What to know about red tide after Florida’s back-to-back hurricanes

Associated Press/Report for America

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 of the state’s southwest coast. Red tides occur when algae grow out of control and produce harmful toxins that can kill fish and sicken people and pets. Some researchers say that hurricanes can make the blooms worse by dumping rains that fuel runoff that feeds microorganisms or by even steering the plumes ashore. Satellite imagery shows a bloom of algae extending along Florida’s coastline near Tampa, though researchers caution that Hurricanes Helene and Milton have delayed sampling to confirm the findings.