The Red Tide bill that was originally co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor to protect Florida’s tourism industry and jobs through healthy coastal beaches was debated in the House of Representatives today. The legislation authorizes funding for algal bloom and hypoxia research, a move that is critical to maintaining the health of Florida’s beaches and retaining jobs in the state’s tourist industry. Castor has been working on this issue since 2007, when she introduced the Save our Shores Act to bring more attention and research to red tide.

“Like the tourism bill I co-sponsored and President Obama signed into law last week, the Red Tide bill also safeguards Florida’s vital tourism sector and the jobs associated with it. Red Tide is a significant threat to our tourism economy, our health and our environment. This legislation will ensure that we learn more about harmful algal blooms so we can protect our precious coastlines and the tourism-related jobs that come with having healthy beaches.”

The negative impacts of harmful algal blooms on tourism are tremendous, as Floridians and tourists alike stay away from the beaches when red tide develops. According to the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, the national economic impact of harmful algal blooms is at least $82 million annually. That includes economic loss for recreation, tourism and commercial fisheries.

Several years ago, the Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota county tourism industries were hard hit after red tide outbreaks, with tourists packing up and leaving town early, and business owners worried about the effects on their hotels and restaurants.

“The level of concern about the impact on tourism, business and jobs was high back then, when the overall economy was stronger than it was today,” Castor said. “A red tide outbreak in Florida today could severely hurt business and result in more job loss in our region. That’s why we need this critical legislation.”

According to Visit Florida, Florida’s tourism industry employs more than 1 million Floridians and has a roughly $65 billion impact on the state’s economy.

In addition to the detrimental affects red tide has on tourism, red tide also brings fish-killing toxins to our waters and causes respiratory ailments, including coughing, sneezing and tearing.

The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act sets aside $34 million a year for the next five years to find a solution to harmful algal blooms, such as Red Tide. The goal is for scientists to understand what causes harmful algal blooms and to develop ways to better respond to outbreaks.