Anna Maria Red Tide

[Alyson]

Really sad to see that the dreaded red tide is in full bloom on Anna Maria Island and lots of other gulf coast areas. Lots and lots of dead fish washing up on the shore

Selfishly hoping that by the time we go it's cleared, but realise this can last weeks or even months

[Guest]

We're arriving there on Saturday for nearly a week before moving on to Orlando. I am so upset and worried about it.

I phoned our travel insurance providers this morning who said that if we abandon our trip we will only be covered if we travel home and not onto other accommodation so we won't get any of our money back if we have to leave the island and book in somewhere else before we go on to Florida. I'm concerned as our daughter suffers from very mild asthma and I don't want this to trigger it. If we cancel now we won't get any money back from Sunrise Garden Resort where we are staying as it is outside of their cancellation period.

I'm just checking the MOTE beaches website and internet daily for further updates.

[singerella]

It is a worry isn't it? We're arriving on the island next friday but am not hopeful that it is going to be as blissful as it has been for us previously. We absolutely loved it there on our last trips and won't be able to get back there for a fair few years after this trip so was determined to make this extra special. Fact is, we're now looking for things to do as far away from the beach as possible! It will always be a special place for me though so I hope it doesn't taint things too much. Our goldfish died this week and my daughter was heartbroken, she's so sensitive and I know she'd be distraught if she saw the masses of dead sealife that has been reported. Good job the whole vibe of AMI is as wonderful as its beaches so sure we'll manage to make the most of it

[wensleydale6]

We are due to be at Ami 25th to the 31st, and can cancel up to 7 days before, we get £900 back from the £1400 it’s cost us, which would cover going somewhere else, but I want to give Ami every chance as we’ve never been and we’re really looking forward to the chill out, the beaches and the fish, don’t know what to do for the best :-(

[Ryles]

We arrive on the 26th Aug. 3 nights AMI and 3 nights st Petes. I can’t cancel either hotel so we are still planning on going. Got to say though I’m gutted! 😕

[Moorlandman]

We were there on Saturday and it made all 4 of us cough repeatedly. Sea was murky green

[ChrisS]

As a winter SW Fl snowbird I'm so sorry that this bloody eco devastation is causing angst for so many, particularly the residents of South Florida. It's horrific and has seen the death of one beach worker on 'clean-up'. The Army Corp of Engineers closed the gates for around 9 days, and just as some were seeing a slight improvement, the Corps opened them up again yesterday! Unfortunately the open/closed gate situation will go on until such times as Lake O is stable around the 12 foot depth, which may be dependant on how severe the summer storms are.

Altho THIS video was taken mid July, you can see the toxic ridden filth that is being discharged East into the St Lucie Estuary and West into the Caloosahatchee River that feeds into Fort Myers, Cape Coral and SW Fl in general before discharging into the Gulf.

THIS was recently recorded by a lady in Cape Coral.

THIS video was recently recorded by WPLG (part of ABC)

I'm monitoring the situation closely plus friends give feedback most days - some of the photo's and video's are terribly harrowing. There are at least two other threads also covering this situation HERE and HERE.

[tinytots]

This is such sad news ! We are going to Clearwater at the end of the month. Is this area affected to ? thanks

[Moorlandman]

From what I have seen on the TV here in Florida, the pollutants from the sugar industry run into lake okeechobee and then into local rivers and the ocean due to heavy rains.

Some owners of expensive coastal properties are not happy so maybe something will change for future years, but the sugar industry plays a big part of the economy in southern Florida

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by tinytots

This is such sad news ! We are going to Clearwater at the end of the month. Is this area affected to ? thanks

See more...

Hiya TT, my guess is you'll be fine in the Clearwater area. I hope you have a smashing holiday

Originally Posted by Moorlandman

From what I have seen on the TV here in Florida, the pollutants from the sugar industry run into lake okeechobee and then into local rivers and the ocean due to heavy rains.

Some owners of expensive coastal properties are not happy so maybe something will change for future years, but the sugar industry plays a big part of the economy in southern Florida

See more...

Hi Moorlandman - unfortunately the combination of copious amounts of run-off from northern Fl, pesticides, all forms of animal/human detritus plus, as you said, US Sugar, all drain into Lake O. It doesn't help that the Lake O discharges are fresh water (somehow the word fresh is alien in this context) released into salt. If you saw the video I posted above you'll see how phosphorus and nitrogen have thrived and grown in the lake to develop algae blooms, once these cocktails of toxins were released (the vivid green and brown colours) red tide and cyanobacteria (aka blue-green algae) flourished, making for a devastating and dangerous eco-disaster that's killed innumerable sealife and mammals and led to many people becoming ill with respiratory/flu like symptoms, which can lead to dire consequences for asthma sufferers.

It'll eventually clear, albeit briefly as whilst red tide tends to occur between Oct to Feb, it's remained constant since last October with some of the worst sustained damage ever seen. I've never seen/heard South Floridians so angry, they're demanding changes, but due to huge financials the sugar company contributes to State politicians, citizens remain sceptical that plans to end the yearly Lake O onslaught will be minimal and take years to incorporate.