PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Contractors in Pinellas County are rushing to clean up coastlines after more dead fish came to shore overnight. The red tide resurgence is also hitting the Intracoastal Waterways where some neighbors say there’s too much to clean up.
Since Sept. 7, the county has hauled away 324 tons of dead fish to its solid waste disposal facility, according to Pinellas County Environmental Management director Kelli Levy.
Right now, contractors hired by the county have 18 boats working off or near the shore collecting dead fish, including 12 operating in the Intracoastal Waterways.
Bill Houser is one of the many people living along the Intracoastal. With water and tons of dead fish backing up to his property, he says the smell alone is stifling.
“I walked out this morning and I was kind of breathless,” Houser said.
Houser said his neighbors across the water hired contractors to clean up their private beaches, but some people are hoping the county will do it.
Contractors hired by the county are working only to clean public areas. Officials said they’re being inundated with calls from so many people who live on private beaches the county can’t keep up.
In an effort to mitigate the calls, this statement was posted on the Pinellas County environment homepage:
It will not be possible to send the contractor for small amounts of fish or to work on private property. If it is a small amount and it can be removed, place the fish in a trash bag, seal it, and dispose of through normal trash pickup. Even a full trash can is fine. If the odor is a concern, double bag it.
Houser said he understands where the county was coming from.
“I totally get it,” Houser said. “I don’t think they have the manpower to go to everyone’s home and pick up everyone’s dead fish. The beach is a whole other thing. We have to get that cleaned up.”
With no beach to clean up in his backyard, Norman Kosciusko hopes the dead fish floating along the seawall, backing onto his property, will go out with the tide.
“The cleanup will take care of itself. Nature has a way of doing that,” he said.
It’s a red tide of epic proportions everyone says they hope goes away soon.
“It needs to come to an end at some point,” Houser said.
Pinellas County's beach conditions site is being updated twice daily, in the morning and in the afternoon.
10News reporter Josh Sidorowicz contributed to this report.
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