- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Miami and help keep the future of New Times free.
King-tide season is coming soon. That's when huge swaths of Miami-Dade County flood on sunny days as the moon pulls South Florida's already-rising oceans onto the land.
But this year, toxic algae
"The City of Miami will be conducting water quality tests along Biscayne Bay today out of an abundance of caution due to the approach of red tide to beaches in Northern Miami-Dade County," the city announced today in a media release. "The City of Miami will continue monitoring the situation ahead of king tide this weekend. King tides are expected to start Saturday, October 6, through October 13, 2018. City Officials recommend avoiding contact with floodwaters during this time."
Miami-Dade officials today closed Haulover Beach, which sits on the north end of the county. News outlets filmed local cops driving ATVs on the beach while wearing Mad Max-style gas masks in a perfect visual representation of what Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature have done to the state in the past eight years:
The @MiamiDadePD are not messing around with the red tide impacting Haulover Beach. They want everybody off and have locked the access gates to the park. #RedTide #haulover @BillyCorben pic.twitter.com/m5yNdB0jq9
— RISE NEWS (@RiseNewsNow) October 4, 2018
Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber announced today that red-tide concentrations in his city are, for now, in the "very low to low" range, compared to the "medium"-level algae floating by Haulover. In Broward County, beachgoers have spotted dead fish and gross piles of seaweed lining the shore in Deerfield and Fort Lauderdale.
To put things mildly, red tide is bad for South Florida. Other areas of the state have been dealing with the scourge for weeks or months, and some beachfront businesses have had to close because of the toxic fumes wafting from the sea. The brown sludge is also killing fish and manatees. Visitors and first responders have told local TV outlets they were forced to leave the beach after suffering coughing fits. Sounds great for tourism!
This ecological disaster is unquestionably the fault of those running Florida. Though red tide does occur naturally, water pollution and lax monitoring standards contribute to algae blooms. As New Times noted earlier today, Governor Scott chopped roughly $1 billion from local water-management districts and loosened standards that let people dump septic waste into waterways.
Scott, who could still win the 2018 Senate race against Bill Nelson, was chased by environmental protesters at a September campaign event in Tampa. "Red Tide Rick" ducked out a back door to avoid talking to anyone.
Keep Miami New Times Free... Since we started Miami New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Miami with no paywalls.