Red Tide

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County has issued health alerts for the presence of a red tide bloom.

Red tide has been found at beaches along the Gulf Coast since shortly after Hurricane Ian made landfall. It is finally being pushed back out to the sea.

Red tide has been drifting north ever since Hurricane Ian came ashore in Southwest Florida.

Hurricane season is long gone, but Florida's waterways are still recovering. The powerful storms pushed millions of gallons of sewage and fertilizer into freshwater bodies ,causing outbreaks of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to humans and fish.

Winds from the north expected during a major cold front coming through Thursday should push the red tide offshore or back to the south, away from the beaches.

From Tampa Bay south to Ten Thousand Islands, the algae bloom is so prevalent, pungent and potentially poisonous that the authors of health advisories ignored the long-established practice of softening the language to avoid scaring away tourists.

Researchers say Hurricane Ian brought red tide, destroyed artificial reefs from as far away as 30 miles from the coast and could impact the state's fishing industry.

The FWC's daily sample map Friday showed that within the most recent eight days of sampling, blooms were detected near Punta Gorda Beach, Stump Pass, Little Gasparilla, Boca Grande and Blind Pass.

By analyzing nine years of data, Florida researchers confirmed what other scientists, activists, fisherman and others have observed anecdotally for years.

In the next few months, scientists will be monitoring the current, temperature and tropical storm activity, as these factors can shift red tide blooms.