Can The Fury Over Discharges Make A Difference?

When I interviewed for this job, my now-boss took me to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the St. Lucie River in Stuart. What a great place! What a great view! What … uh …

What’s with the water the color of Coca-Cola?

She gave me the quick version of the problems plaguing the lagoon. I’d read a little about it beforehand. But I didn’t expect it to look as bad as it did.

And to paraphrase those noted political philosophers, Bachman-Turner Overdrive: I hadn’t seen nothing yet.

You, of course, are aware of the massive discharges from Lake Okeechobee that have fouled the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon. If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know what that means. For newbies like myself — and, I’d bet, snowbirds — it can be tough to wrap your head around all the details.

When I interviewed for this job, my now-boss took me to lunch at a restaurant overlooking the St. Lucie River in Stuart. What a great place! What a great view! What … uh …

What’s with the water the color of Coca-Cola?

She gave me the quick version of the problems plaguing the lagoon. I’d read a little about it beforehand. But I didn’t expect it to look as bad as it did.

And to paraphrase those noted political philosophers, Bachman-Turner Overdrive: I hadn’t seen nothing yet.

You, of course, are aware of the massive discharges from Lake Okeechobee that have fouled the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon. If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know what that means. For newbies like myself — and, I’d bet, snowbirds — it can be tough to wrap your head around all the details.

But one thing really strikes me: I’ve been in this business since 1989, and I’ve seen lots of local controversies. I’ve seen politicians hounded from office, impassioned protests against sprawl and gang violence and poverty and racism. I’ve seen high-ranking officials sent to prison for stealing.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen the fury — and that’s the right word — unleashed by this tidal wave of filthy water.

Earlier this month, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam came to Stuart’s Elliot Museum to speak to the Economic Council of Martin County. Activists got wind of the event and spread the word via social media. When he arrived, Putnam had a hostile crowd waiting to ambush him.

Several videos posted online document the encounter, and to his credit, Putnam attempted to engage the protesters. But when he blamed heavy rains for the discharges, the crowd pounced, shouting and using bullhorns, angrily shaking placards.

Capt. Mike Conner, a fishing guide, and longtime lagoon activist said law enforcement actually contacted him before the protest, looking to ensure that it would be peaceful. The videos show Martin County Sheriff William Snyder standing next to Putnam — a police escort, as it were.

“It got angry,” Conner acknowledged. But with good reason: “He’s coming here during the discharges and his message was the typical talking points,” Conner said.

Putnam is widely regarded as the GOP heir apparent to the gubernatorial throne. But at one point during the protest, someone in the crowd yelled out, “You won’t be governor!”

“He thinks Republicans from here are going to vote for him,” said Conner, almost incredulously. “I had a friend say, ‘I don’t ever recall a politician getting that kind of heat over water.”

And as with the discharges themselves, Conner promises there’s more where that came from.

In one respect, this is all run-of-the-mill angry citizen stuff. This isn’t the first time people have gotten bent out of shape about the degradation of the estuary because unfortunately, that degradation is a recurring theme.

But if numbers are any indication, maybe this time will be different.

Numbers, as in the 370,000 views for a video Michelle Jones posted on Facebook of Conner perched near the Lake Okeechobee locks as billions of gallons of bad water surges through.

Numbers, as in the 42,501 people who as of this writing “like” Bullsugar.org on Facebook, a site which is turning into the online hub for those who want the discharges stopped. It’s connecting people on Florida’s east and west coasts, and it’s not just about venting — it’s about organizing.

Social media is both magnifying and intensifying the anger. And that’s playing out not just online, but on the street as well.

Add to this the fact the discharges are happening while the snowbirds, the seasonal residents, are still here.

“They don’t normally get to see this stuff,” said Buddy Kirkhart, an angler, and taxidermist with New Wave Taxidermy and Fish Artistry. “They might be sitting on the water with their friends in downtown Stuart and smell the fertilizer going by.”

That could make for some angry birds. And, perhaps, a tipping point.

Yet it’s a complex problem. And lip service aside, there doesn’t seem to be enough political will to effect real change. Buy the land and send the water south of Lake Okeechobee? Everyone knows it’s the best solution, but it hasn’t happened.

And isn’t that what government, a Legislature is for — to get it done?

This environmental catastrophe, then, is a testament to the manifest failure of government. Activists know it and aren’t about to let their elected officials forget it.

Will it be enough? Who knows. But if the discharges continue, the environmental situation gets worse and the Legislature continues to say, “Well, you know, the rain … ,” the sense of impotent fury can only grow.

It could become a real political hand grenade. And it won’t be just Putnam who gets fragged.