Dr. Duane De Freese and Mac McLouth Discuss Health of Indian River Lagoon From Port Canaveral Lock Gates

SPACE COAST DAILY TV SPECIAL PRESENTATION

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Dr. Duane De Freese, Executive Director of the Indian River Lagoon Council, and former Port Canaveral Commissioner Mac McLouth provide up-to-date information about the Indian River Lagoon from the Port Canaveral lock gates.

BREVARD COUNTY • PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – Dr. Duane De Freese, Executive Director of the Indian River Lagoon Council, and former Port Canaveral Commissioner Mac McLouth provide up to date information about the Indian River Lagoon from the Port Canaveral lock gates.

De Freese and McLouth talk about how the addition of ocean salt water may help in improving the current condition of one of the most important bodies of water in Florida, which borders five counties in the Sunshine State.

He currently serves as the Executive Director of the newly formed IRL Council, a special district of the State of Florida, and host of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program.

De Freese is also a governor-appointed board member of CareerSource Florida Inc. and also serves as the vice-chair of the Florida Ocean Alliance.

His numerous public presentations and workshops have a central message – “our oceans and coasts are an engine that drives the economy and quality of life of Florida and the nation.”

In the past five years, De Freese has focused his public presentations on coastal adaptations to climate change and sea level rise, technologies to address eutrophication of surface waters, and integration of ecology and economics to enhance public awareness of the U.S./Florida ocean and coastal economy.

McLouth, a driving force of the progress of Port Canaveral since the 1960s, has served as a port commissioner nine times and as the CEO for four years. A civil engineer, he has devoted a large part of his career to the creation and advancement of Port Canaveral and is now running again for the District 5 seat.

As a first-term port commissioner in 1967, McLouth proposed that the authority make a pitch to the then brand new Walt Disney World as its “outlet to the sea” for both goods and people. In the six decades since, McClouth has been a visionary and loyal servant to the development and success of Port Canaveral, which is now the second busiest cruise port in the world – and a major economic driver for the region.

He was honored for his service by Port Canaveral in 1995 by putting his name on the Malcolm E. McLouth Fishing Pier at Jetty Park, which is a landmark 1,200-foot public fishing pier at the opening to the channel into the Atlantic Ocean.

INDIAN RIVER LAGOON SNAPSHOT

The Indian River Lagoon spans 156 miles along Florida’s east coast and includes the Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and the Indian River Lagoon. Despite the use of “river” in their names, none of these water bodies are actually rivers. They are an estuary, which is a transitional environment set between the land and the ocean.

In estuaries, fresh water from uplands and tributaries meets and mixes with water from the ocean. The Indian River Lagoon is a particular type of estuary called a lagoon – a shallow estuary separated from the ocean by barrier islands. Lagoons exchange water with the ocean only through inlets. Because of this restricted flow, tides are influential only near inlet areas. Throughout much of the Indian River Lagoon, currents are primarily influenced by winds.

The Indian River Lagoon is an economic driver for the five counties, including Brevard, it borders. A 2016 economic valuation study by the East Central Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils showed the total annual economic output (value received) from the Indian River Lagoon in 2014 is about $7.6 billion.

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