Fried urges Gov. DeSantis to declare emergency over Tampa Bay’s red tide

A major red tide bloom is bringing devastation to the Tampa Bay area as it fouls beaches and kills literal tons of marine life around Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

On Monday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to activate state aid for the crisis by declaring a state of emergency.

Fried, the state’s top Democrat and one of DeSantis’ challengers for governor in 2022, called on the Republican to “mitigate this environmental and human health emergency.”

“With Florida’s waters so interconnected, it should not fall solely to municipal officials with limited budgets and personnel to address this regional situation— state agencies including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection should coordinate the response,” Fried said in a statement.

Over 15 tons of dead marine life have been collected along the shores of Pinellas in a 10-day period, according to St. Petersburg officials, and the disaster response is causing delays in other government services. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission reports that five manatees were thought to have died in Pinellas waters because of red tide in June. And advisories from local health officials and the National Weather Service have warned people to stay out of the water or away from several Tampa Bay area beaches, while others were temporarily closed.

In a letter to DeSantis, Fried noted an executive order issued in 2018 by then-governor Rick Scott as another major red tide bloom was hitting Southwest Florida. That bloom struck a major blow to the tourism industry, including on Anna Maria Island. And scientists say that seagrass beds in Sarasota Bay may still be suffering because of it. Scott issued the 2018 executive about nine months into that red tide event, which began in late 2017.

On Tuesday, DeSantis’ office said that the state is providing aid for the current crisis via other methods.

“Regarding the red tide that is currently in the Tampa Bay area, the state has been engaged with stakeholders and is coordinating with local governments, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, to provide resources to assist in the cleanup of fish kills,” DeSantis spokesman Jared Williams said in an email.

“For the time being, (FDEP) has identified a funding source and is already working to provide grants to assist local communities with cleanup efforts,” the email also said.

Fried’s letter to the governor also pointed out the harmful algal bloom’s apparent link to a major industrial wastewater discharge from the Piney Point industrial site in Manatee County in May. While red tides are naturally occurring, they can be made worse by human nutrient inputs, scientists have found. The millions of gallons of nutrient-rich water that were released into Tampa Bay from Piney Point are seen by scientists, environmental advocates and residents as a likely culprit for the intensity of the current red tide bloom.

DeSantis recently said that FDEP continues to work on plans to shut down Piney Point for good. In the meantime, an emergency fix remains in place in the facility’s leaky pond as millions of gallons of water remain at the site.

With water quality issues on many voters’ minds, both Fried and DeSantis have given red tide attention in recent weeks.

Fried held a roundtable to discuss red tide impacts on aquaculture in Manatee County last month, while DeSantis hosted a red tide discussion in St. Petersburg.

“We have made strategic investments in red tide research, mitigation and communication efforts, but we cannot take our foot off the gas,” DeSantis said in a statement after the event.

Initiatives have included the creation of a red tide research facility at FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and reactivation of the state’s red tide task force.

The governor also promised to “press forward” in finding red tide solutions.

While red tide’s worst impacts have recently been concentrated in Tampa Bay, it remains a widespread issue that impacts waters up and down Florida’s coastlines. The toxic algae has been detected in waters from Lee to Pasco County over the past week.

This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM.