RESIDENTS FUME DURING ‘FLOATFEST’
‘Floating protest,’ land gathering seek sewage-free waters
Boaters demonstrate during a floating protest in Fort Lauderdale’s New River on Sunday in order to pressure city officials to repair sewer pipes that recently spewed thousands of gallons of waste into surrounding waterways. Among the protesters were elected officials, first responders and members of the Broward County Coast Conservation Association. Turn to Local for full coverage of the day’s demonstrations.
FORT LAUDERDALE — They came by land and sea, demanding clean waterways free of fishkilling sludge.
“New River not Pooh River!” one man yelled during a Sunday afternoon protest that drew a crowd on both land and water.
Jeff Maggio, a Fort Lauderdale fisherman worried about the mass amount of sewage recently pumped into local waterways, helped organize a “floating protest” on the New River that drew more than 50 boaters.
“No poop in our river!” one woman yelled as her boat passed by Colee Hammock Park, where about 200 more protesters did their thing on land.
Dozens of protesters held handmade posters with messages designed to strike a nerve: “From Your Bowels to Our Canals.” “Snook Lives Matter.” “Poop There It Is.”
Maggio, the owner of Lunkerdog Fishing Charters, says he has steered clear of local waterways after the series of sewage spills that began on Dec. 10.
“Everyone says they want clean water,” he said. “Let’s do it. We got millions of dead fish. I didn’t do any fishing trips here in Fort Lauderdale after the spill. I was nervous about letting people fish in the river.”
In the span of three weeks, Fort Lauderdale was hit with six sewer main breaks. The aging pipes spewed 126.9 million gallons of sewage into streets and waterways.
For nearly a decade, Fort Lauderdale officials have been raiding the city’s water and sewer funds — more than $120 million that could have gone toward replacing crumbling pipes — and instead used it for salaries, pensions and parks.
Mayor Dean Trantalis hosted a Town Hall meeting last week to
reassure residents that city officials are quickly moving forward with a plan to stop future sewage spills and put an end to the raiding of utility funds.
“The city is very much aware of the need to move aggressively,” he said Sunday. “And we are prepared to accomplish what needs to be done.”
But for now, not everyone is ready and willing to jump in the water.
That includes 15-year-old Reese Dzicek, who used to love going kayaking in the Tarpon River with neighbors.
Now she’s afraid to go anywhere near the water.
“It’s going to take a long time [before I feel safe],” she said. “Maybe a few months.”
Raw sewage is a toxic stew that can infect and sicken people and pets. Here’s just some of the things you can catch: rotavirus and norovirus, Hepatitis A, E. coli and salmonella.
Bobbi Ocean, a real estate agent whose downtown condo overlooks the New River, joined in the floating protest with her daughter, son and grandchildren.
“The waterway is such a vital part of the culture,” she said. “The Fort Lauderdale we know could cease to exist. It’s sad. People bought homes on the waterway there, and they don’t even let their kids in the water because they’re afraid of infectious diseases.”
Recreational fisherman Steve Ernstes says he drove 300 miles with his chocolate lab Cletus just to attend the protest.
“It made me sick, the amount of fish being killed,” said Ernstes, who lives in Crystal River on the state’s west coast, more than an hour’s drive north of Tampa.
Maggio says he wants city officials to make water quality a priority. And he’s already planning his next protest.