Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee

1 MINUTES City of Holmes Beach Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee May 14, 2025, 9:00 a.m. Patricia A. Geyer Commission Chambers 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach FL 34217 Present: Jeff Drinkard, Marty Hicks, John Kolojeski, Jennifer Miller, Mike Pritchett, Ron Huibers Absent: William Romberger Also Present: Commissioner Schaefer, SBEP Executive Director Dave Tomasko, AMI Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella, Manatee County Natural Resources Director Hunsicker _____________________________________________________________________ 1. Call to Order Chair Miller called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. 2. Roll Call 3. Review and Approval of Minutes 3.a March 12, 2025 Approved as written. 3.b April 9, 2025 Approved as written. 4. Review May Calendar 4.a Theme of the Month “Be a good human, Let Nature do the Work” 4.b Local Community/Partner Organization Upcoming Events Mike brought the Committees attention to the Captains for Clean Water request for all interested parties to join their petition (accessed through their website https://captainsforcleanwater.org/no-rock-mine,) against the proposed Rock Mine in Florida. 5. Presentation Dr. Tomasko - SBEP Ron introduced Dr. David Tomasko, Executive Director of Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, to the committee. Dr. Tomasko presented an update to the committee on work completed by the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) in conjunction with local and State authorities to improve water quality in the bay (SBEP includes Palma Sola Bay, Upper/ Lower Sarasota Bay, Roberts Bay, Little Sarasota Bay and Blackburn Bay). Key takeaways from the presentation and discussion:

2  SBEP achieved improved water quality by “reducing nitrogen nutrient loadings in the hydrosphere”.  Seagrass coverage is an indication of bay health. “An increase in seagrass levels year over year indicates a healthier bay; conversely a decrease in seagrass levels year over year indicates a less healthy bay”  Focus on the next 30 years. Changing climate will impact the frequency and duration of events that impact water quality. E.g. Algal growth and spread increases with warmer temperatures  The Caloosahatchee River flow affects bay health on both coasts. Until flows are under control nutrient loading from this watershed will continue to negatively impact both coasts.  Greater visibility through education to State officials and citizens on the impact of water quality to local economies could drive a higher priority for project funding. “Budgets reflect priorities." SBEP Report Card:  The report card is published annually and can be found at https://sarasotabay.org/our- estuaries/report-card/. The Report card compares four measurements of ecosystem (total nitrogen, chlorophyl a, seagrass meadows and macro algae), health to the same data from previous years. o Overall water quality has improved as Total Nitrogen has been reduced from 2018 (worst year) o Seagrass meadows are recovering because of better water quality.  David reported that a healthy bay is important to the local economy (examples include – the commercial fishing industry, real estate generated tax revenue and tourism). He gave an example of how a red tide event reduced real estate prices by 20-30% during the event.  Improvements have been made in bay health because of the reduction in total inorganic nitrogen loadings. Major improvements by Sarasota County to upgrade its wastewater plants (utilizing AWT) and stormwater systems to reduce/ prevent spills and overflows are paying dividends. David noted that the next step is to work with the City of Sarasota to go to zero discharge to the bay of reclaimed water. Anna Maria Sound and the Manatee River watershed (MRWS) Ron stated that Anna Maria Sound, which is considered impaired for chlorophyll a, although part of the TBEP is often overlooked due to other priorities. A discussion followed regarding the MRWS. It was noted by our guest speakers that nitrogen levels in the Manatee River watershed (MRWS) are rising due to several factors including rapid development along the north shore of the river. As 60% of the water from the MRWS moves south into Anna Maria Sound what happens in the MRWS will impact the waters around Anna Maria Island. Chair Miller asked about the cost of upgrading the City of Bradenton’s wastewater collection system infrastructure to reduce I&I that can cause operation problems at the WWTP and discharge of untreated or partially treated wastewater into the Manatee River which ultimately ends up in the bay. Dr. Tomasko stated that it would be possible to line the City’s 70 miles of very old clay sewer pipes for about $22M and this in addition to the money being spent on improving the City of Bradenton’s WWTP would be an important step in reducing nutrient loads in the bay. Charlie Hunsicker noted that additional sampling is required in the watershed to ensure that a complete data set is available for state and local authorities to make informed decisions on water

3 quality. The MRWS covers 500 miles2. Identifying which part of the system is the issue would help define future investment plans. $4M will be invested in oyster restocking of the MRWS over the next few years to improve water quality in the river. Ron asked Dr. Tomasko to comment on the value of harvesting algae when we experience a large bloom. Dr. Tomasko stated that removing the harmful algae blooms is important where possible so that it does not contribute additional nitrogen to the ecosystem as it breaks down. Fun fact (007 effect): The Wet Weight of dead fish x 0.007 = lbs. of Nitrogen 6. Presentation Charlie Hunsicker – Director Natural Resource Dept, Manatee County Charlie Hunsicker, Manatee County Director of Natural Resources, provided an update on the Manatee County Ordinance (Sec. 2-24-3. – Park Property) “No holes on beach” to ban the use of large metal garden tools on our beaches. Information on the damage caused by large holes to human and wildlife safety was presented by Mark who is responsible for keeping the beaches clear of debris. Charlie made a presentation to the City of Holmes Beach on Tuesday May 13th requesting that the city adopt the County ordinance or a similarly worded ordinance. Commissioner Schaefer stated that the city is on board with this initiative and also agreed to work with the other local Cities (Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria) on a coordinated approach. 7. Legislative Update – House/ Senate Bills to Watch Chair Miller noted that the legislative session will end in early June. Many of the bills on the watch list were suspended due to time constraints. 8. Additional Business None. 9. Questions and Comments 9.a Questions and Comments from Clean Water Committee Members Mike spoke to reusable bags at local stores after being given one during a recent trip. All agreed that it’s a good idea. Action: Mike volunteered to reach out to some local shops to see their interest. Marty showed the committee a responsible boater flyer and posed the question of how to get this out to the community. Action: Marty will follow up with one of the boat rental companies to see if they would be open to sharing these flyers with boat renters. The committee thanked Ron for his service to the committee. Commissioner Schaefer noted that there was an application from Longboat Key Public Works Director Mopps and Ron noted there was one possible candidate from Holmes Beach to fill the open slot. 9.b Questions and Comments from Mayor and City Commission None. 9.c Questions and Comments from Staff None. 9.d Questions and Comments from The Public and Press None. 10. Confirm Next Meeting Date, proposed Wednesday, June 18, 2025 - 9:00 AM

4 Chair Miller asked the committee for feedback on the next meeting and summer schedule. It was agreed to hold the June meeting on the 18th and then take a summer break in July and August, resuming back in September. 11. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am. Minutes Submitted by: Chair Jennifer Miller Minutes Approved: September 10, 2025