Beach advisories lifted, red tide still lingers

Advisory sign

Six local beaches in Charlotte County were included in beach advisories issued last week on Monday, Oct. 17, but all warnings were lifted on Monday, Oct. 24.

From the north end of Manasota Key at Englewood Beach North to the beach at the Boca Grande Club, all showed bacterial contamination.

Weekly collected samples showed high concentrations of enteric (intestinal) bacteria.

On the south end of the island at Sea Grape Colony, the water had moderate amounts of enteric bacteria, but not in high enough concentrations to post advisory warnings.

Experts at the Florida Wildlife Commission say that red tide still lingers enough to tickle the nose and elicit an occasional cough, though it’s not as bad as it was. To check on the status of your favorite neighborhood beach, go to doh.state.fl.us.