Red Tide

Red tide continues to spread off St. Petersburg.

Low concentrations of the toxin were found this past week around downtown St. Petersburg and the Sunshine Skyway bridge.

Concentrations of red tide are being found in large quantities, especially off Sarasota and Manatee county beaches.

But persistent winds from the north could push much of the algae bloom to the south over the rest of the week.

Despite strong indications that billions of gallons of water would not gush down the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers from months on end when the new management plan for the big lake was finalized earlier this year, that's exactly what is poised to occur.

The toxin is persistent on beaches south of Tampa Bay.

The highest concentration are being found in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Heavier concentrations were found this week at several beaches in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The reports of red tide are coming from an algae bloom that is more than 100 miles long, stretching along much of the Gulf Coast.

The toxin has been reported in low amounts off much of Florida's Gulf coast.

The organism that causes red tide, was detected in 49 samples along the coast of Southwest Florida. But bloom-level concentrations were present in just nine samples.

This is the first confirmed report of red tide since last year. A plume had been spotted by satellite photo earlier in the week.