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LIVE BLOG: Updates on Hurricane Milton

No red tide is reported along Pinellas beaches and Sarasota Bay for first time in months

Map of red tide reported this week
karen.atwood
/
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Map of red tide reported this week

Red tide is finally receding along Gulf of Mexico beaches for the first time since Hurricane Ian came ashore in late September.

Red tide continues to recede from the Gulf of Mexico beaches.

State environmental officials are saying that only one report of a "medium" amount of red tide was found in the area, along the south Sunshine Skyway fishing pier. No red tide was found at any beaches in Pinellas County for the first time in several months.

Low amounts of it were reported along Manatee County's shoreline on Tampa Bay, as well as the northern tip of Anna Maria Island.

No red tide was reported in Sarasota Bay, which has been plagued by the toxin since shortly after Hurricane Ian came ashore. Low amounts were still found, however, near Venice Beach, Nokomis Beach, and several locations south of Venice.

Still, reports of fish kills and respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide came in from Sarasota County over the past week. For more details, visit: https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline/ and https://visitbeaches.org/.

Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported in these locations in Sarasota County: Caspersen Beach, Lido Key Beach, Longboat Key, Manasota Key Beach, Nokomis Beach, Siesta Key Beach, Venice Beach and Venice North Jetty Beach.

Map of red tide reported in the past week
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Map of red tide reported in the past week

Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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