Red Tide Bloom Reaches Pinellas Beaches While Persisting In SW Florida

WUSF | By Jessica Meszaros

Published June 9, 2021 at 4:39 PM EDT

A red tide bloom has been persisting in Southwest Florida and making its way north.

Over the past week, toxic red tide blooms in the Gulf have been detected in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Lee and Collier counties, according to state wildlife officials.

In all of those counties, except Hillsborough, fish kills were reported. And in Pinellas, people have also cited respiratory irritations.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s midweek update on Wednesday, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was observed at:

Low to medium concentrations in Pinellas
Low to medium concentrations in Hillsborough
Background to medium concentrations in Manatee
Background concentrations in Sarasota
Background to medium concentrations in Lee
Background to medium concentrations in Collier
Low concentrations offshore of Monroe

The FWC's report noted that samples collected from Charlotte County did not contain red tide.