First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to every city worker and volunteer who has helped clean up the “debris” left by red tide. For those of you who are new to Florida, yes, red tide is naturally occurring. The first scientifically documented red-tide episode happened in the late 1800s. However, we humans do a lot to exacerbate it. The city says our current wave of red tide can’t be directly sourced to the Piney Point discharge, but it seems absurd to say it didn’t play a huge part in this early bloom (typically, we expect to see blooms starting in August). While we can all rage about the lack of accountability, we should also look in the mirror. Runoff from your everyday fertilizer is a massive contributor to red tide. We need to normalize crunchy, dry brown grass. I can tell you from firsthand experience that it doesn’t look great. Our lawn is part weeds, part grass — in the winter, it’s naturally green. In the summer, like right now, it’s not. Maybe one day, if we get sick of it, we’ll convert to xeriscape. Recently I heard someone older than myself mention that back in the ‘50s and ‘60s — pre-fertilization — lawns were not always green. We need to get back to that. If you’d like to learn more about Florida-friendly landscaping, visit the UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County website at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellas.
If you do one thing this month, VOTE. The St. Pete Primary elections will be held on August 24th. Visit votepinellas.com to find your local precinct.
Till next time,
