Levels of red tide lowest off Broward
Test results show higher concentration off Palm Beach and Miami-Dade
Red tide test results Friday brought good news to Broward County and bad news to northern Palm Beach County, while the latest forecast called for the toxic algae to remain in South Florida at least through early next week.
Water samples revealed only low or very low levels of red tide off Broward County, despite the hundreds of dead fish that have washed ashore, according to results posted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Red tide concentrations in the low range, which would affect only those with respiratory problems, were found off Hallandale Beach and Dr. Von D. Mizell Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach. Very low levels were found off Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood.
“I think it’s really positive news for Broward County,” said Jennifer Jurado, Broward County’s director of environmental planning and community resilience. “We remain very vigilant, and we’re go--
ing to proceed with a comprehensive monitoring program.
“Hopefully, the results will continue to reveal low and decreasing concentrations, and hopefully that will be the extent of what we experience.”
Northern Palm Beach County, however, chalked up a red tide concentration in the high range at Carlin Park, just south of the Jupiter Inlet.
A high range means that the red tide could cause intense symptoms — primarily respiratory problems, coughing and throat irritation — among the general population. Other sites in Palm Beach County tested in the moderate or low range.
Normally found only on the Gulf coast, red tide rode the current that runs through the Florida straits that veers up the east coast. Detected in South Florida last weekend, the toxic algae caused sunbathers to experience coughing and sneezing, killed fish and led to fears that tourists would be scared off.
Several South Florida beaches reopened Friday. Lake Worth opened its beach, saying in a tweet “patrons will be allowed in the ocean but they swim at their own risk, a red and purple flag will be flying indicating high hazard posed by a marine organism #RedTide.”
All beaches managed by Palm Beach County reopened. All Broward beaches remain open. Miami-Dade County reopened beaches that had been closed north of Haulover Inlet, but said “the Florida Department of Health continues to advise people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to avoid red tide areas.”
A forecast released Friday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says we can expect moderate red tide conditions through at least Tuesday from northern Miami-Dade County through St. Lucie County. Moderate conditions means that it could affect people with chronic respiratory conditions, with mild symptoms for most others.
The wildlife commission has begun posting an interactive map showing red tide locations, which will be updated daily.
Red tide is caused by high concentrations of a microscopic algae called Karenia brevis that emits toxins that can kill fish, dolphins and other marine life, as well as go airborne and reach people on the beach. But a red tide does not necessarily mean you shouldn’t go in the water, and many people swim during red tides and experience only mild symptoms.
Although the governor and state agencies constantly refer to red tide as “naturally occurring,” scientists say the large Gulf coast bloom that spawned South Florida’s red tide may have been made significantly bigger from fertilizers washing Florida farms and cities.
The red tide on the Gulf coast has lasted a year. But the few times the algae has rounded to the peninsula to the Atlantic coast, it hasn’t lasted long.