Every two years our League of Women Voters of Florida holds a convention to elect the state board, adopt a budget, and identify focus issues for action. This year’s digital convention will be held on June 4 and June 5.    

If you are interested in serving as a delegate or alternate for this convention, please submit your name to Lori Dool lori.lwvpbc@gmail.com no later than May 20, 2021. Fill out https://forms.gle/NsfcGw7Kv8zvtGc28 We have delegate positions available.

If you are chosen to be a delegate or alternate, you will receive a letter of confirmation from either Lori Dool, or Karen Wilkerson who are coordinating our participation for this event along with Melanie Tolchin.  The League of Women Voters Palm Beach County will register those chosen as delegates or alternates and pay for their registration. Please do not register for this event on your own.  

All chosen delegates and alternates MUST be able to attend the digital training session planned for May 27, 2021 that is set for 6:30 p.m. as well as all the convention sessions. 

IMPORTANT:

Do not register yourself with the State League.
All chosen delegates will be registered by LWVPBC.
Follow the information above to be considered to be a delegate.
 

Kudos to the Biden administration for extending the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act.  If you recall, during the past few years the annual fall open enrollment was not only shortened but all advertising for it was cut.  Due to that and to the fact that President Biden and Congress added billions to subsidies, and spent $100 million to advertise ACA enrollment, the administration opened up this special enrollment, which was advertised to last from February to May 15.  During the first 10 weeks of that special enrollment period @one million Americans enrolled in a plan!  And with this additional funding, the average monthly premium fell to $86. 

The 10 week program was so successful the administration has now extended the special enrollment period to last until August 15.  In addition, @ 4 million uninsured can now qualify for plans that will cost them NO premium, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.  And for people higher up the income table, more will now be eligible for discounts.  These new subsidies will last at least until the end of 2022.

Unfortunately, people with very low incomes still fall in the gap, especially since our State legislators failed once again to expand Medicaid in Florida, which 38 other states have already done.  But thanks to the American Rescue Plan, anyone who received unemployment in 2021 is eligible to enroll in a Marketplace plan with no monthly premium, until at least the end of 2021.  This applies to any adult, regardless of income.  

MANY AMERICANS ARE NOT AWARE OF THESE CHANGES, SO PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO FRIENDS AND FAMILIES.  If they are in need of a plan, they should visit www.healthcare.gov  or visit www.coveringflorida.org, or call 877-813-9115.   NOTE:  navigator assistance is free.

Be well!

Voting Rights Coalition

Harmful Algae Blooms
by Kathy Panko

Here we go again!  Even though most of Florida experienced a temporary reprieve from toxic algae blooms over the winter, blue-green algae blooms have started to form in Lake Okeechobee as water temperatures rise with the season.

Florida has struggled for almost two decades to control the blue-green algae blooms that periodically carpet Lake Okeechobee (Florida’s largest freshwater lake), and threatens coastal tourism. The blooms are stimulated by phosphorus, a key ingredient in the fertilizer used on nearby ranches and farms. When a lake’s phosphorus is off balance and levels become too high, it can result in excessive blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) growth during the warmer, longer days of summer.

In April 2021, the Pahokee Marina experienced a very heavy algae bloom and tested 100 times more toxic than what is considered safe for humans after northwest winds trapped festering algae-tainted water amid the boat slips and docks. It triggered an emergency cleanup effort spearheaded by the water management district. The toxin, Microcystin, can kill pets that swim in water infected by it and can cause respiratory, skin and digestion problems in humans. Experts say that swimming in water with blue-green algae blooms may cause ear, eye and skin reactions, hay fever symptoms and diarrhea.  To clean up the marina, district officials contracted with Clearwater-based, Gator Dredging. They brought in equipment to separate water from the spongy-looking masses of algae. The water and algae go into vacuum cleaner-like bags inside containers that look like garbage dumpsters. The water is treated with ozone and tested for toxins before going back into the lake. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection reported that stringent water quality monitoring is ongoing by both the contractor and the water management district.

Earlier this month, the City of West Palm Beach shut down taps flowing into its main supply of drinking water, Grassy Waters Preserve, after finding algae in three canals coming from Lake Okeechobee. The preserve also provides water for the Town of Palm Beach.  Toxins were also found in water samples taken from Spillway Park, a popular Lake Worth Beach fishing spot. Samples from Canal Point, where water from Lake Okeechobee goes into West Palm Beach, also tested positive for toxins.

The City of West Palm Beach is working with the South Florida Water Management District to find a solution that will continue sending water to the Loxahatchee River (South Florida’s only nationally recognized wild and scenic river), and get permission to use water stored in wellfields to recharge Grassy Waters. 

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) is conducting a new study in South Florida to assess the health effects of exposure to Cyanotoxins in the air.  The study will take place during the 2021 algal bloom season, which is March through October.  Cyanotoxins are poisons that are sometimes produced when blue-green algae rapidly grows out of control.

A South Florida lawmaker has sounded the alarm on what could be a summer of toxic algae in the St. Lucie River. His position is that we need federal lawmakers to pass a bill stopping the Army Corps of Engineers from discharging toxic algae from Lake Okeechobee, adding there should be no discharges over the toxic level, 8 parts per billion microcystin.  Water discharges from Lake Okeechobee are controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers as a way to control lake levels during the rainy season. Scientists fear environmental conditions are ripe for another algae-burdened summer, especially with blooms showing up before the longer, hotter days to come.

It was reported on May 14, 2021, that South Florida’s chief water manager was given complete freedom to spend up to $1 million to hasten algae clean-ups this summer as Cyanobacteria blooms spread across Lake Okeechobee and Palm Beach County waterways. The money would be allocated per incident and follows the rapid response scrubbing of blue-green algae out of the Pahokee Marina.The approach this summer is for the South Florida Water Management District to partner with the Department of Environmental Protection to quickly get the job done.

Spotlight on the Environment 
by Events Committee

And Waldorf Salad
By Phyllis Applebaum

Coronavirus Crisis in India
by Rebecca Freeman

As western countries are vaccinating their citizens India is dealing with the horrors of the coronavirus. With record-breaking numbers of new cases and limited medical supplies, there is much help needed. With a population of 1.4 billion the virus has taken its toll. On Wednesday, May 12th the total number of deaths totaled 254,197 and the overall cases to 23 million.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, faced public backlash for holding mass election rallies and religious festivals with no safety protocols in place. As a result, this caused the second wave in March and February due to the large gatherings without any restrictions. This horrible crisis has worsened due to the shortages of masks, sanitizers, and gloves in the early months of the pandemic.

Oxygen is also in quite short supply which is causing  pain and suffering to India’s citizens. According to an article from the Los Angeles Times, Many of India’s residents are paying the equivalent of several month's salaries to buy oxygen cylinders on the black market. “While no country has ever needed oxygen so much as India does right now, other than countries who are far less prepared than India may soon experience similar surges,” (Pierson, Khan, 2021 Los Angeles Times). In addition to the oxygen, crisis experts state it may take two years to vaccinate all of India due to its large population.

Solar Co-op to Close May 31,2021

by Diane Marks

The Solar Co-op has been extended until May 31, 2021.  Anyone interested in investigating getting solar panels on their roof, should do it during the Solar Co-op in Palm Beach County.

Link to join Solar Co op:
https://coops.solarunitedneighbors.org/coops/palm-beach-county-solar-co-op/