Swim advisory lifted at Palma Sola Beach South

Palma Sola Beach South has reopened after an unsavory amount of bacteria was tested there earlier this month.

The county health department found that there was a high amount of enterococci bacteria, which can cause urinary tract infections or meningitis, from a test on Sept. 5 at the location 1,000 feet west on the south side of 81st Street West.

Normally, if there is a poor reading, a second test will be conducted within days to confirm whether or not there needs to be a beach closure. According to the department’s communications director Tom Iovino, since Hurricane Irma was approaching, they decided to close the beach until another test could be safely conducted on Sept. 18.

Currently, the beach is in good standing of the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety protocols.

Anyone with questions about the department’s Healthy Beaches program can call 941-748-0747, ext. 1340, or visit www.floridahealth.gov.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Swim advisory lifted at Palma Sola Beach South."