We appreciate you discussing this with the public. However, we are very concerned about how this will affect marine life that lives in the sargassum and cannot avoid the capture and hold methods. Turtles and hatchlings already have a difficult time navigating life as it is, which is why they are endangered. The Turtle Hospital and Save a Turtle work nonstop with light disorientation, boat strikes, marine debris, holes and other obstacles on the beach. We that this will only endanger them more. Please work with the agencies that have been tasked to protect them and other marine life. Sargassum is challenging, but humans have created that problem and must find ways to mitigate it. Thank you.

I appreciate the City exploring solutions to Sargassum, but I am concerned that the proposed offshore collection plans do not clearly address wildlife protection. Floating Sargassum is critical habitat for marine life, including vulnerable post-hatchling sea turtles. Concentrating and pumping Sargassum could also concentrate and capture the animals within it. Before any pilot or deployment, the City should require wildlife mitigation protocols developed with FWC and NOAA/NMFS, including trained wildlife observers, inspection for captured animals, stop-work procedures, and reporting of wildlife interactions. Wildlife protection must be built into the plan from the start.