DOH in Lee gives the all’s-clear sign after several weeks of red tide beach advisories

All the red tide signs are pointing at a dying outbreak as cell counts have dropped to background level across much of Southwest Florida.

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County Tuesday (Feb. 18) rescinded several beach advisories that have been posted in the past several weeks for places ranging from Bowman’s Beach on Sanibel Island to Bokeelia (on Pine Island) and Bonita Beach.

Collier County waters were less impacted during this outbreak, although fish kills were reported there.

Sanibel Island was at the center of the bloom for several weeks, and cell counts there got as high as 20 million cells per liter.

Scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, say fish kills and breathing irritation in birds, marine mammals and humans can begin once levels reach 10,000 cells per liter.

“It’s looking way better,” said City of Sanibel spokesman Eric Jackson. “It looks like it’s pretty much done, and that’s really good news.”

Jackson said the tourism season feels like it’s back to almost normal after several years of dealing with Hurricane Ian beach closures and reconstruction.

“People are really out on the island and it’s bumper-to-bumper traffic for daytrips,” Jackson said. “It’s so different than last year because of all the beach construction.”

Both Lee and Collier waters tested clean of toxins during the latest round of sampling conducted by FWC.

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FWC’s latest reports show moderate levels of red tide in the Sarasota area and near Key West.

At its peak several weeks ago, the bloom stretched from the Tampa Bay area to the Florida Keys.

It occasionally will show up along the East Coast and even the Panhandle, but that’s typically when conditions are really bad here in Southwest Florida.

What is red tide in SW Florida?

• Red tide is a name given to toxic algal blooms that have occurred in the eastern Gulf since history was first documented here.

• The toxins come from the Karenia brevis organism, which exists here naturally at background levels.

• Outbreaks typically occur between October and February, although scientists say blooms are stronger, longer-last and more frequent in duration than they were in the 1960s because of manmade inputs like excess nutrients from farms and urbanized areas.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers beaches, Gulf appear to be clearing of toxic red tide