On Florida’s southwest coast, the toxic Red Tide has left residents experiencing burning eyes and breathing problems. The current bloom began in October.
Tens of thousands of dead fish cover beaches from Venice all the way up past St. Petersburg/Clearwater, according to KWCH.com, creating an unpleasant odor and causing health officials to warn people with asthma or lung disease to avoid beaches affected by the toxic algae.
The annual BeachFest in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida, scheduled for next month, and sponsored by a homeowners’ association, was canceled after it was determined by the Pinellas County Health Department, that red tide likely would continue through the middle of next month.
“Red Tide is currently present on the beach and is forecasted to remain in the area in the weeks to come,” the Indian Rocks Beach Homeowners Association said in a letter to the public. “It is unfortunate that it had to be canceled but it is the best decision in the interest of public health.”
Pinellas County spokesperson Tony Fabrizio told reporters nearly two tons of debris, mainly dead fish, were cleared from Pinellas County beaches and brought to a landfill.
About 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of fish have been cleared from beaches in St. Pete Beach since the start of the month, Mandy Edmunds, a parks supervisor with the city said, according to ABC News.
Red tide, a toxic algae bloom that occurs naturally in the Gulf of Mexico, is worsened by the presence of nutrients such as nitrogen in the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission warns people to not swim in or around red tide waters over the possibility of skin irritation, rashes, and burning and sore eyes, reports the Associated Press.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Friday reported that it had found red tide in 157 samples along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with the strongest concentrations along Pinellas and Sarasota counties.
