Pinellas County has accepted a $2.25 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for marine debris removal. The County will use the grant to clean up waste tires placed in the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay as artificial reefs in the 1970s and 1980s.

Pinellas County stopped using tires as material for artificial reefs in the early 1990s after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) determined they are harmful to the environment and do not make efficient or stable reef materials. Tires are now prohibited from being used for artificial reefs throughout Florida.

The cleanup is expected to be completed by July 2027. The first stages of the project—expected to start in 2025—will include surveying the previously permitted artificial reefs known to have received tires to identify where these tires are now located and determine the best methods to remove them.

The project is not expected to impact the public. The tires recovered from the Gulf will be brought to the County’s Solid Waste Disposal Complex, where they will be processed in the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) facility and converted to electrical power.

Pinellas County has 43 artificial reefs made from clean debris like concrete. These reefs can be enjoyed by boaters and divers while providing habitat for marine animals. For more information about the Artificial Reef Program, including a map of the County’s artificial reefs, visit Pinellas.gov/reef.

Red Tide Midweek Update for December 11, 2024

Current Conditions

Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 101 samples collected from Florida’s Gulf Coast. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 17 samples: one from Pinellas County, one from Hillsborough County, seven from Sarasota County, one from Charlotte County, six from and offshore of Lee County, and one offshore of Collier County. We continue to use satellite chlorophyll imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to track this patchy bloom. Imagery continues to vary from day to day. Imagery from December 9, available for areas without cloud cover, revealed small patches of moderate levels of chlorophyll along Florida’s Southwest Coast, located approximately 3 to 10 miles offshore of Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. The recent imagery suggests that patches have been pushed southward, consistent with the southern transport expected from prior ocean circulation forecasts over the past few weeks.

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to medium concentrations in Pinellas County, very low and medium concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to low concentrations in Manatee County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, low and medium concentrations in Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in and offshore of Lee County, and background to medium concentrations in and offshore of Collier County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations in one sample collected offshore of Pasco County.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
• Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida (along Pinellas County).
• Respiratory irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (Pinellas and Sarasota counties). For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict northward transport of surface waters through 12/11, followed by a reversal to southward transport through 12/14, and southeastern transport of subsurface waters over the next 3.5 days.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) has rescinded the Modified Phase 1 Water Shortage Order for St. Pete. This action has eliminated the one-day-per-week watering restrictions, and City of St. Petersburg water customers located within the city limits only are now back to the two-days-per-week watering restrictions.

• Restriction applies to properties watering with potable (City) water, private wells, or private connections to surface water sources (lakes, ponds, etc.).
• Residents should adjust their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct.

Residents who live outside of St. Pete city limits or receive their bill from another entity should check with their municipality, Pinellas County, or the SWFWMD for their current watering restrictions. Please note that St. Pete's watering schedule may differ from Pinellas County's.

Irrigation is suggested from 5 - 9 a.m. and 7 - 11 p.m. The schedule of watering will be in relation to the property address as follows:

Reclaimed water continues to be on voluntary three-days-per-week restrictions. Even-numbered addresses should irrigate on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; odd-numbered addresses should irrigate on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Reclaimed water users are asked to be “water wise” and water no more than 3 days per week and avoid watering during the heat of the day when water loss is higher due to evaporation and wind drift.

For more information about watering restrictions and water conservation tips, visit stpete.org/WaterConservation.

Nov. 22, 2024

BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County has issued health alerts for the presence of red tide at the following two locations based on water samples taken on November 18, 2024.

Bradenton Beach
10th St. Pier, 100 10th St. S.

Coquina Beach South Boat Ramp
Bradenton Beach
1465 Gulf Drive S.

The red tide health alert issued for Rod and Reel Pier, located at 875 N. Shore Drive on Anna Maria Island, on November 15, 2024, remains in effect.

The public should exercise caution in and around this area.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions if near affected area:

• Look for informational signage posted at most public beaches and/or check current water quality status at Protecting Florida Together.
• Do not wade or swim in or around red tide. Red tide can cause skin irritation, rashes, and burning/sore eyes.
• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and fresh water if you have had recent contact with red tide, especially if your skin is easily irritated.
• Remain cautious and stay away from this location, especially if you have chronic respiratory conditions.
• Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner. Make sure the air conditioner filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications.
• Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish or distressed or dead fish from this location. If caught alive and healthy, finfish are safe to eat as long as they are filleted, and the guts are discarded. Rinse fillets with tap or bottled water.
• Red tide can cause illness and death of other animals, such as pets and livestock. Keep animals away and out of the water and sea life and away from dead marine life. If your pet swims in waters with red tide, wash them with soap and water as soon as possible.

Shape the future of environmental management with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program at its first ever hackathon!

We’re calling all data scientists, environmental stewards, and tech-savvy organizations. This is your chance to make a real impact. You’ll work in teams to tackle a critical estuarine health indicator from our priority list and lay the foundation for tools to enhance environmental management efforts.

The goal of this event is to select a vendor with which TBEP can enter into a contract to develop a tool that fills an indicator and reporting gap in our current efforts. During the 9-hour event, self-selected teams will work with a dataset from a list of priorities provided by TBEP, and then conceptualize, develop, and present an open science-based workflow that supports routine reporting on status and trends of that team’s chosen estuarine health indicator.

The winning team will be eligible for consideration of a contract with TBEP for $20,000 to carry out indicator development and implementation, potentially including the workflow presented at the Hackathon.

• Eligible participants: Individuals, organizations, agencies, or businesses (either private or public sector) interested in working with TBEP to develop workflows to fill indicator gaps in natural resource health and management
• Eligible indicator subjects: Wildlife (birds, sea turtles, marine mammals, terrestrial turtles, amphibians), invasive species, human health and well-being

Webinars on Dec. 11th and Jan. 8th are recommended for interested participants. The Jan. 27th hackathon will be held at the Tampa River Center on Laurel Street in Tampa. Deadline to register is Jan. 22nd.

More details about the event, as well as links to register for the webinars and/or for the hackathon can be found at the link below.

Nov. 15, 2024

BRADENTON – The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH-Manatee) has issued a health alert for the presence of red tide near Rod and Reel Pier, located at 875 N. Shore Drive on Anna Maria Island.

This is in response to a water sample taken on November 12, 2024.

The public should exercise caution in and around this area.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions if near affected area:

• Look for informational signage posted at most public beaches and/or check current water quality status at Protecting Florida Together.
• Do not wade or swim in or around red tide. Red tide can cause skin irritation, rashes, and burning/sore eyes.
• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and fresh water if you have had recent contact with red tide, especially if your skin is easily irritated.
• Remain cautious and stay away from this location, especially if you have chronic respiratory conditions.
• Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner. Make sure the air conditioner filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications.
• Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish or distressed or dead fish from this location. If caught alive and healthy, finfish are safe to eat as long as they are filleted, and the guts are discarded. Rinse fillets with tap or bottled water.
• Red tide can cause illness and death of other animals, such as pets and livestock. Keep animals away and out of the water and sea life and away from dead marine life. If your pet swims in waters with red tide, wash them with soap and water as soon as possible.