Shocking news that the State of Florida has issued a state of emergency for the annual red tide event happening in the southwestern portion of west Florida. What makes this event so unusual? It sounds inaccurate to suggest that this has been going on for 10 months. It’s doubtful that we had a K. brevis prevalence worth noting before the water temperatures got above 85 degrees. According to one news outlet funding will go to Pinellas in addition to affected counties. Pinellas hasn’t had red tide at all this summer, and we were surfing just three days ago without any red tide. With funding in place what type of uses will it go towards? It’s likely that it will be spent on discretionary expenditures, cleanup, things of that nature, when in reality we should be putting the money into prevention. Check out the red tide state of emergency declaration.
Tag Archives: state of emergency
Hurricane Irma Closures
Hurricane Irma is making landfall right now around 3:45pm on the Florida peninsula just south of Naples. Its projected path brings the eye over the densely populated area of west central Florida. The forecast of this storm brings potentially serious impacts to Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area. It’s prompted many closures. In fact, much of state’s economy has gone completely silent. Everything is closed from gas stations, to grocery stores, to industrial districts. Continue reading Hurricane Irma Closures
Hurricane Irma: Sandbags in Pinellas County
Sandbag distribution locations were opened today in response to Hurricane Irma for unincorporated parts of Pinellas County. These locations are being inundated with people looking for sandbags to protect their homes from flood and rainwater. Currently, the wait for sandbags is 2 hours. There’s a lot of sand according to the park ranger directing traffic, but if your in a low lying area it might be worth the wait, because the sand could run out like it did today in Clearwater. Sandbags will help with Continue reading Hurricane Irma: Sandbags in Pinellas County