West coast algae may be sending tourists east
S. Florida officials eager to see occupancy rates
Toxic red tide and the air-fouling stench from hundreds of dead fish aren’t exactly good for tourism on Florida’s beaches.
But the bad news plaguing the Sunshine State’s west coast may be sending more travelers to the eastern side, local tourism officials say.
“We are benefiting from their misfortune,” said Glenn Jergensen, executive director of the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council. “The hoteliers are telling me their numbers are strong. Some of that has to do with folks on the west coast coming over here.”
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has been fielding calls from tourists wanting to know if the coast is clear, said Virginia Sheridan, a spokeswoman for the agency.
“We’ve been advising them that we don’t [have red tide] and that it’s a west coast issue,” Sheridan said. “That seemed to make everyone who was calling relieved and happy.”
A naturally occurring toxic algae in the Gulf of Mexico known as red tide has been killing fish,
turtles and manatees from Naples to
Tampa.
Dead fish — including grouper, trout, tarpon, eel and snook — have been found in Monroe, Pinellas, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier and Manatee counties.
The state’s struggling tourism industry, in a state of shellshock, prompted Florida Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency in August.
The toxic algae bloom overran Florida’s Gulf Coast this past summer.
Red tide returned to Pinellas County beaches on the Gulf Coast on Saturday, bringing with it an untold number of dead fish.
“There are just too many to count,” said Kelli Levy, director of environmental management for Pinellas County. “They’re stacked up.”
Officials with Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Tourism officials in South Florida say they’re anxious to see whether occupancy rates locally have increased over the summer.
The proof is in the numbers, and those won’t be in for another month.
“We won’t see the hotel occupancy numbers until October,” Jergensen said.