TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast who weathered back-to-back hurricanes now have something else to keep an eye on -– a possible plume of harmful algae in the waters off the state’s southwest coast. shows a bloom of algae extending along Florida’s western coastline near Tampa, though researchers caution that Hurricanes Helene and Milton have delayed regular sampling to confirm the findings.
Federal officials say there is currently “no risk of respiratory irritation” from red tide in Florida. occur when algae — plant-like organisms that live in salt and freshwater — grow out of control and produce harmful toxins that can and sicken people and pets. “It’s so dense that it actually discolors the water, right? Hence the red tide name,” said Beth Stauffer, a professor of biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
According to researchers, the main species responsible for the blooms along Florida’s Gulf Coast is Karenia brevis, a single-celled organism that produces a potent neurotoxin that can be suspended in the air near beaches and make people sick when they breathe it in. “(It) not only impacts some of the fish and manatees and some of the other marine mammals, but can impact human health through the toxin being aerosolized and hurting folks who have respiratory or autoimmune issues,” Stauffer said. Scientists say Florida’s back-to-back hits from Hurricanes Helene and Milton could be fueling the growth of toxic a.