Red Tide Status Update for February 14, 2025

Current Conditions
Over the past week, the red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 50 samples collected from Southwest Florida. Bloom concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were observed in 14 samples: one from Sarasota County, two from Charlotte County, 10 from Lee County, and one from Collier County. We continue to use chlorophyll satellite imagery (USF, NOAA NCCOS) to track offshore patches suspected to contain K. brevis. Based on satellite imagery from February 13, chlorophyll patches persist along and offshore of Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties. In comparison with prior weeks, chlorophyll patches have moved further northward and decreased somewhat in intensity.

Additional details are provided below.

• In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to very low concentrations in Pinellas County, very low concentrations in Hillsborough County, background to low concentrations in Manatee County, background to medium concentrations in Sarasota County, background to medium concentrations in Charlotte County, background to high concentrations in Lee County, very low to medium concentrations in Collier County, and very low concentrations offshore of Monroe County.
• In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.
• Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.

Fish kills suspected to be related to red tide were reported to FWC’s Fish Kill Hotline and other partners over the past week for Southwest Florida (Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties).

Respiratory Irritation suspected to be related to red tide was reported over the past week in Southwest Florida (Sarasota, Lee, Collier, and Monroe counties). For forecasts that use FWC and partner data, please visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Blooms Forecast.

Forecasts by the USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides for Pinellas County to northern Monroe County predict net northern movement of surface waters and net northwestern transport of subsurface waters in most areas over the next 3.5 days.

The next status report will be issued on Wednesday, February 19. Please check our daily sampling map, which can be accessed via the online status report on our Red Tide Current Status page. For more information on algal blooms and water quality, please visit Protecting Florida Together.

This information, including maps and reports with additional details, is also available on the FWRI Red Tide website. The website also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Florida Poison Information Center (to report human health effects related to exposure to red tide), and other wildlife related hotlines.

To learn more about various organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see the FWRI Red Tide Flickr page. Archived status maps can also be found on Flickr.       

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