BRADENTON -- Unlike last year, red tide is not a problem along Florida's west coast... but areas between Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor ARE seeing more of a type of blue-green algae normally seen in fresh water.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring the bloom. Deputy division director David Whiting says the filamentous cyanobacteria can normally be found in seagrass, but this year there's more of it than normal along the coast in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Whiting says it doesn't normally produce toxins, but could cause skin problems in more sensitive swimmers.
"Usually it would be contact dermatitis, meaning... they would get some kind of rash, bumps, itchiness," Whiting said. He urges people to stay out of, and keep pets out of, water contaminated with the algae.
This outbreak is not related to the type of blue-green algae that clogged Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers last year.
As far as possible causes or contributing factors, one hypothesis offered by scientists involves fish killed by last year's red tide outbreak providing nourishment for a blue-green algae bloom.
The DEP has a website to report sightings of the bloom.
Listen to Gordon Byrd's interview with David Whiting.