SARASOTA, Fla. — If you're traveling to the Tampa Bay area this Thanksgiving, you may want to check the latest red tide conditions before you hit the beach.
The harmful algal bloom is still very present along Florida's Gulf Coast, especially in Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
According to the latest report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, this past week, the organism that causes red tide(Karenia brevis) was detected in:
- Background to low concentrations in Pinellas County
- Medium concentrations in Hillsborough County
- Very low to medium concentrations in Manatee County
- Background to high concentrations in Sarasota County
Red tide map
According to FWC's red tide map, the organism was found in high concentrations at the North Jetty in Venice. This could lead to things like respiratory irritation and fish kills.
However, the good news is it's not likely to affect the public — the North Jetty is still closed to repair damage caused by Hurricane Milton.
You can use the following resources to check the most recent red tide levels at specific beaches throughout the state.
FWC's red tide map shows what level of red tide, from background to high, has been detected at each beach.
Mote Marine Laboratory's beach condition map allows you to see everything from sunset time to water temperature to crowd size to reports of debris, respiratory irritation, dead fish, etc.
FWC's red tide resource page explains the differences in what you can expect from background, very low, low, medium and high levels of red tide.
