Sarasota County reports beaches are free of red tide

County leaders have removed red tide advisory signs on all 16 Sarasota beaches, indicating water sampling by the Florida Department of Health-Sarasota shows no sign of the microscopic karenia brevis organism responsible for the blooms.

“Enjoy the Beach!” signs replaced the “Red Tide Present” advisories at the beaches this week.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that a patchy bloom remains offshore Pinellas County, and high concentrations of karenia brevis were reported offshore Charlotte County. But in 25 gulf and bay shoreline sampling locations from the northern tip of Anna Maria Island to Manasota Beach south of Venice, testing this week found either no concentrations of red tide or background levels.

Monitoring will continue at testing sites and if concentrations rise, new advisories will be posted.

County officials on July 13 raised the first advisory that red tide was present on all 16 county beaches, indicating that aerosol effects and dead fish were widely reported in various concentrations. Longboat Key officials had come to the same conclusion days earlier, and initial reports of some beaches affected by red tide were received as early April.