Multiple Red Tide/Cyanobacteria Warnings Posted For SW Florida - Beaches, Boat Ramps, Parks [View all]

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As Lee County commissioners plead with the feds to protect the Caloosahatchee and its estuary from excessive Lake Okeechobee releases, health officials are cautioning people to stay away from the water at three popular freshwater boat launches. At the same time, at least five coastal beaches are under red tide alerts.

The one-two environmental punch is starting to look alarmingly like what scientist Paul Cox calls “the toxic vise,” conditions that reached crisis stage in 2018, when then-Gov. Rick Scott declared dual states of emergency.

Lee County health department spokeswoman Tammy Yzaguirre said red tide-tainted sites currently noted include:

Sanibel’s Tarpon Bay Road Beach and Lighthouse Beach Park
Lover’s Key State Park
Bonita Springs Beach Park
Lynn Hall Beach Park on Fort Myers Beach.

Warnings about blue-green algae (also called cyanobacteria) blooms are at three east Lee sites, Yzaguirre said:

Davis boat ramp in Fort Myers Shores
W.P. Franklin Lock in Olga
Alva boat ramp

All three places are well-used by anglers, pleasure cruisers and jet boaters. Despite the red-topped warning signs, river traffic was brisk throughout the weekend and overflow boat trailers had to park at the Alva Post Office.

EDIT

What really concerns Cox and his team in Southwest Florida "are periodic releases of nutrient- and cyanobacteria-laden waters from Lake Okeechobee," the researcher told the Naples Council on World Affairs earlier this month. Cox directs Wyoming’s Brain Chemistry Labs, but his research on algae toxins and neurodegenerative illness keep Southwest Florida centered in his work, which has been highlighted in scientific journals and the national media alike, including in Fortune magazine. “We’ve been concerned health officials in the state of Florida have not been giving prompt and accurate information to the citizens on the presence of these toxins and the threats they pose," Cox said.

EDIT

https://www.news-press.com/story/tech/science/environment/2021/05/24/red-tide-blue-green-algae-bloom-warnings-issued-southwest-florida/5243024001/