Vero Beach red tide: Indian River County plans entire beach cleanup | Florida red tide map
Tyler Treadway
Most beaches throughout Indian River County remain closed to visitors Thursday — unless they're dead fish.
The county, Vero Beach and the towns of Orchid and Indian River Shores plan to hire a contractor to pick up dead fish along the county's entire coastline, possibly by the weekend.
More:Red tide kills 60,000 fish along Indian River Shores
Cleanup efforts since dead fish started washing ashore Monday have been concentrated on public beaches, county Coastal Engineer James Gray said Thursday afternoon. "This work will be countywide; the whole shebang."
Everywhere from South Beach in southern Vero Beach to Ambersand Beach just south of the Sebastian Inlet "were hit hard," Gray said.
The amount of "beach debris" (aka dead fish) coming ashore Thursday was "equal to, if not more" than the days leading up to Wednesday's cleanup efforts, Gray said.
The four miles of city beaches, where lifeguards and municipal employees picked up tens of thousands of dead fish Wednesday, fared better, said Erik Toomsoo, president of the Vero Beach Lifeguard Association.
"There weren't nearly as many dead fish coming ashore this morning," Toomsoo said Thursday. "Hopefully, that's a good sign."
More:Toxic red tide hits Vero Beach with a vengeance
Column: Spending the day on Vero Beach's red tide-infested beaches
Beaches throughout Indian River County, except for Round Island Park near the St. Lucie County line, remained closed Thursday.
Beaches in Martin and St. Lucie County were open Thursday, but dead fish were reported at Pepper Park Beachside in northern St. Lucie County.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne issued a beach hazards statement Thursday evening that will be in effect through Saturday afternoon for Indian RIver County and southern Brevard County.
Keeps moving north
Meanwhile, the red tide appears to be continuing its march north along Florida's Atlantic Coast, with high levels found in water samples taken Tuesday near Satellite Beach north of Melbourne in Brevard County.
More:Satellite Beach tests high for red tide
More: Where is the red tide today? | Map of Florida's three coasts
Medium levels of red tide were found Tuesday at:
- Indialantic, directly across the Indian River Lagoon from Melbourne
- Melbourne Beach
- Coconut Point and Ponce de Leon Park, both on the barrier island across the lagoon from Malabar
It's the first time this year the red tide has reached the Space Coast.
More: Why is Vero Beach red tide worst on Florida's East Coast?
Samples taken Monday at three sites in the lagoon near Micco and one just north of the U.S. 1 bridge across the St. Sebastian River contained no red tide cells.
The highest level of red tide reported so far: 9 million cells per liter of seawater found Wednesday morning near Turtle Trail Beach south of Wabasso by Malcolm McFarland, a research associate at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Fort Pierce.
Helpful numbers
- Martin County beach conditions: 772-320-3112
- St. Lucie County beach conditions: 772-462-1421
- Indian River County beach conditions: 772-226-4000
- Red tide health concerns: 800-222-1222 (Florida Poison Control Center)
- Report fish kills: 800-6360511 (FWC)