Red Tide Is Rising At These Pinellas County Beaches

Red tide is rising at these Pinellas county beaches.  This is not good news as we are in Spring Break mode.  Lots of visitors are coming to our area right now and enjoying this awesome weather and the sand and beach.

However, if you head out to some of our beaches, you are finding red tide.  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is keeping a close eye on red tide that is popping up along the Gulf Coast.   They have detected Red tide  from Pinellas County all the way down to Monroe County over the last week.

It's normal to see red tide this time of year, even though it’s early in the calendar year.  The season typically starts in late summer, but can carry over into winter.   Beachgoers are experiencing hard time breathing, coughing, scratchy throat and headaches.  The smell is

The main concern with red tide are how it affects people’s health and wildlife. Even low to medium concentrations of red tide can cause respiratory irritation and dead fish.  There have been reports of dead fish in areas along our beaches.

It's a good idea to be mindful of the fact that there might be red tide around.  If you aren't feeling well, you should go inside the air conditioning as the A/C units are good at filtering out some of the toxins associated with red tide.

To find out which beaches have red tide you can click this link

Also, signs will be posted at beaches indicating that red tide levels are higher then normal.

VisitStPeteClearwater.com reported high levels of red tide at Pass-a-Grille Beach. Medium levels of red tide were detected at St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island beaches, Redington Shores and Indian Rocks Beach.

Low levels were detected at Madeira Beach and Fort De Soto Park's Gulf fishing pier.

Very low levels were found at Redington Beach and Clearwater Beach. At the last report, Sand Key Park, Belleair Beach and beaches north of Clearwater did not have measurable levels of red tide.   In addition, Tampa Bay and Old Tampa Bay were clear of red tide.

7 Florida beaches among 10 most dangerous in the country. While Florida is known for its stunning beaches, a study has shown that they are among the most dangerous in the country.

A publication by Travel Lens, selected a list of the 10 most dangerous beaches in the United States and 7 beaches are from Florida. In fact we have number 1, the most dangerous! The factors to qualify the beaches were: number of hurricanes, deaths from surfing and shark attacks. FYI there is water, currents, waves, sharks, storms, riptides, stingrays, jelly fish, and more. So, use your head. Have you been to all 7 Florida beaches? Source Yahoo News

#10 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Danger Score: 5.37 out of 10

#9 - Gulf Shores, Alabama
Danger Score – 5.38 out of 10.

#8 - Oak Island, North Carolina
Danger Score – 5.54 out of 10

#7 - Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Danger Score – 6.02 out of 10

#6 - Melbourne Beach, FL
Danger Score – 6.35 out of 10

#5 - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Danger Score – 6.61 out of 10

#4 - Panama City Beach, Florida
Danger Score – 7.16 out of 10

#3 - Ormond Beach, FL
Danger Score – 7.48 out of 10

#2 - Cocoa Beach, Florida
Danger Score – 7.57 out of 10

#1 - New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Danger Score – 8.14 out of 10