FWC director, DEP secretary survey red tide conditions

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

MANATEE COUNTY - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) acting Executive Director Dr. Thomas Eason and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

Secretary Shawn Hamilton took part in a local flyover on March 13 to observe current red tide conditions and meet with stakeholders.

“Red tide blooms can cause significant impacts to our local communities,” Eason said. “On Tuesday, I joined DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton to view firsthand the current conditions affecting Southwest Florida. We met with local leaders to ensure we are providing the information, scientific data and assistance needed regarding red tide research and management.”

According to a prepared statement from FWC, “The state is taking an ‘allhands-on-deck’ approach to respond to the red tide impacting Florida’s west coast. The FWC, DEP and Florida Department of Health are working together to ensure a coordinated state response and are committed to coordinating with local governments to provide resources to assist in cleanup efforts and will continue to monitor the red tide bloom to ensure that all local needs are being met.”

“Earlier this week, I was able to view firsthand the impacts of the red tide bloom along Florida’s Gulf Coast,” Hamilton said. “Our coordinated state approach includes getting out to these impacted communities, speaking di- rectly to stakeholders and local leadership, and ensuring the state is providing them with the critical assistance they need to enhance their response efforts. Thanks to the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, DEP is able to provide funding assistance to our impacted communities for cleanup solutions.”

The FWC is monitoring a red tide bloom in the following counties: Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota, Pasco, Collier, Lee and Charlotte.

In the fiscal year 2022-23 budget, $4.8 million was earmarked for or directed to the Center for Red Tide Research at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg.

According to FWC’s prepared statement, “The center was created at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019 to improve statewide red tide monitoring techniques and conduct research to better track, predict and mitigate the effects of red tide on Florida communities. The Center for Red Tide Research brings together state and local governments, universities, private sector partners and citizen scientists to enhance statewide red tide monitoring and conduct applied research on red tide.”

Additionally, $5 million was appropriated for FY 2022-23 and another $5 million is proposed for FY 2023-24.

DEP began an outreach effort in November 2022 to counties along the west coast of Florida that were seeing red tide that resulted in fish kills.

For more information about red tide, visit MyFWC.com/research and click on “Red Tide” and ProtectingFloridaTogether. gov.

COVID-19 in Manatee County

MARCH 13

Cases NA

% Positivity 9.07%

Deaths 0

% Eligible population vaccinated 74.6% New hospital admissions 40

MARCH 20

Cases 165

% Positivity 9.64%

Deaths 0

% Eligible population vaccinated 74.6%

New hospital admissions 28

Manatee County community level of COVID-19 transmission

Source: Centers for Disease Control