A free pair of headphones is available near Building 9, if you are willing to go for a swim. Inside the murky green fountain in front of the entrance to the visual and digital media building, Building 9, there is a collection of discarded items including headphones, paper plates (and other assorted tableware), plastic bags, Gatorade bottles, and a plethora of junk.

Recently, the fountain has undergone a process called eutrophication, which the United States Geological Survey explains is “where a body of water receives excess nutrients that stimulate excessive plant growth.” This has caused the fountain water to become green and a breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Especially in Florida’s tropical weather, mosquitoes can carry disease. The algae built up in the fountain can eventually become toxic, which in extreme cases, can pose a major health risk to humans, as the World Health Organization says. In response to the unmaintained, algae-laden fountain, digital media junior Marco Estrella has taken action in the form of a petition.

“Because everyone has been complaining about how ugly the fountain looked, and no one would do anything about it, I decided to start a petition,” Estrella said. “The school said that it wasn’t in the budget to do anything, so the visual or digital media teachers couldn’t do anything either.”

The petition to get administration to either clean or address the fountain situation has collected over 500 signatures in two days. Estrella and other representatives of Building 9 are planning to present the petition to administration next week.

“A lot of the people who come on tours walk through or past Building 9. The petition is about beautification, and eventually safety,” Estrella said. “I want administration to directly talk to students and get it back into maintenance or get into discussions to talk about making the fountain something else like a zen garden or sitting area.”

Estrella’s petition reads:

Petition for the Prevention of Disease Outbreak

The Building 9 fountain has been ignored until it has reached a point of eutrophication. The chances of disease due to the fountain has increased to a point that can no longer be ignored. Larvae has formed and mold in the fountain has reached an unacceptable point. We the students of Building 9 have come to a unifying consensus that this problem has to be addressed. We want the administration to come into talks with our representation and either restore the fountain to a clean state or drain it for the creation of a zen garden. We remind you the fountain in its state poses a legal threat to the school.