Residents and business owners slogging through cleanup from Hurricane Helene on Pinellas County’s barrier islands now have another worry, according to county officials: red tide. The notorious algae could cause breathing problems for people already struggling to pick up waterlogged debris from moldy,

Residents along the beach communities, especially those cleaning out their homes and businesses from Hurricane Helene, may experience respiratory irritation when concentrations are higher.

Pinellas County and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are monitoring red tide levels in several locations throughout the county. Medium concentrations of red tide were detected off St.

Red tide has been detected in Pinellas County water samples, adding a new concern for a region still early in its recovery from Hurricane Helene. State of play: Medium concentrations of red tide were found in samples from St.