Port St. Joe, Fla. -The Florida Department of Health in Gulf County (DOH-Gulf) is notifying the public of red tide blooms near Patton Bayou (at the end of 16th street), Black’s Island, and Blue Water Drive (Cape San Blas, Gulf side).
The previous health alerts for red tide blooms at the following locations remain in place.
· Salina’s Park (Gulf side)
· Crescent Palms Drive (Salina’s Park Bay side)
· Stump Hole
· Cape Palms Park, public access beach
· Dunes Drive, public access beach
· St. Joseph Peninsula State Park (Gulf side)
· Eagle Harbor Boat Ramp (Bay side of St. Joseph Peninsula State Park)
· George Core Park (Jetty Park Drive)
· Pig Island
These alerts will remain in effect until further notice. Surrounding counties are experiencing similar advisories, so please be aware of beach water conditions near you.
Some people may have mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms. Some individuals with breathing problems such as asthma might experience more severe symptoms. Usually symptoms go away when a person leaves the area or goes indoors. Health officials recommend that people experiencing these symptoms stay away from beach areas or go into an air-conditioned space. If symptoms do not subside, please contact your health care provider for evaluation.
The Department recommends that you:
· Do not swim around dead fish at this location.
· If you have chronic respiratory problems, be careful and consider staying away from this location as red tide can affect your breathing.
Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish and distressed or dead fish from this location. If fish are healthy, rinse fillets with tap or bottled water and throw out the guts.
Keep pets and livestock away from water, sea foam and dead sea life.
Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (making sure that the A/C filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications).
If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.
Florida Poison Control Centers have a toll-free 24/7 Hotline for reporting of illnesses, including health effects from exposure to red tide at 1-800-222-1222.
Please visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research website for additional information on the locations where red tide has been found: myfwc.com/research/redtide/statewide/.
Frequently asked questions about red tide can be found at this link: https://myfwc.com/research/redtide/faq/
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