Hours after he was hired to the interim position on April Fools Day, Hopes helped the county declare a local state of emergency in response to the breach at the former Piney Point fertilizer processing facility and spent his first few weeks on the job at the helm of the county s response.
Every commissioner has spoken favorably of Hope s performance during that incident, a sentiment echoed by community members during public comment at recent meetings.
However, some local residents have raised concern over their distrust toward Hopes due to his involvement with controversial decisions at the Manatee County School Board, such as the move to revoke the Lincoln Memorial Academy s charter, and more recent decisions related to the board s COVID-19 mask-related policies.
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Local officials made the decision to pump 173 million gallons of polluted water a mix of rain, saltwater, and water that’s a byproduct of fertilizer production into Tampa Bay, reported Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay. Advertisement Hide
A state of emergency was declared in Florida Saturday after a leak at a large pond of wastewater threatened to flood roads and burst a system that stores polluted waters, reported ABC7. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said the pond holds millions of gallons of water containing phosphorus and nitrogen from an old phosphate plant.
Locals and online activists are reacting strongly against the decisions of local officials, sparking protests in the area.
PINEY POINT, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) – Tuesday morning Dr. Scott Hopes, Manatee County Administrator, announced engineers have confirmed there is not a second breach in the reservoir. He says the infrared drone detected temperature coming from a plant that was growing inside of the pond over the weekend.
Manatee County leaders say the 20 new water pumps being installed will increase the removal of water from 35 million gallons to almost 100 million per day.
U.S. Representative from Florida, Vern Buchanan said regarding the drastic measures, “Enough is enough. I’m angry about it, frankly. I’m going to bring that intensity to ensure that we are doing what we need to do to get this fixed.” The United States Army Corps of Engineers, The Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Environmental Protection and congressional leaders are coming together to find a solution. “I am concerned about the threats to public safety, homes, as well as businesses, and then of course
County officials say threat of catastrophic flooding diminishes, but plenty of work still to be done snntv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from snntv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As contaminated water is slowly pumped out of the leaking Piney Point wastewater pond, the risk of a full breach and flooding decreases. But the threat to the environment is growing with every gallon that's piped into Tampa Bay.