Where is red tide? See the latest levels for Bradenton, Sarasota beaches over Easter
Good news for those who celebrate Easter and Passover weekend with a trip to the beach: Red tide levels are holding steady and haven’t gotten worse.
Thousands are expected to visit Anna Maria Island beaches this weekend, Manatee County Government said this week, and for many, it’s an annual holiday tradition.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Friday that of 75 samples taken over the past week, the algae that causes red tide was found in the following number of samples:
- 2 in Manatee County
- 1 in Sarasota County
- 1 in Pinellas County
- 7 in Charlotte County
- 3 in Lee County
In Manatee, those positive samples were at the north end of Anna Maria Island and on the bay side near The Rod and Reel Pier.
The rest of the island and most of Sarasota County had samples negative for the algae or at background levels.
The only sample in the Tampa Bay area that showed high levels was at Treasure Bay Beach in St. Petersburg.
Using satellite imagery, the FWC reports algae levels are at:
- very low to medium concentrations in Manatee
- background to low concentrations in Sarasota
- background to high concentrations in and offshore of Pinellas
- background to medium concentrations in Charlotte
- background to medium concentrations in Lee
- background to medium concentrations in Collier
- background concentrations offshore of Monroe.
Respiratory irritation was reported in Manatee, Sarasota and Collier counties.
The latest daily sampling report can be found at https://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html and Mote Marine Laboratory’s Beach Conditions Reporting System at https://visitbeaches.org/map
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 4:48 PM.
