A newly developed method for mitigating Florida red tide — elevated concentrations of toxic Karenia brevis algae developed by scientists at Mote Marine will be tested this week in a Boca Grande canal.

It may be only useful in certain situations like the dead-end canals and small bodies of water where problems increase due to the trapped algae and dead fish.

“The method uses ozone to destroy the algae and its toxins inside a special system that releases no ozone into the environment and restores oxygen that is often deficient in Florida red tide areas, Mote said Thursday.’’

The technology is currently being used to filter the water that comes in to the Mote Aquarium and Mote’s animal hospitals on City Island in Sarasota. The method has successfully cleared 25,000 gallons of red tide and toxins in a day.

The catastrophic situation on the west coast of Florida has everyone concerned and busy trying to determine why this current bout of red tide is seemingly worse than ever. Businesses have lost income, vacations have been cancelled, and some are saying that it could become another BP Oil fiasco. As a Sarasota Realtor, I have encouraged customers to ask questions and stay tuned to the Mote Marine red tide advisory here.

Time will tell and meanwhile, local residents along the coast gathered on the shorelines, some with masks, to demonstrate the and make a strong statement to the politicians of our state that this clean up and prevention of another coastal calamity has to be a priority.  Here is a list of state politicians who need to hear from each of us on both coasts:

Sen. Marco Rubio
(407) 254-2573

Rep. Francis Rooney
(202) 225-2536

Sen. Clarence William Nelson
(202) 224-5274

Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto
(850) 487-5027

Governor Rick Scott
(850) 488-7146

Lt. Gov. Carlos C. Lopez-Cantera
(850) 717-9331

Rep. Raymond Wesley Rodrigues
(850) 717-5076

Vice President Michael R. Pence
202-456-1111

It only takes 15 minutes of your time.