Red Tide is present in southwest Florida again

From the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:

Current Conditions

The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, persists in Southwest Florida. Over the past week, K. brevis was detected in 34 samples. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in seven samples from Lee and Collier counties. Recent satellite imagery (2/15; NOAA, USF) indicates the presence of chlorophyll patches along and/or offshore of Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. One Northwest Florida sample had background levels of K. brevis. Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at very low concentrations in Sarasota County (in one sample), background to very low concentrations in Charlotte County (in four samples), background to medium concentrations in Lee County (in 17 samples), and very low to medium concentrations in and offshore of Collier County (in 11 samples).
• Samples from Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Monroe counties did not contain red tide.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Lee County; a fish kill was also reported in Collier County. For more details, please visit: https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/health/fish-kills-hotline.

Respiratory irritation was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida in Lee County. For current conditions, please visit: https://visitbeaches.org.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas to northern Monroe counties predict net northern transport of surface waters and minimal net movement of subsurface waters in most areas over the next four days.