ENVIRONMENT

Governor DeSantis will attend Rooney's roundtable on harmful algal blooms at FGCU

Amy Bennett Williams
The News-Press

— This story has been updated.

Governor Ron DeSantis will attend U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney's multi-agency roundtable on harmful algal blooms at FGCU this morning. DeSantis will then join Rooney and officials at a press conference following the meeting.

Rooney's decision to keep the gathering closed to citizens and the media has been controversial. Tuesday morning, he announced another meeting in Naples Friday that will be open to the press and broadcast on Facebook.

Confirmed participants include officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Florida departments of emergency management, environmental protection and economic opportunity as well as Lee and Collier counties, the cities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel and Bonita Springs, the village of Estero, Lee Health and FGCU.

When Rooney, R-Naples, announced last month he was pressing the CDC for answers about the region's disastrous dual harmful algal blooms, and inviting the agency to FGCU, his efforts were met with thanks and praise. 

Last year, the region faced two devastating algae emergencies: red tide along the coast and toxic cyanobacteria blooms in freshwater. Cyanobacteria is already starting to appear this year in the Caloosahatchee.

Congressman Francis Rooney addresses the audience Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 during the People of the Year event at The Westin in Cape Coral.

More:Public, media excluded from upcoming Rooney roundtable on toxic algae blooms at FGCU

Business owners, stakeholders and ordinary people concerned about the long-term effects of the outbreaks lauded him for sticking up for the region's interest. At the time, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani said his nonprofit was “happy to see any attention to public health risks from cyanotoxins."

Much of that goodwill soured, though, when Cassani and others learned they'd be shut out, nor would the meeting be broadcast. In a release, Rooney claimed some of the agencies would only agree to participate if the public was kept out, but declined to say which. He ignored a public records request The News-Press made last week asking for details.

"Historically in America, blocking access to information has only served to drive up fear and suspicion," said Sanibel environmental advocate Howard Simon, former executive director of the Florida ACLU. "It is always better to provide people with direct access to information, especially information about Florida’s public health crisis. People should have access to all the information available so they can make their own decisions about protecting their health."

Congressman Francis Rooney visited Southwest Florida to witness and talk about water quality issues. He visited Paradise Marina in North Fort Myers and then visited Fort Myers Beach. Southwest Florida is seeing a green-blue algae on the Caloosahatchee River and a red tide outbreak off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. He visited with representatives of officials from Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Interior, South Florida Water Management District along with officials from Lee County.

More:Editorial: Congressman Rooney should let public in on toxic algae discussion at FGCU

The News-Press has been contacting the agencies and municipalities to ask if they requested the secrecy. So far, FGCU, Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral said they didn't and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration wrote in an email, "NOAA has no comment on the format of the meeting.” 

Monday, Simon shared a draft document with The News-Press announcing a second Rooney-convened gathering Friday, to which he'd been invited. It is to “discuss the human and sea life affect from harmful algal blooms,” according to the document. 

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida will host the event, confirmed spokeswoman Catherine Bergerson. It will be live-streamed and available to watch on Rooney's Facebook page.

In the statement accompanying the announcement, Rooney said, "Friday’s event has been planned from the beginning to complement Tuesday’s event and to incorporate a more community-based group of leaders. Unlike Tuesday, it is amenable to media participation. Our algae issues will require much work and ongoing communication to resolve," it read. "We all have a shared interest in protecting our community from the damaging effects of HABs, and in working together to fix our water.”   

Other invited guests include the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Erin Brockovich Foundation, Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Captains for Clean Water, Audubon and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.