Red Tide

2023 saw lots of changes for the Sunshine State, from education to red tide to insurance.

Florida is expected to take five water bodies near Sarasota off its nutrient-polluted list after multiple upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and stormwater infrastructure, said one expert during a panel on red tide.

Satellite images of red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and modeling from within the water column will then be combined with a foodweb model to estimate mortality rates of different fish species.

This year’s fish kills were linked to the lagoon’s low levels of dissolved oxygen.

Despite protests from a crowd of opponents, the Manatee County Commission voted 5-1 to roll back local wetland protections in favor of defering to state minimum standards.

“If we see that these two effluent sources can stimulate growth in Karenia brevis, then we can potentially target these nutrients and prevent them from entering bloom impacted waters," said Amanda Muni-Morgan of UF.

The first-of-its kind study is underway to determine what kind of chemicals are being flushed or swept into Tampa Bay, fueling deadly algae blooms and red tide.

Hurricane Ian’s landfall on Sept. 28 last year helped foster a red-tide-a-thon that lasted eight months. Now there have been seven blue-green algae health advisories in Lee County alone since May.

It’s proof that the plume of dirty water flowed from the former phosphate plant and out into the Gulf of Mexico, the study’s authors say.

What could become the nation's first deep water aquaculture facility in federal offshore waters was first proposed in 2019 and would be located about 45 miles off Sarasota in the Gulf of Mexico.

Red tide had been present along the Gulf coast since shortly after Hurricane Ian swept ashore in the Fort Myers area.

A pair of sea turtles found dazed and confused by red tide toxins in Sarasota County in February were returned to the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday after being nursed back to health.