Town Beach Cleaning Policy

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Town Red Tide Cleaning Policy

Town Staff (Public Works with help from Fire & Police Staff) monitor the beach/bay for red tide conditions daily.

Town deployment of resources are based on the following criteria:

Town assessments of dead sea life concentrated volumes and lack of movement
- Dead sea life accumulations must meet moderate to heavy assessment levels which remain stationary after three to four tidal cycles to warrant need to deploy resources. Please note, the Town does not collect sea grasses or seaweed.
Weather conditions, including tidal action, wind speed/direction, and bloom conditions

If you see any dead, sick, or injured manatees and/or sea turtles, please call the Mote Marine Stranding number at 888-345-2335.

Note: The safety of staff and equipment is top priority. We seek favorable tidal conditions and weather patterns prior to engaging in any bay or Gulf side clearing.

Red Tide General Assessment Level Examples

Heavy
Moderate
Minor

Red Tide Heavy Level. Thousands of dead fish on shore.

Photos taken from Siesta Key, 2018
Photo obtained from http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/why-we-get-red-tide-blooms/article_937429a8-9722-11e8-8d40-0bd5194a0a9e

Town Recommendations

Self Clean-up

If dead sea life reaches your property and you choose to remove it, we recommend using strong garbage bags and double or triple bagging it. These bags can then be placed in or next to the green household waste carts or placed in the large dumpsters. If you are near Manatee County, you can take the trash to Coquina Beach where there are roll off dumpsters being emptied daily.

Dead sea life can also be buried on the beach however we ask that the material not be put into piles as our equipment cannot traverse over that (if we were to deploy beach-side). There are no rules against property owners burying dead sea life in front of their own property beneath the surface. Ensure proper depth to avoid re-exposure.

Boat Basins, Marinas, and/or Canals

We are encouraging the use of floating barriers for those with boat basins, marinas, and/or canals to assist as a preventive measure for dead sea life accumulations on the bay side.

We utilize one in Bayfront Park and purchased it from this vendor - https://www.memphisnet.net/category/fishing. Some groups use pool noodles strung together, others utilize turbidity curtains or floating booms around the perimeter of their canal to keep red tide debris from floating into the channel. Floating booms and turbidity curtains can be purchased online and at some local retailers.

Which Areas are Cleared by the Town?

General Areas NOT Cleared by the Town

Commercial Marinas and Private Boat Basins
Large bodies of water, such as large bayous, the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay
Longshore parallel areas
Mangrove and mangrove fringe areas
Low draft areas
Under and around docks, boat lifts, boats, etc.
Configuration of basin not conducive to allow safe Town boat navigation and efficient clearing efforts without damage to public or private property, and ensuring the safety of employees.

General Areas Cleared by the Town

Publicly maintained canals
- Canals abutting public street infrastructure
- Underlying property ownership

Specific Areas Historically Cleared by the Town

Areas NOT Historically Cleared by the Town

Bay Isles (all) including the Moorings
Island Court
Mobile Home Park
Twin Shores
Sutton Place
Longboat Harbor Condos
Windward Bay
5054 GMD
Cedars Canal
Spanish Main
Cannons Marina
Wake Island area
Large body of water behind Whitney Beach Plaza

Areas Historically Cleared by the Town

Country Club Shores canals
Buttonwood Harbor area
Longboat Estates canals
St. Jude’s, Tarawitt and Jungle Queen canals
Sleepy Lagoon canals
Bay Harbor Condominiums

Additional Information

For more detailed information regarding the Town's response to red tide and the Cleaning Policy please view:

The Town's Red Tide Response

Questions

For questions regarding the Town Cleaning Policy contact Public Works at 941-316-1988.

Helpful Links & Current Conditions

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Red Tide Current Status

Red Tide Daily Sample Map

Tools for Tracking Red Tides

Red Tide FAQ

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Experimental Red Tide Respiratory Forecast

Gulf of Mexico Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast - This web page contains a few different forecast tools

Mote Marine Laboratory

Mote Marine Beach Conditions Map

Florida Red Tide

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Algal Bloom Dashboard

Department of Health

Harmful Algae Blooms Information

Water Quality - Red Tide

Healthy Beaches - Water Quality - Sarasota County

Healthy Beaches - Water Quality - Manatee County

Report Dead/Injured Wildlife

For a dead, sick, or injured manatee or sea turtle, or if you would like to report a wildlife law violation, please call FWC's 24-hour Wildlife Alert Hotline - 888-404-3922 (toll-free)

To report fish kills, diseased fish, or fish with other abnormalities call 800-636-0511 (toll-free) or
Report a fish kill online.

Please do not call the FWC to request dead fish cleanup; local municipalities/counties are responsible for dead fish cleanup, usually only on public beaches.

When reporting dead or injured wildlife be prepared to leave a detailed report and contact information on the recorded message. If possible take a picture to email or include in the online report. A biologist will contact the caller, usually the following workday, if more information is needed.