[r6991b]

Hello, looking into moving to Florida in the coming years and have only visited once, have been in both the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area as well as Bonita Springs, Ft Myers, and Tampa. It was very interesting going to the beach in Fort Myers, the general development of coastal Florida (west included) is beautiful and we were driving up to a gate when a security personnel told us to be careful of 'red tide', it was the first time I've heard of such a thing. Skin and lung irritation were the main warnings. We initially thought this was more of a warning for older people, but when we arrived to the beach we saw big unusual birds that turned out to be vultures, dead fish all over the shoreline, and we did end up coughing every few minutes. We did not attempt to go in the water. Our visit was in late December 2020, in case season matters. No such issues were present on the east side of Florida facing the ocean, and the water seemed more blue.

Fast forward, I decided to look deeper into this red tide issue, and there are a few explanations that I came across (both through research and by reaching my own conclusions, maybe some of these are incorrect so please let correct me if I'm wrong):

1. Closed bodies of water tend to have more pollution. When you look at the great lakes, smaller lakes, reservoirs, bays, etc they tend to be much more polluted. Reason being the proximity to land/humans, and less water being switched out with the greater ocean (although both the southern Pacific/Atlantic fair better with pollution than the north).
2. Fertilizer (nitrogen and phosphorus) of the midwest and deep south being dumped into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi river. This is one of the causes the red tide blooms and the Gulf of Mexico dead zone. It's a process of algae overgrowth, death, decomposition, and this whole process drains oxygen from the water causing red tide, fish deaths, and toxic water.
3. Before I touch on this point, please note I'm not a liberal or conservative, both have their pros and cons, but the deep south (LA, MS, AL, etc) and panhandle of Florida do not have the same level of conservation efforts of their liberal counterparts, meaning dumping and polluting isn't as regulated in these places. The infrastructure to handle waste isn't as developed or regulated either. This further promotes the degradation of the Gulf. Ironically California's water is also very polluted from the oil rigs, Asia's pollution, and Mexico's pollution near San Diego. They don't quite have the same issue Florida faces since less people go into the water due to temperatures and coastal hikes.
4. Water temperature?

It seems based on the limited historical data, this issue has been getting worse with time, but I haven't been around enough or understand the issue deeply enough to draw conclusions, has it been getting worse in your experience/opinion/research? Why isn't this issue discussed more? Is it truly very rare/overblown? Do you get into the Gulf of Mexico's water without any issues? Do you believe that this may eventually impact west Florida's economy, tourism, and real estate?

[beach43ofus]

Red Tide is a naturally occurring event in FLA that's been around at least since the 1600's when European explorers first encountered it. Blooms begin ~30 miles offshore, but then can drift towards shore, & get fed by human altered water.

I've lived on & off in FLA since 1978, & agree that it has become more common. There are numerous threads debating the causes, & answers to all your ?'s...use the search function & you can read Thousands of posts

If you plan to spend a lot of time on, in, or near the water, move to the East coast instead. They get it much less, & it goes away faster due to cooler water, & ocean currents.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Red Tide is a naturally occurring event in FLA that's been around at least since the 1600's when European explorers first encountered it. Blooms begin ~30 miles offshore, but then can drift towards shore, & get fed by human altered water.

I've lived on & off in FLA since 1978, & agree that it has become more common. There are numerous threads debating the causes, & answers to all your ?'s...use the search function & you can read Thousands of posts

If you plan to spend a lot of time on, in, or near the water, move to the East coast instead. They get it much less, & it goes away faster due to cooler water, & ocean currents.

I lived in Naples from 1991-2002. Back then we'd get red tide but it was NOTHING like it is now on the west coast. Just seems worse.

East Coast is too crowded, but places around Daytona Beach are nice because in the summer it's cooler, the water around there is cooler too and not as bad as SEFL in the summer with the heat.

I would NOT buy a house here right now, not until later in the summer. Ian did a lot of roof damage and many people with damage that might be hard to see might have leak issues come rainy season and you don't want to get a house with leaks.

