SARASOTA (970 WFLA) -- There are signs that some beaches may be getting relief from the red tide.
At an online forum by Sarasota County Government, officials said beaches in north county are seeing fewer cases of dead fish and respiratory irritation, while south county beaches still show minor signs of irritation and fish kills. "But in general, we're in a better state today than we were earlier in the week," Nicole Rissler with county government said.
In Manatee County, the executive director of the Bradenton area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Elliot Falcioni, says he went to Anna Maria Island and says he found clean beaches and clean air, with no smells and only a few dead fish. But Mote Marine's observation network shows "intense" red tide conditions at the nearby public beach in Holmes Beach.
There's no doubt that businesses in the beach towns of Manatee and Sarasota counties have taken a hit from red tide. Erin Duggan with Visit Sarasota County says hotels have seen a five to ten percent decrease comapred with the same time a year ago. At Anna Maria Island, bookings are reported to be off as much as 50 percent.
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