Red Tide Impacting Southwest Florida Beaches

Five months after the devastation of Hurricane Ian, and less than a week after touting its tourism comeback, Southwest Florida is facing another ecological disaster in red tide.

It’s caused by algae blooms that wash up on shores of the Gulf Coast periodically, and not only are they harmful to marine life—tons of dead fish have washed up on shores from Naples to Tampa—it also causes harmful respiratory problems in humans.

According to The News-Press, Fort Myers Beach officials have hauled off more than 10 tons of fish.

The timing of the red tide arguably couldn’t be worse with spring break travel season in full swing and temperatures nearing 90 degrees in the Southwest portion of Florida.