PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla (WLFA) – Red tide issues are persisting along Pinellas County beaches as dead fish were spotted along Redington Shores Beach Monday.
The current bloom isn’t stopping some people from enjoying the beach.
“It’s not ideal but its tolerable,” said Paul Whalen, who lives in Tampa.
Others, however, found it less acceptable.
“We booked our hotel for two weeks and we cannot enjoy anything. Dead fish and we are coughing and coughing and sneezing and all of this,” said Elena Ermolenko, who is visiting from Chicago.
The bloom is also affecting businesses in the area, like Hubbard’s Marina down in John’s Pass.
“Our half-day fishing trips, dolphin tours, our islands trips – those are the trips where we are seeing declining numbers just in the last 72 hours,” Captain Dylan Hubbard said.
Pinellas County officials said satellite images are showing the bloom is patchy. That has Capt. Hubbard remaining hopeful.
“It’s very early and it’s very spotty. I’m still trying to remain optimistic. It might go away as quickly as it showed up,” added Capt. Hubbard.
Pinellas County is monitoring the red tide along with Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Health in Pinellas County. Right now, there are no beach closures due to red tide.
The FWC is expected to release their next complete red tide status report on Friday. The daily samplings map can be viewed on the FWC website.
