HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — People won’t be able to safely swim at select beaches in Hillsborough County after the Department of Health issued several swim advisories, according to a press release.
The Florida Department of Health urges people to avoid the waters of Ben T. Davis, Picnic Island, and Simmons Park Beach after it found higher levels of enterococcus bacteria recommended by the department on April 3.
Swimmers would run an “increased risk of illness,” according to the department.
Enterococcus bacteria can cause UTI, infective endocarditis and -- in rare cases -- meningitis, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The advisories will continue until bacteria levels drop below the accepted health levels, the release said.
No swim advisories were last issued in the Summer of 2023 at Ben T. Davis and Picnic Island beaches, according to previous coverage.