TAMPA, Fla. — Good morning Tampa Bay! We made it through Monday.
Let's get the day started with the stories you need to know about.
Red tide and seafood
If you're eating breakfast right now, you may want to skip this story. Not because it's gross or anything, but because we're talking about fish and seafood this early in the day.
Red tide has been hitting the Tampa Bay area hard, killing fish and sealife. That has some people worried about what might happen if they eat fresh seafood when there is a bloom present.
We're here to tell you it's safe.
According to Northside Hospital Emergency Room Medical Director Dr. Genti Tahiraj, you can still eat fresh-caught seafood.
Shellfish bought at seafood markets or served up at restaurants are monitored by the government for safety and tested for red tide toxins. While toxins can accumulate in the guts of finfish, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission says those parts are tossed out when the fish get filleted and before you would find it on your plate.
You can find resources to check the latest red tide conditions here.
Verify ✅
As red tide wreaks havoc in the Bay area, many continue to point the finger at Piney Point and the 215 million gallons of wastewater rich in nutrients known to fuel the toxic algae dumped from the former fertilizer plant into Tampa Bay in April.
Asked about the link, Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested there wasn’t any during a press conference in St. Petersburg last week.
That led us to ask the question: is the scientific consensus clear the Piney Point spill did not cause red tide? And what, if anything, does Elsa have to do with it?
The short answer: No.
The long answer: No, the "scientific consensus" isn't clear that Piney Point did not cause red tide. Elsa was a likely contributing factor. Research into the extent of how the discharge from the former fertilizer plant is affecting the water is ongoing.
Checking in on our athletes 🏅
After having to be pushed back due to the coronavirus, the highly-anticipated Tokyo Olympics that was originally set to happen in 2020 is officially underway.
From swimming to taekwondo to track and field, Florida has several athletes on Team USA. We rounded up how they've done so far.
The latest winner: Sarasota's own Mary Carolynn Tucker who won silver in Mixed Team Air Rifle with Lucas Kozeniesky.
You can find special coverage of the 2020 Olympic games here.