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Sarasota prepping for next wave of toxic red tide destruction

The Herald-Tribune - 9/21/2018

Sept. 20--SARASOTA -- The city has formulated an aggressive plan to clean up the carnage left by toxic red tide should the area experience a noxious resurgence of the bloom, which has granted Southwest Florida a slight reprieve in recent days.

The city plans to use roughly $228,807 of Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant money disbursed to the municipality through Sarasota County to contract with about 12 laborers, slated to work eight-hour shifts on weekdays through November, if the toxic bloom once again transforms pristine white sand beaches and clean canals into ghastly graveyards of rotting fish, sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and whale sharks as it did last month.

Water samples taken earlier this month from Sarasota County beaches showed a significant decline in red tide cell levels, according to Mote Marine Laboratory officials who performed the testing. There were no longer high concentrations of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, at any Sarasota County beaches, but four sites -- Blind Pass, South Lido, Siesta and Turtle beaches -- had medium concentrations. It's anybody's guess if the levels will stay low, so city officials are prepared, they said.

"The odor is back, but we're not seeing yet the abundance of dead fish that we were seeing a little while ago," Todd Kerkering, the city's emergency manager, said, adding that since the county is responsible for beach cleanup, the city's efforts will focus on canals and affected inland waterways.

Sarasota County has collected roughly 173 tons of dead fish and debris from public beaches since Aug. 1, officials said earlier this month. Around 70 tons were removed from Lido Beach alone, Kerkering said. City workers have collected approximately eight tons of dead fish and debris from local parks, he added. The city is also offering special pickup of debris and dead fish for affected residents on waterways at no cost on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8-11 a.m. The pickups must be prearranged, and plastic bags must be tied and weigh no more than 50 pounds. Fish remains that are not bagged will not be collected, according to the city's website.

The grant money from the county comes from additional funds Gov. Rick Scott earlier this week dedicated toward mitigating the impacts of red tide in Southwest Florida and the blue-green algae blooms fouling estuaries on both coasts. Sarasota County has received nearly $1.5 million, county officials said. Manatee County received $750,000, boosting state grant funding for the environmental crises to a total of $13 million.

The current bloom spans nearly 150 miles and has caused massive fish kills and respiratory irritation in humans. Red tide is a higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga that takes advantage of high nutrient levels near the coast to multiply. Red tide grows far offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and can pile up near the coast in the fall as winter wind patterns blow cold fronts into Florida. The harmful algae prefer ocean water, unlike freshwater blue-green algae, and is usually gone by the end of March, although one bloom lasted 18 months, from 2004 through 2005 and into 2006.

Until recently the toxic tide that began last fall has plagued mostly Southwest Florida. But last week, concentrations were detected along the Panhandle. The heaviest concentrations in North Florida have been reported in Bay County, while low concentrations, determined by the number of algae cells found in a liter of water, have been found in Walton, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Meanwhile, in Sarasota, officials have extended a state of emergency for the fifth time since declaring one on Aug. 15 to secure possible financial assistance from the state and federal government.

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Read more: Complete coverage of red tide in Southwest Florida

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"The city of Sarasota remains under an extended local state of emergency, and we continue to coordinate with our partners at the county and state levels to address this environmental and economic crisis," Deputy City Manager Marlon Brown said in an email on Thursday. "Our team is working diligently to respond to the impacts of the red tide algae bloom to ensure the health and safety of our residents and visitors. We're also encouraging the community to visit those local businesses most affected by red tide to help assist them in the recovery."

The toxic tide has not only taken a toll on marine life, it's affected area businesses, too. Sarasota County has experienced up to $3.1 million in economic losses, Kerkering said.

To help mitigate the financial damage to area businesses, low-interest economic injury disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small agricultural businesses and private nonprofit organizations impacted by the red tide algal bloom. SBA representatives have set up a Business Recovery Center at Bee Ridge Park, 4430 South Lockwood Ridge Road. Center hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Another temporary SBA Center was set up earlier this month in Manatee County at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach. The hours are the same as at the center in Sarasota County.

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