Island tourism industry has high hopes for Labor Day weekend amid red tide

The unofficial last weekend of summer has long been marked by Labor Day and in the past, it’s been a busy weekend for Anna Maria Island businesses as families pour in for one last summer escape.

Thanks to red tide, this year may be different. But some are holding on to hope that the holiday weekend will pull visitors and locals back to Anna Maria Island.

Red tide stifled and nearly brought island businesses to a standstill since it started washing up dead fish on the shores and stinking up the air in early August. Beaches have scarcely seen a sunbather, restaurant chairs sit empty, hotel and resort rooms go unused.

It’s not what locals and business owners are used to seeing.

But with the long holiday weekend approaching, Terri Kinder, the president of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, said she believes businesses will see a boost.

“I think it’s going to be a great holiday weekend,” Kinder said.

Several restaurants on the island and in the nearby fishing village of Cortez are offering deals to combat the drop in business since red tide hit and the Sandbar restaurant will have a fireworks display on Labor Day.

Roser Memorial Community Church has offered assistance to those who work on the island and rely on tourism dollars. The church extended an offer to provide a bag of groceries from its food bank to those who work on the island.

Kinder said the chamber is sharing information about events restaurants are hosting as well as posting videos of beach conditions to their Facebook page to inform and attract visitors.

“The biggest thing is sharing information with the community about any events going on as far as restaurants getting together showing support of each other, showing everything is fine out here, everyone’s open and ready for business,” Kinder said.

The Bridge Tender Inn is offering a buy-one-get-one deal on well drinks and bottled beer during happy hour, restaurant manager Shannon Dunnan said.

Customers shouldn’t be worried about a smell, she added, because they set up hibachi grills outside to burn hickory blocks.

“So even if there is a smell, it smells like barbecue,” Dunnan said.

She hopes the holiday brings customers in, as it’s usually their last big weekend for the season. Up until red tide hit, the Bridge Tender Inn was doing well this year, she said.

“We had a pretty good season up until this whole thing happened. I’m hoping it gets back that way,” Dunnan said.

August is traditionally considered a “slower” month for tourism-based businesses but the long weekend is important in helping businesses push their last-minute summer deals, said Kelly Clark, communications director for the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“If there’s one thing I hope people do this weekend, it’s go out and support small business,” Clark said.

Although they won’t know what they will see tourism-wise or what conditions will be like, Clark said the bureau is hopeful “the worst is behind us.”

“Conditions have been pretty good and we know that it’s very unpredictable and can change at any moment, but it’s really important to know businesses are all open,” Clark said.

Eric Cairns, host of Cedar Cove Resorts and Cottages in Holmes Beach, said he has had some people cancel their reservations — most were elderly or had respiratory issues. But this weekend means seeing guests who have been to the island before.

Cairns commended the Manatee County crews who have been working to keep the beaches clear of dead fish for weeks.

“It’s a great time to be on the island as far as I’m concerned,” Cairns said.

Red tide conditions

On Wednesday, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provided a midweek update on red tide status for the Gulf Coast.

According to the update, the red tide organism Karenia brevis extends along approximately 145 miles of coastline with “high” concentrations of the organism cells found in waters off Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties. It’s the first time high concentrations were found in Pinellas County.

However, there appears to be a glimmer of hope. The report states none of the samples from Charlotte County in the last week had high concentrations of K. brevis and there were decreased cell concentrations in parts of Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties.

The Aug. 24 update (the official weekly update from FWC) showed Manatee County had a 5 to 25 percent increase in samples with medium or high levels of red tide from the week prior.

Beach conditions reports from Mote Marine Laboratory showed conditions on Coqina Beach on Wednesday included some dead fish, dark water color and slight respiratory irritation. Also, life guards were flying a double red flag, though there were no crowds reported on the beach.

On Manatee Beach, conditions included dead fish, moderate water color, slight respiratory irritation and a few crowds.

But one of the bigger issues the industry may have to combat this weekend is the weather.

The National Weather Service predicts thunderstorms throughout the weekend, mostly in the afternoon, with about a 60 percent chance of rain each day. Outside of the storms, temperatures are expected to reach the upper 80s Friday through Monday.

Storms could spill over later into the week as well, with forecasters calling for chances of showers and storms Tuesday and Wednesday.

How to help the food bank

Roser Church is also accepting donations for the food pantry, which can be dropped off during business hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the church office.

This story was originally published August 30, 2018 at 2:17 PM.