Key West is one of many Florida cities wondering how to effectively remove the smelly, rotting sargassum seaweed blanketing their shorelines.
For starters, Key West is looking into a pilot program to remove sargassum from a half-mile long stretch of beach along the city's southern Atlantic coast.
City commissioners recently voted on plans to hire scientific and environmental consultants to determine the feasibility of a removal project. The resolution does not approve construction or a removal system. Any future project would require another commission vote.
Key West mayor Sam Kaufman sponsored the measure.
“ We've heard that this is an emergency health problem for our residents," said Key West Mayor Sam Kaufman who sponsored the measure.
"We've heard that this is an emergency economic potential problem for our tourist industry. If we don't start now, we're not gonna be in place to do something by next spring, so the whole intent of this is just to get us as a commission united behind moving in this direction.”
The measure also directs the Key West city manager to apply for grants and identify possible funding partners.
READ MORE: Could a fly help solve Florida's sargassum problem?
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