I Traded Long Island Traffic For White Sand Beaches And Ended Up With Red Tide

By Stacy Altherr

Red Tide: The Struggle is Real (and Smelly)

Photo courtesy of ABC Action NewsTwo years ago, I left my home in Miller Place for the sunny west coast shores of Sarasota, Florida. I was thrilled to leave behind two-hour commutes and white-knuckle snowstorm driving for the turquoise waters and warm white sands of Siesta Key and Sarasota.

The views all over town are just stunning; dolphins and pelicans frolicking in the waters, sunsets that take your breath away, and bright blue skies with paperwhite clouds above. They call it “Paradise’ for a reason.

Then, sometime in the middle of July, the usual turquoise waters took on a rather dull green hue. It was gradual in the beginning, but within a week or two, toxic red tide algae bloom, or karenia brevis, had swallowed up the coastal waters, stretching 150 miles at one point; from Naples to Clearwater Beach along the Gulf Coast. There’s nothing new about red tide – there was an outbreak when I got here in the summer of 2016 and there is textual evidence it was around in the 1700s – but what is different now, say many, is the severity and the effect it is having on life here on the Gulf Coast.

Why so bad this time? That is being argued by scientists, residents and politicians alike. Some say that it is a natural occurring phenomenon, while others say nature is being exacerbated by pollution led by lax environmental controls by state leadership. One thing is true. Something is feeding the toxic red tide monster, making it bloom bigger and stronger and more resilient. 

Larry Brand, a professor of marine biology and ecology at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, was quoted in the New York Times last week saying red tides are about 15 times worse than they were 50 years ago, and this year’s bloom is exacerbated by pollutants discharged from Lake Okeechobee, to the north and inland of Sarasota, as well as other environmental factors.

The discharge from Lake Okeechobee is not causing red tide, but can be making it worse, scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory in Longboat Key said at Thursday local public meeting, also noting there is no quick fix for the problem.

The consequence of red tide is evident all along the shoreline and beyond. Here in the Sarasota area, small dead fish that normally wash up during red tide are now so numerous they are being forklifted and hauled away by the tons.  Larger sea life, such as dolphins, loggerhead turtles, manatees, and even sharks, are also washing up onshore- killed by the deadly neurotoxins produced by the red tide.  The smell is something so horrific, it is impossible to tolerate more than a few moments at a time; like a carful of teenage boys after an intense summer sports workout that just ate tacos. And it causes respiratory issues, even several hundred feet away from the beach. Some of the local shellfish are off limits because of the neurotoxins in the red tide, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Needless to say, this is not the place people want to spend their hard-earned vacation dollars right now, so August became a bust for the end of the summer tourist season. I own a small café on Longboat Key, a beautiful beachside community just north of the city of Sarasota, and, while it is usually slower this time of year, is a virtual ghost town. My sales are down an average of 60 percent this month. 

I am not the only one hurting, of course. The whole Gulf Coast is reliant on tourism, and even Siesta Key – often named the Number One beach in the country – is empty. One hotel is offering two night free to anyone who spends $250 in town shops and restaurants. Beachy restaurants that often have waiting lists have just a few patrons. 

Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency, which may seem odd to those up north, but the effect of red tide is about as damaging to businesses as a hurricane. State officials have noted that money will be used to help small businesses, but when I call, they are only offering no-interest bridge loans of 180 days. Not much of a help.

And as sorry as I feel for me, I feel worse for those tourists who didn’t get the memo (mostly Europeans) and came here only to be struck by the smell and sight of the red tide. They come to my café looking so sad, so I do my best to give them options other than the beach.

The winds are shifting, literally, out of the east now, and as of today, the air seems clearer. Some of us are hoping for a hurricane or tropical storm to break up the mucus strand of toxic algae that doesn’t want to leave our shores, and praying it all disappears in time to save our all-important winter season. At some point, this will be gone and we will have our gorgeous beaches back, with tourists and snowbirds alike, streaming into our cafes and shops. We will be back to normal, we hope, but what about the next red tide occurrence? How can we mitigate it now so it doesn’t come back?

Stacey Altherr is a former Newsday reporter now living in Sarsasota, Florida. Her beats included Smithtown, where she covered governmental affairs.  She now runs a café in Longboat Key near her home and writes freelance. Altherr has won many awards, including a 2010 Society of Silurian Award for community service journalism for a multi-part series, “Heroin Hits Main Street,” and a third-place National Headliner Award for public service for a multi-part year-long investigation on spending at fire districts on Long Island.