My house we lost only 7 or so shingles, the crown ones that are harder to secure good. Thought we were all good otherwise, and then a month later after it finally rained a bit I picked up a box in my spare bedroom and noticed some water leaked in.

[LKJ1988]

Red tide clyde has been around for 100's of years.

[JPrzybylski07]

US HUMANS degrade any environment we get close to.

RED TIDE IS FAR WORSE THEN IT’S NATURAL STATE DIRECTLY BECAUSE OF OUR BEHAVIOR.

Research the 2018 outbreak along the west coast of Florida.

There is so much to speak about, but it’s too much. Bottom line is our species degrades any natural environments we touch.

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

I lived in Naples from 1991-2002. Back then we'd get red tide but it was NOTHING like it is now on the west coast. Just seems worse.

East Coast is too crowded, but places around Daytona Beach are nice because in the summer it's cooler, the water around there is cooler too and not as bad as SEFL in the summer with the heat.

I would NOT buy a house here right now, not until later in the summer. Ian did a lot of roof damage and many people with damage that might be hard to see might have leak issues come rainy season and you don't want to get a house with leaks.

My house we lost only 7 or so shingles, the crown ones that are harder to secure good. Thought we were all good otherwise, and then a month later after it finally rained a bit I picked up a box in my spare bedroom and noticed some water leaked in.

Good synopsis but places like Daytona are cooler in the summer?!?!?!? I'd argue that isn't true. Heck I was in Toronto a few summers back and it was hotter than S FL the day I was there!

[JPrzybylski07]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Good synopsis but places like Daytona are cooler in the summer?!?!?!? I'd argue that isn't true. Heck I was in Toronto a few summers back and it was hotter than S FL the day I was there!

I lived in Naples for 8 years and now Orlando for over a year and even Orlando is noticeably “cooler” both during the winter and even summer. The sun in Central FL is not quite as strong as in SWFL, not to mention SWFL has the worst humidity in all of the state. Daytona is even farther north than Orlando and closer to the more moderate temperate Atlantic Ocean so I can only imagine being more overall reprieve there.

Comparing Toronto to any part of FL is apples to oranges not even worth entertaining.

[starlitwanderer]

I don't think you need to call it a "scam" as no one is taking commission selling it to you. It has it's disadvantages and you did right by researching what would be potentially getting yourself into.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07

I lived in Naples for 8 years and now Orlando for over a year and even Orlando is noticeably “cooler” both during the winter and even summer. The sun in Central FL is not quite as strong as in SWFL, not to mention SWFL has the worst humidity in all of the state. Daytona is even farther north than Orlando and closer to the more moderate temperate Atlantic Ocean so I can only imagine being more overall reprieve there.

Comparing Toronto to any part of FL is apples to oranges not even worth entertaining.

The atlantic around daytona hovers around 80 to 82 degrees during the summer months.

The Gulf around Naples is usually 87 to 92 degrees! That's why SWFL is always so humid.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

The atlantic around daytona hovers around 80 to 82 degrees during the summer months.

The Gulf around Naples is usually 87 to 92 degrees! That's why SWFL is always so humid.

Warmer oceans exacerbate hurricane rapid intensification, helping explain why two powerful hurricanes (Michael and Ian) have slammed into Florida's west/Gulf coast within the last five years, another major consideration for persons considering moving to Florida's Gulf coast. See this thread, especially post 23:



https://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...ication-2.html


Yet warmer ocean temperatures may shorten to optimal season for Red Tide:


<<Karenia brevis has an optimum temperature range of 22–28 °C (72–82 °F),[8] an optimum salinity range of 25-45 Practical Salinity Units (PSU),[9] has adapted to "low-irradiance environments," and can utilize both organic and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to survive.[10] In its normal environment, K. brevis will move in the direction of greater light[11] and against the direction of gravity,[12] which will tend to keep the organism at the surface of whatever body of water it is suspended within. The swimming speed of K. brevis is about one metre per hour[13] and the organism can be found throughout the year in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico at concentrations of ≤ 1,000 cell per liter.[2]>>


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karenia_brevis