SARASOTA, Fla. — On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott announced the state would be providing $2.2 million towards testing technology that could be used to combat the effects of red tide.
- Mote Marine Laboratory developing, field testing technology
- Specialized clay could mitigate red tide effects
- Testing will proceed over next few months
Scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota are moving forward with developing and field testing the new tech. Specifically, it's a specialized clay they say could mitigate the impacts of red tide on local beaches.
They are also planning an expansion of the Mote Marine Ozone Treatment system, which takes in water containing the harmful algae and filters it before sending back out clean water.
"That is going to help us, in fact, attack red tide," said Dr. Michael Crosby, President of Mote Marine Laboratory.
Crosby spoke to a crowded room Monday, explaining that this is the first time the state has put money into not just research, but a possible solution to mitigate the bloom's ugly effects.
"One of the things we have to be very, very careful about is that we do no harm with the mitigation strategies," he added. "You don't want to make matters worse."
Scientists will begin testing over the next couple of months. From there, they will assess how the new technologies worked before moving forward.