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RED TIDE PRESENT IN THE GULF

By G. Steve Huard, Public Information Officer

April 15, 2021

Health Alert for Sarasota County 

Sarasota - The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County DOH- Sarasota is notifying the public of elevated levels of red tide along the coast of Sarasota County. Some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms. Some individuals with breathing problems such as asthma might experience more severe symptoms. Usually symptoms go away when a person leaves the area or goes indoors. Health officials recommend that people experiencing symptoms caused by red tide to stay away from beach areas or go into an air-conditioned space. If symptoms do not subside, please contact your health care provider for evaluation.

Due to elevated counts of red tide from Monday’s beach water samples as well as reports of respiratory irritation we will be posting signage tomorrow at several beaches to advise the public that red tide is present.

The beaches include Longboat Key, Bird Key Park (Ringling Causeway), North Lido Beach, Lido Casino, South Lido, Siesta Beach, Turtle Beach, Nokomis Beach, and North Jetty Beach.

The Department recommends that you:
  • Do not swim around dead fish.

  • If you have chronic respiratory problems, consider staying away from the beach as red tide can affect your breathing.

  • Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish and distressed or dead fish. If fish are healthy,rinse fillets with tap or bottled water and throw out the guts.

  • Keep pets and livestock away from water, sea foam and dead sea life.

  • Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (making sure that the A/C filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications).

  • If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.


Florida Poison Control Centers have a toll-free 24/7 Hotline for reporting of illnesses, including health effects from exposure to red tide at 1-888-232-8635.

Please visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research website for additional information on the locations where red tide has been found: myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/.

Current beach conditions can be checked at Mote Marine’s website, https://visitbeaches.org/.

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