PINELLAS COUNTY - The beach may seem like a good place to take dad to celebrate Father’s Day, but thanks to a red tide bloom, it may not be the beach day you had in mind.
What You Need To Know
- Red tide is causing respiratory problems and dead fish to wash up at some Pinellas County beaches
- Clean up crews are working to remove the dead fish
- Online resources allow you to track Red Tide
Dead fish are washing up on beaches all along Pinellas County’s coast, but tourism officials said people aren’t canceling their beach trips because of it.
“We're very bullish and positive about the rest of the summer season. We've come off a very tremendous spring that's led right into summer and looking ahead and talking with our industry and talking with our hotels, we think it's going to be positive and we're still sticking with that,” said Steve Hayes, President of Visit St. Pete Clearwater.
This weekend you may see crews cleaning up the dead fish, but luckily, experts say this particular bloom is patchy and moving through quickly.
Check before you go:
Luckily, there are lots of resources that you can use to know if there's red tide before your next beach trip.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater has a page on its website where you can check the conditions at any Pinellas County beach.
Gulf Coast Ocean Observing Systems has a tracker for Red Tide, along the West Coast on Florida.
To learn more about red tide and its health and environmental impacts, click here.