and expediting permitting for dredging muck in the lagoon.
The muck comes from a brown algae bloom that is being blamed for the fish kill.
The algae leave behind clumps of rotted vegetation and depleted oxygen levels.
County officials told commissioners that 65,000 pounds of fish had been cleaned up in the past two weeks.
