ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS COASTE | EDITOR’S WELCOME
As I write this in late summer, Southwest Florida is just now slowly picking itself up off the mat from perhaps the most significant, pummeling unnatural disaster in our history. Yes, unnatural disaster. While red algae blooms have been reported as far back as themid-1800s andnaturally occur annually in the Gulf of Mexico from Tampa south — as well as the east coast of Florida toward North Carolina, and that’s it worldwide — there seems little argument that myriad man-made factors are, as David Bowie once sang, “putting out fire with gasoline.” While I’m not here to explain the science of red or green algae blooms, point fingers or propose solutions, I can comment with authority that the crisis that stormed our beaches, bays and canals has literally played out in distressing words and pictures across American media and around the world. This is one case where the saying “bad PR is better than no PR” doesn’t apply. The question we face — regionally, locally, individually — isn’t will we recover, but when? Images of our unnatural carnage of nature do more than stick in the mind of potential visitors, they create a window of doubt: is it safe, or smart, to go back? Studies have shown that in the past, 75% of persons who visited Southwest Florida once plan to come back. So as our fall issue welcomes the return of season and the upcoming holidays, all I want for our Christmas is this: to hit that number again, just as soon as possible. Yes, nature, science and government will need to cooperate greatly. But our return to “top islands destination” status also renews when each of us who love it here — residents and visitors alike — unite to elect leaders who’ll not just talk the talk, but fight the fight; unite to share our many qualities of life to everyone we know, every way we can; and unite to support each other on the journey back. That’s what I want for Christmas. How about you?
John Sprecher Founder | Editor
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