As of Thursday, Sept. 27, high concentrations of red tide continue to be found at Madeira Beach, Redington Beach and Indian Rocks Beach. But the tidal bloom's effect on businesses reaches even further than that.
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, records from Pinellas County's Economic Development Office show that 40 local businesses have, so far, reported combined losses of $128.8 million in damages due to red tide.
That news comes a day after governor Rick Scott — who called red tide a "natural phenomenon" despite Big Sugar's history of releasing fertilizer into Lake Okeechobee — announced that Pinellas will receive another $2 million in grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to support cleanup efforts.
To date, $13 million has been provided in grant funding for Florida counties through the FDEP. The smell of rotting fish on the beach and in our landfills is, still, not sweet at all.
