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Pinellas Offers New Way to Request Red Tide Cleanup

Red Tide | Dead Fish | Environment

Residents are asked to report only dead fish in the hundreds or thousands that are found in the open water or on public property.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Pinellas County Environmental Management has launched a new web-based tool for residents and municipalities to report large numbers of dead fish caused by the Red Tide bloom.

The tool can be accessed at pinellascounty.org under the header “How to Handle Dead Fish.” Residents will first see a popup window with general information and are then taken to the reporting tool. By clicking on “Create Report,” users see a form that allows them to select the type of problem, add comments, provide their contact information, and attach pictures. They can give the precise location by either clicking on a map or entering an address.

“It’s a much better system for citizens,” Pinellas County Environmental Management Director Kelli Levy said. “It’s super easy, and it allows us to communicate more effectively with our cleanup contractor and our staff in the field who are doing the inspections once the fish have been removed. They can document the cleanup and close out the report.”

Residents are asked to report only dead fish in the hundreds or thousands that are found in the open water or on public property. If there are a small number of dead fish, residents can scoop them out and place them in a trash bag for disposal through normal trash pickup or a drop-off location. Drop-off locations are also provided through a link at pinellascounty.org. Pinellas County’s contractor cannot conduct cleanup activities on private property.

The contractor is deploying 20 harvesting boats offshore and within the Intracoastal Waterway, along with six beach rakes. Through Thursday (Sept. 20), 588 tons of Red Tide-related debris had been removed.

Pinellas County | Red Tide | Fish Kill | Dead Fish | Environment | Tampabay News

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