Thanks Patrick. Much appreciated! Hopefully it will hold out until after I get there this weekend...or for a lot longer, for your sake.

TAMPA BAY, Treasure Island. Lots of red tide here now (June 15), since Tropical Storm Arlene brought five days of strong winds from the south, blowing the tide northward to our area. The last two days, many dead fish, coughing tourists, and you can smell it in the air when you leave the house. This is still not being reported on the Mote Marine Red Tide Update Page...

Yechhh!!! Go away!

Would it be possible to get an update on the Red tide situation around Sarasota, in particular Siesta Key? Thanks very much!

In St. Pete, red tide is bad, now in Tampa Bay around St. Pete, as well as out on the beaches. You can smell it when you walk outside the house, into the garage, etc. News is saying it's the worst red tide in Tampa Bay itself since the 1970's, and it lasted for months back then. We are leaving for the mountains in a couple days to get some real fresh air!

any more updates to this thread?

Just got back from Naples and the Red Tide has struck again. Stayed by the beach with grand plans of taking the kids there to play but the dead fish and smell were overwelming. We did make it down to Marco one day and had better luck with the beach but tried again a second day the the dead fish had hit there too.

I read in the paper on Saturday that the experts think it could stick around in the Naples area for a while.

Weimer, sorry about your bad experience! I believe this is new for Naples. Hopefully Patrick will post and give us an update, maybe Rita knocked it back a bit. Here on Treasure Island (about 150 miles north) it is GONE!!!! For the first time in six months!

I guess this is the silver lining to hurricanes. Not much compensation for those in the path, I know...

Not new in Naples, but we have avoided it for about a year now as I recall. Yes, it is here now. Not pleasant. Depending on the way the wind is blowing, we can or can't sit on our screened "balcony/terrace" to have dinner. We live 9 blocks from the beach!

Hello Patrick, do you call the screened balcony/terrace a Florida Room? I always think of my late SIL and her Florida Room, it was a screened room actually on the patio, overlooking the swimming pool and the lawn and garden. One could sit outside but not be bothered by bugs etc. because of the tight woven screens. Of course that didn't help if there was the RedTide problem. Take good care.

I think of a Florida Room as being at ground level -- in a house. And actually I usually think of a Florida Room as an enclosed room, usually with joulasie or awning style windows on three sides, not just screened. We call a screened area like that a lanai.

I have a three story townhouse, so my screened "room" -- tiny actually -- is on the second floor (the French would call it the first floor).

My grandparents, one set of whom moved to Bradenton (well, actually Palmetto - they moved to Bradenton a couple years later)in 1910 and the other set in 1924, always called their screened porches a porch, as did everyone else. I read an aritcle in the Sarasota paper a couple years ago that a builder in that town came up with the term "lanai". This was after air-conditioning became more widespread, because she (I remember it as being a "she") also lowered ceiling heights - you didn't have to worry about heat and it was more energy efficient. I think "Florida room" with jalousie windows as a '50s thing, also, although some of the Boom era ('20s) houses in our neighborhood have them. It seems to correspond to what my (Ohio) in-laws call a sun room.

Patrick and adeewbstr, thank you! I never did "get" what a Florida Room was although I sure enjoyed the enclosed patio that my SIL had in Long Boat Key. But I thought of this great screened patio as a "lanai". Again, thanks for clarifying what a Florida Room is. Best wishes to you both.

I have a trip planned to Naples at the end of October. Is the red tide that bad that I should consider going somewhere else.

I am staying at the RC Golf resort but would like to spend time at the beach.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I was at the beach this morning in "downtown" Naples. I was totally unaware of any red tide (and trust me I usually start coughing when I get near it). Perhaps our recent attack of red tide has already cleared -- but the reports still show some very low traces as of a couple days ago in some areas, but "no presence" in others.
I hate to stick my neck out like this, but I think you'll be fine.

Patrick,

Thanks so much for the reply. I am not coming to Naples for another month, so hopefully there won't be any problems. I have never been to Naples before so I am really looking forward to it. Thanks again.

Does anyone have red tide info on sanibel -- we will be there at the end of next week and I am worried, as my husband has asthma...am just now hearing about this!

Hi

I'm heading down to the west coast of Florida and just spoke to my neighbor on Longboat Key. He tells me that the bloom is still creating a problem around Longboat and Anna Maria. Hopefully it will be gone soon.

The Chambers and rental agents do not know when this will go out to sea or when it will come back. This is not an honesty problem - it's a problem that comes ashore at times and sometimes stays awhile.

I can see how frustrated you can be having your vacation ruined by something like this especially if you have breathing problems.

But look at the side of the people who own properties where this occurs - there's nothing they can cancel.

We are heading to Sarasota this January. Any predictions on the red tide at that time? Thanks!