ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As of Thursday afternoon, Pinellas County had cleaned up 1,442 tons of red tide-related debris.
Karenia brevis is continuing to take its toll on Florida's Gulf Coast and, specifically, the Tampa Bay region. In the last week alone, the red tide bloom has been killing fish in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Thursday, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said the city had been seeing fewer dead fish surfacing along its eastern shoreline in downtown. However, the west side of St. Pete – where the beaches are – is beginning to experience the greater impact.
County crews, contractors and community partners have been working long hours to clean up the mess.
The scope of the environmental issue has been pulling city resources away from other responsibilities. For a month now, about 200 St. Pete employees have been hustling to clear dead fish and sea life from area waters. And, that's just within city limits. This has led to reductions in lawnmowing and maintenance efforts, while also delaying projects like construction and playground replacement work.
If you're helping collect dead fish on your own, St. Pete has seven drop sites where you can leave them in roll-off dumpsters that have been made available. They are as follows:
- Crisp Park
- Flora Wylie Park
- Lassing Park
- Demen’s Landing Park
- Grande View Park
- Bay Vista Park
- Maximo Park
Click here for a red tide dumpster locations map from Pinellas County.
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