Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Red tide confirmed
Test results show toxic algae bloom has reached Palm Beach County
Red tide — the environmental nightmare with its toxic punch — is now on both of Florida’s coastlines, west and east.
The naturally occurring toxic algae bloom that has killed fish and closed beaches on the state’s west coast has made its way to Palm Beach County.
It’s rare for red tide to reach South Florida and other parts of the east coast, but it does happen. And now some in Broward are wondering if it has reached their county, too.
Red tide has been documented on the east coast eight times since the 1950s, most recently in 2007.
Red tide has had a devastating effect on Florida’s Gulf Coast in the past year, killing fish and closing beaches. No one could say Monday whether the phenomenon would spread across South Florida — or disappear quickly as it did in 2007. Red tides on the east coast typically don’t last as long as those on the Gulf Coast, experts say.
Each of the eight times that red tide surfaced on the east coast, it originated in the Gulf of Mexico and was carried east by currents.
“It’s almost exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Kelly Richmond, a spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “It can be transported around the Gulf as coastal waters move with winds
“My eyes were burning. I was coughing. I thought, ‘It has to be red tide.’ I’ve never seen this in Broward County ever.”
Martin Pilote, a Southwest Ranches resident
and currents. It can make it into the Atlantic Ocean and has been carried as far north as Delaware.”
Some people experience coughing, sneezing, tearing and an itchy throat when red tide is in the water and winds blow onshore.
Beachgoers complaining of burning eyes and throats prompted Palm Beach County officials to close several beaches Saturday night.
On Monday, preliminary test results indicated the presence of red tide off the coast of Palm Beach County. State officials didn’t say Monday whether they planned to test waters off the coast of Broward. Late Monday, Deerfield Beach officials confirmed the state had done testing in their city and expected results back Wednesday.
Because the levels of red tide were low in Palm Beach County, the beaches will reopen Wednesday. However, experts advise people with respiratory conditions, including emphysema and asthma, to avoid red tide areas.
“We’ve detected low to medium concentrations of naturally-occurring red tide in water samples taken Sunday off the coast of Palm Beach County,” said Susan Neel, a spokeswoman with the wildlife commission. “We will enhance our monitoring and testing. The concentrations we’ve observed in this isolated area are lower than the high concentrations observed on the Gulf Coast.”
Several beaches from Lake Worth all the way to the Martin County line were closed Saturday night as part of a 48-hour health advisory.
On Monday morning, Delray Beach joined the brigade of beaches warning people with respiratory allergies to stay away.
Red hazard flags went up before 10 a.m., and signs warned not to go in the water due to a possible respiratory irritant along the shoreline.
Lifeguards in Boca Raton were keeping a close eye on things Monday, city spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson said.
“Right now we are monitoring the situation very closely,” she said. “Our Ocean Rescue chief has been in touch with all the lifeguards, and so far we have not had any complaints.”
If that changes, Boca Raton officials plan to send out alerts warning people with respiratory issues to stay away.
Like other cities along the Palm Beach County coastline, Lake Worth’s beach was closed on Monday. People hoping to walk onto Lake Worth’s beach Monday were met by lifeguards in surgical masks warning them to stay off the sand and out of the water.
“We are advising people who have respiratory allergies to stay away,” city spokesman Ben Kerr said. “But the restaurants are still open.”
So far, experts say it has not affected beaches in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
But in Hollywood, some beach maintenance workers were complaining of throat irritation over the weekend, said city spokeswoman Raelin Storey.
And Martin Pilote, a Southwest Ranches resident who went to Hollywood beach on Sunday, says he developed a cough and watery eyes 30 minutes after arriving.
“My eyes were burning,” he said Monday. “I was coughing. I thought, ‘It has to be red tide.’ I’ve never seen this in Broward County ever.”
Kim Swidarski said she wonders whether red tide has made its way to Fort Lauderdale, too.
“I did a group bike ride Friday evening and we rode in the street along the beach for a couple miles,” she said. “Me and about five others started coughing. My eyes watered to the point I had to remove my eyeglasses. And I got a random headache.”