Newsletter 89

NEWS FROM THE SUNCOAST

A YEAR OF RED TIDE

A year has passed since state officials first reported signs of red tide in Sarasota Bay. But unlike many previous blooms, this year’s has hung on through summer and fall, with only weak signs of abating as the new year approaches. Karenia brevis, the organism that causes red tide, still lingers along Florida’s southwest coast. As recently as Tuesday, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission found over 1 million cells of K. brevis per liter of seawater in a sample taken off Lido Key. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported fish kills and moderate respiratory irritation from Clearwater to Port Charlotte Thursday. To read more on this story, courtesy of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, please click here: Red Tide Persists

REDUCING MYTHS ABOUT RED TIDE

A science-based panel discussion aims to cut through the misinformation swirling around the red tide and blue-green algae blooms that have plagued Southwest Florida. A persistent red tide bloom in the Gulf of Mexico killed tons of fish last summer, and is also blamed for the deaths of dozens of manatees and dolphins. The yearlong Karenia brevis bloom has released noxious airborne toxins and discolored Gulf water, fouling some area beaches along the Southwest Florida coast. Abbey Tyrna, the University of Florida’s Sarasota County water resources extension agent, invited five panelists to discuss the issue recently at Ringling College of Art & Design’s Academic Center Auditorium.There’s more on this story here: Red Tide Forum

EFFORT TO STARVE RED TIDE

Local stormwater utilities have set a trap for trash and nutrients that foster red tide to keep them from reaching Sarasota Bay. A uniquely designed baffle box filters organic matter, garbage and sediment pouring into a three-chamber filtration system placed underneath 10th Street near the Centennial Park and Boat Ramp in April. The box was intended to protect the boat basin, which was hydrologically dredged of about 20,000 tons of silt earlier this year. It will also help to keep nitrogen and nutrients that exacerbate red tide blooms out of coastal waters. Click here if you want to read more: Storm Water Trap

TOURISM CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER ALGAE & STORM

The state’s tourism-marketing arm wants to send a message to potential visitors: Hurricane damage and fish-killing red tide aren’t affecting the whole Sunshine State. The Visit Florida Board of Directors recently approved a $8.89 million marketing campaign intended to address the hurricane and red tide issues and protect the state’s brand by stressing what is open across the state. The agency has been using Facebook to post videos of parts of the Panhandle that weren’t hammered by Hurricane Michael on October 10, and launched a website to provide information outlining what is open, said Staci Mellman, Visit Florida’s interim chief marketing officer. Please follow the jump for more on this story: Marketing to Counter Storms

COUNTY APPROVES LAND DEAL FOR MOTE

Mote Marine Laboratory’s dream to construct a state-of-the-art, architecturally stunning $130 million aquarium at Nathan Benderson Park is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Sarasota County Commission recently unanimously approved the terms of an agreement to allow Mote Marine to build a multilevel aquarium for a bargain on nearly 12 acres of land at the park, just west of Interstate 75. The nonbonding term sheet approved by the commission gives the board the option to either lease the land for a new aquarium for $100 a year or sell it for the same nominal price. There’s more on this story here: Mote Land Deal

MADE FOR METERS

Controversial paid parking is making a comeback to downtown several years after protests from merchants who decried the meters, claiming they are business killers. The Sarasota County Commission recently narrowly approved the implementation of paid parking on Main Street and South Palm Avenue to balance a projected $633,912 deficit the parking division’s budget is facing this fiscal year. The hot-button issue in the past has sparked outrage from merchants who claim paid parking deters business and sparked protests in which opponents of parking meters once wore paper bags on their heads reading "bag ’em". In 2012, the city’s entire paid parking program was terminated by a divided commission a year after it was implemented. Click here for more: Paid Parking Again

A GOOD YEAR FOR SEA TURTLES

Beachgoers this summer came across hundreds of sea turtles stranded or killed by red tide. From last November to October 24, 531 turtles were found stranded along the Southwest Florida coast. But the reptiles remained unfazed. Loggerhead and green sea turtles laid 3,151 nests from Longboat Key to Venice this nesting season, the third-highest total in almost four decades of tracking. The only years to top 2018’s nest total were 2016 and 2017, with more than 4,500 nests for each season. "We attribute most of the increase that we’ve seen just to the age of the program and other programs like ours in the area," Mote Marine biologist Melissa Bernhard said. "It takes turtles about 25-30 years to reach maturity, and our program has been up for 37 years … those effects are starting to be seen now." If you’d like to learn more, click here: Sea Turtles

THE QUEST FOR CLAWS

While red tide hasn’t been linked to any stone crab die-off, a researcher studying the unique Florida fishery says patchy harmful algae and warmer water is playing a role in the slow start to the harvest season. Phillip Gravinese, a post-doctoral researcher at Mote Marine Laboratory, says crabs exposed to high concentrations of the red tide organism, for a prolonged time become stressed, stop eating and die. "Specifically, near shore and shallower habitats, we get this hypoxic or low oxygen water that happens about a week after a red tide patch passes," he says. The edible parts of crabs, shrimp and lobsters are not affected by the red tide organism and can be eaten, according to the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. There’s more here: Slow Snow Crab Harvest