Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr expressed concern about the rapidly dying coral reefs off the coast of South Florida spoke at a recent North Central Civic Association meeting. About 21 of the 35 coral reefs have died and scientists are not sure why. They are in the process of looking for solutions to this major environmental problem.
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protections, coral reefs protect our coasts by reducing wave energy from storms and hurricanes. “They serve as a source of food and shelter and provide critical habitat for numerous species, including commercially important fisheries. Many medicines as well as other health and beauty products are derived from marine plants, algae and animals found on coral reefs.”
Also, Furr is working to ensure that people who are providing day care to young children are certified so they can provide education to the children. He believes it is very important that young children receive basic academic instruction, so they can be successful throughout their school years.
He said that efforts are being made to consolidate trash and waste collection and to recycle as much as 75 percent of the waste collected.
Also, staff members from the City of Hollywood make a presentation on clean-up efforts from Hurricane Irma. While there are still debris around from the storm many people are working seven days a week, 12 hours a day to address all the debris that must be cleaned up. There have been challenges associated with working with contractors who are managing the clean-up. More than 209,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed but there is still much work to do.