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Red tide not economically impacting gulf beach businesses, owners say

The county said its monitoring has shown the patchy bloom is moving north.

REDINGTON SHORES, Fla. — Beach business owners in Pinellas County are thankful that the current algal bloom hasn't caused a huge dent.

Shawn Hatfield, the owner of Sand Vista in Redington Shores, said the current red tide isn't as bad as it was during the 2018 outbreak.

Hatfield said some guests, however, called to cancel their rooms thinking red tide is going to get worse. 

"It’s important for them to know that they can still come and vacation here. It’s not like it was in 2018," Hatfield explained. Living in the area for 50 years, Hatfield said the current algal bloom isn't close to what they saw in 2018 when it comes to dead fish and respiratory issues. 

"People will cancel because they’re afraid. They think it was like it was then," Hatfield said. "Overall, there have only been a few cancelations.

Pinellas County officials have been continuously monitoring the algal bloom, working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to put out the latest information. From the county's samples, it appears the bloom is moving northward.

RELATED: Red tide continues to move north in Pinellas County

On Tuesday, the county detected medium concentrations of the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, in Clearwater Beach. One restaurant, Clear Sky Café, is located along the beach in Clearwater Beach. 

Management there said they heard there were dead fish on the beach, but it isn't impacting their business.

Pinellas County officials said because of the red tide detected, they will monitor the water and send updates twice weekly.

You can monitor the beaches here.

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