Hamilton, appearing Monday at a ceremonial bill signing at the Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve in Poinciana, said he wants to give assurances that the state is coordinating with people working locally on the outbreak. A giant Goliath group apparently killed in red tide fish kill in St. Even scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can’t put a guess on it.TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Department of Environmental Protection Interim Secretary Shawn Hamilton plans to be in the Tampa Bay region Tuesday to address a red tide outbreak that is being tied a massive fish kill including giant Goliath grouper. Everything from sunlight to wind and water currents affect how long the algae can thrive. Blooms can last anywhere from a few weeks to years, depending on water conditions. There were hopes that Hurricane Michael might break up the red tide, but that didn’t happen. Whatever the cause, it’s an environmental catastrophe that the state is scrambling to clean up. Others say it’s a result of climate change or a cyclical part of the unique Florida ecosystem. Others call it a result of Governor Rick Scott’s closing water-quality testing centers, earning him the election-year-nickname Red Tide Rick. Environmental groups point to overdevelopment, agricultural runoff, redirection of water from Lake Okeechobee, and other man-made factors as the cause of the bloom. This particular bloom started earlier in the year than usual and doesn’t seem to be going away.
Scientists haven’t pinned down a specific cause of this bloom, and since red tides have been documented all the way back to the days of Spanish exploration, it’s hard to say. People with respiratory problems or severe asthma have been advised to stay away from the ocean altogether during red tides as they’re particularly susceptible to the toxins.
Those toxins are why guests by The Breakers’ pool were coughing, sneezing, and rubbing their eyes.
#TOXIC RED TIDE FLORIDA SKIN#
Though the red tide won’t kill people like it does fish, getting it on your skin can cause severe irritation to the eyes and skin, plus nasty rashes.Įven being near the water can be harmful as the force of crashing waves breaks open the algae, releasing the neurotoxins into the air. So what, exactly, is this scourge of the water that’s closing the nation’s most popular beaches? And, more importantly, what does it mean for people planning a vacation to Florida? Here’s a quick primer on red tide and how it might affect your trip to Florida.Ī state largely dependent on beach tourism isn’t closing its beaches for no reason. Pictures of this ugliness were common along the Gulf Coast this summer, but in October, the red tide began creeping around to Florida’s east coast, causing beach closures from Miami up to Palm Beach and recently into the Indian River and Brevard Counties.Īs inviting as respiratory irritation and the stench of dead fish might be, it doesn’t exactly scream “tropical vacation.” A smattering of eels, sea turtles, and other dead marine life taking up the beach space usually occupied by vacationing Europeans. The red tide that’s been creeping through the west coast of Florida has left beaches littered with dead fish rotting in the summer heat.
While a closed beach at a luxury hotel is indeed a tragedy, it pales in comparison to the scene at other Florida beaches this summer.
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