Pinellas County Activates Reporting Tool For Red Tide Cleanup Requests

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County has activated an online tool for reporting large numbers of dead fish due to red tide.

The tool is for all areas of the county, except the City of St. Petersburg, which has its own reporting portal.

To access the county tool, go to www.pinellascounty.org/redtide and click on “Pinellas County Red Tide Reporter.” From there, click on “Submit a Report” to add the location, type of problem, comments, contact information and photos. Location information can be provided by either typing in an address or creating a point on the map.

“This simple tool speeds up the response to clean up large quantities of dead fish,” said Pinellas County Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy.

Residents are asked to report only dead fish numbering in the hundreds or thousands that are found in the open water or on public property. For smaller quantities and on private property, residents can dispose of them through their regular trash or in a designated dumpster. Dumpster locations are shown at www.pinellascounty.org/redtide.

Residents are still encouraged to report fish kills to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC conducts important monitoring of the impacts of K brevis on various species. Fish kills can be reported to FWC through the FWC Reporter app, by calling 800-636-0511 or by submitting a report online.

Red tide remains present in low to high concentrations along the beaches from Fort DeSoto Park to Honeymoon Island, as well as within the Intracoastal Waterway and Tampa Bay. The county’s contractor now has 16 vessels conducting cleanup.

As of Thursday, 902 tons of red tide-related debris had been removed.

This press release was produced by the Pinellas County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.