Florida Water Quality

Tomasko says seagrass in Little Sarasota Bay declined by about 40% with the pass closed, but didn't disappear. About 600 acres of seagrass remains, covering as much as one third of the area.

It's not all bad news with the area's waterways.

Karenia Brevis, the tiny organism responsible for red tide, feeds on chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorus. Those nutrients make their way into coastal waters from stormwater runoff that often flows out of retention ponds.

A groundwater expert says treating the millions of gallons of polluted water remaining at the former phosphate plant in Manatee County could be very costly, and that pumping it down an injection well is not as uncommon or concerning as some may think.

By Steve NewbornThe state of Tampa Bay report comes out every three years, and the latest one shows the water body is in pretty good shape. It wasn't too…