Skip to Content

Red Tide update

March 15, 2024 — The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed at background concentrations in one sample each from Southwest Florida, Northwest Florida and along Florida’s East Coast over the past week. 

Current conditions:

  • In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Manatee County. For additional information, view the Southwest Coast report and map.
  • In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Bay County. For additional information, view the Northwest Coast report and map.
  • Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background concentrations in one sample collected from Miami-Dade County. For additional information, view the East Coast report and map.

Fish Kills

No reports of fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were received over the past week. For more details, visit https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/ and https://visitbeaches.org/.

Respiratory Irritation

Respiratory irritation was not reported in Florida over the past week. For recent and current information at individual beaches, visit https://visitbeaches.org/ and for forecasts that use FWC and partner data, visit https://habforecast.gcoos.org/.

Forecast

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict variable movement of surface waters and net southeastern movement of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days.

Scroll down the page for frequently asked questions about red tide and its impact.

Read the full FWC Red Tide report online


Beach conditions around the state

red tide
Red Tide update 5
red tide beach conditions map Red Tide update

For current conditions at individual beaches along the Southwest Florida coast, go to this Interactive map with beach-by-beach detail.


Related news stories

More from Florida Rambler: Florida Blue-Green Algae updates


Red Tide FAQ

red tide florida marco island
Red tide at its peak off southwest Florida coast. This was off Marco Island.

What is Red Tide? Common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions in Florida from large concentrations of aquatic micro-organisms, specifically an organism called karenia brevis. Bloom events are stimulated by nutrients from terrestrial runoff containing fertilizer, sewage and livestock wastes.

Should I avoid red tide? Toxins from red tide can cause breathing problems and irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Reactions to red tide are worse for people with asthma, emphysema, bronchitis or any chronic lung disease. If you have health issues, stay away from areas with red tide. Pets can become sick from red tide, so keep them away from those areas, as well as contaminated marine animals and fish.

Can we swim near red tide? Don’t swim in or around red tide because the toxin can cause skin irritation, rashes and burning and sore eyes.

What should I do if I come in contact with Red Tide? Wash off with soap and water. You can get relief from respiratory symptoms by being in an air-conditioned space. For people without asthma or chronic respiratory problems, over-the-counter antihistamines can help. If your symptoms don’t get better, see a doctor.

What about the dead fish on the beach? Red tides kill fish and other marine life — avoid contact and don’t swim or walk in areas with dead fish. Keep your pets away from these areas. Don’t harvest or eat distressed or dead fish (or any animals) from or near a red tide. Fish caught live and healthy can be eaten if filleted and rinsed thoroughly with fresh water.

Are shellfish affected by Red Tide? Crabs, lobsters, shrimp, clams, oysters and scallops are filter feeders that can concentrate toxins. These and other shellfish, if harvested from red tide areas, may be contaminated.


Additional Resources



All articles on FloridaRambler.com are original, produced exclusively for our readers and protected by U.S. Copyright law. Any use or re-publication without written permission is against the law.

This page contains affiliate links from which Florida Rambler may earn a sall commission when a purchase is made. This revenue supports our mission to produce quality stories about Florida at no cost to you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Craig

Wednesday 25th of January 2023

Red Tide is MUCH worse than it's made out to be - it's played down because Billions of dollars are at stake. Fixing it? No way - Mosaic funds Mote. The Gov. has made it clear (Scott and DeSantis) that environmentalism is a "woke" fantasy,.

People are getting very sick. Talk to Doctors. Some are moving away (to the east coast).

This is not just an irritant - it's a poison (duh, dead fish and manatees/dolphins). It is likely shortening human lives - those with other respiratory problems.

It's been studied - but, of course, not by the State. Why would they want to know the truth? You can't dump billions of gallons of sewage and fertilizer into shallow warm water without problems!

Kim Wroblewski

Tuesday 2nd of November 2021

The red tide can bother you at sometimes. But whiat our family does is just go down the beach a couple miles and you really can’t notice it at all. Sometimes it’ll bother you worse than others. But don’t give up hope our Florida weather is beautiful and so are the beaches so just enjoy it the best you can and except the red tide Kim Wroblewski

Susan

Saturday 14th of August 2021

Thank you for publishing information about red tide. This has been going on for several weeks not just this last week. I live near the beach in Sarasota county. I feel so bad for tourists who come down with no idea that this is going on. It is not publicized or reported much. The signs alerting people are very inconspicuous. Many lodging properties and hotels do not tell their guests. We’ve also had closures due to bacteria in the water. It is bad enough that our state government is not proactive in solving this problem for all of us, but at least tell people what’s going on for safety reasons. Florida rambler is awesome. Thank you for all your publications! Susan

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.