New Pinellas County web page provides status updates for red tide

In a continuing effort to practice superior environmental stewardship and to provide information to the public, Pinellas County Environmental Management is providing daily status updates about Pinellas County’s red tide testing locations via Pinellas County’s red tide web page. The public can visit www.pinellascounty.org/environment/watershed/red-tide.htm to learn about red tide and to view the latest status reports for Pinellas County.

The current red tide status update for Pinellas County shows red tide concentrations ranging from not present and background to low levels.

County staff collect water samples on a routine basis to check water quality. With reports of red tide impacting surrounding counties, staff has increased collections and testing. The red tide status update reports are posted on the web page, and explain when sampling has taken place and detail the results.

The Pinellas County red tide web page also offers links to resources about red tide provided by the University of South Florida, NOAA, Mote Marine Laboratory, the Florida Department of Health and Florida Wildlife Commission.

Red tide is a naturally-occurring algal bloom that can be harmful to wildlife and individuals who come into contact with waters where red tide is present.