EDITORIAL: The degradation of Sarasota Bay

 The water bodies of Sarasota Bay are designated as an Outstanding Florida Waters (OFW’s). This designation is intended to provide additional protection to special waters recognized for their ecological significance, by providing the highest degree of protection under the State of Florida’s permitting policies. An OFW designation requires that water quality must not be degraded below the level that existed at the time of the OFW designation. However, significant degradation of Sarasota Bay has occurred since its original designation, as documented through water quality data, red tide blooms, areas of seagrass die-off and manatee mortalities.