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Water Quality Panel Engages Local Business Community
From left: Matt DePaolis, Bill Waichulis, James Evans, Daniel Andrews, Michele Arquette-Palermo, Bill Robinson.
It’s no secret that water quality impacts our economies in Florida, especially now that SCCF, Captains for Clean Water, and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida have released the numbers to prove it.
This topic was the center of the SanCap Chamber‘s luncheon “Economics of our Ecology: How Blue = Green,” held July 10 in partnership with the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce.
SCCF sponsored the event, and Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis moderated a five-person panel that included:
- Daniel Andrews, co-founder & executive director of Captains for Clean Water
- Michele Arquette-Palermo, chief programs officer at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida
- James Evans, CEO of SCCF
- Bill Robinson, executive director for the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors
- Bill Waichulis, general manager at Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina and president of Boykin Management Company
Around 80 people attended the luncheon, which kicked off with a summary of the findings from our water quality economic study released in January. This report showed that another significant harmful algal bloom in Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties similar to the red tide events in 2005-06 and 2017-18 could cause economic losses including:
- Over $460 million in commercial and recreational fishing
- Over 43,000 jobs
- $5.2 billion in local economic output
- $17.8 billion in property values with an associated $60 million in property tax revenue
- $8.1 billion in the value of outdoor recreation (or, quality of life)
The panel explored how the health of our water quality is tied to the health of our businesses, with Robinson and Waichulis emphasizing the importance of internal education about water science and policy so that staff at all levels can be informed advocates.
Arquette-Palermo, Evans, and Daniels discussed the nuances of different nutrient pollution sources, the challenges of fixing water quality in our region, and the need for Everglades restoration projects to be completed to alleviate harmful discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
Lastly, the panel urged attendees to stay engaged and continue showing up to opportunities to interact with water managers and decision makers.
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