TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he'll push state legislators to spend millions to battle the massive algae bloom fouling some of the state's southern rivers and beaches.
Scott announced Wednesday that he'll ask the Legislature to create a local/state grant program to aid homeowners who want to switch from septic tanks to central sewer systems. He's also proposing setting aside money in 2017 to help communities around the Indian River Lagoon and Caloosahatchee River build new wastewater systems.
Part of the blame for the bloom has been placed on discharges from Lake Okeechobee, but Scott says septic tank runoff also contributes to the problem.
Among the algae blooms some cities and counties have dealt with is one that put a smelly "guacamole-thick" muck on a stretch of beaches promoted as Florida's "Treasure Coast."
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