Florida Red Tide Survey Shows Improvements Needed
florida beaches
Background
The year 2005 will be remembered by many who visited Florida's Gulf Coast beaches as having one of the worst occurrences of red tide in recent memory. Beaches from St. Petersburg all the way to Marco Island were affected, some more than others. Publicity was fairly widespread, despite the reluctance of tourism officials to spread the word.
For those who don't know, red tide is a natural bloom of algae in the bay and Gulf waters that discolors the water and can cause fish to die by the millions. It also releases toxins into the air that can cause respiratory irritation to humans.
Even though red tide is a naturally occurring organism, it is usually present in the waters in very small numbers. Sometimes, for unknown reasons, it multiplies in an out-of-control way, creating deadly conditions for marine life, and unpleasant effects for humans. In 2005, massive kills of marine life occurred. Among the casualties were fish, crabs, rays, sharks, manatees, dolphins, and sea turtles. The stench and dead fish kept visitors and locals away from the beaches for months.
By the Fall season of 2005, red tide seems to have gone away, and the beaches are getting back to normal.
Survey
During the summer months I posted a survey on my www.beachhunter.net website to find out how the red tide affected people who were planning to go to the beach. It is not a scientific survey since the respondents were self-selected, but it is revealing. Here are the questions and the results:
Has red tide kept you away from Florida Gulf beaches?
25% said NO, they will go to the beach anyway.
35% said it negatively affected their vacation.
40% said they have stayed away from the Gulf beaches.
Has news of red tide caused you to change upcoming vacation plans?
16% said they were not planning a beach vacation.
28% said they would still come to the beach.
56% said they changed their vaction plans because of red tide.
Should Florida do a better job of telling visitors when red tide conditions are present?
80% said that Florida should do a better job.
20% said that Florida does a good job of keeping visitors informed.
Who bears the responsibility to inform visitors about red tide conditions?
12% said State and local governments bear the responsibility.
2% said beachfront resorts/hotels and other beach facilities bear the responsibility.
5% said newspapers, TV, and other media bear the responsibility.
81% said both governments and beachfront resorts/hotels bear the responsibility.
Do you need more precise and timely information on which beaches are being affected by red tide?
88% said yes.
12% said no, that they have enough information.
Where do you live?
31% of respondents live within a one hour drive of the Florida Gulf beaches.
14% live in Florida, more than a one hour drive from the Gulf beaches.
50% live in the United States, in a state other than Florida.
5% live in a country other than the United States of America.
The respondents to the survey are people who were actively searching the internet for information about Florida beaches.
The survey clearly indicates that many visitors do not want to visit beaches affected by red tide. We, as Florida businesses that benefit from tourism, should put ourselves in their shoes. What if it were our beach vacation that was ruined by dead fish and coughing and burning eyes? How would we feel toward the hotel owner who booked a room for us knowing that we would be unable to enjoy the beach? What kind of goodwill does that create? What kind of repeat business does that generate?
There needs to be a central clearinghouse for information on red tide, and a way to get the information into the hands of visitors and residents. In this day of instant information reporting via the internet, how hard can that be?
David McRee--Beachhunter.net
Background
The year 2005 will be remembered by many who visited Florida's Gulf Coast beaches as having one of the worst occurrences of red tide in recent memory. Beaches from St. Petersburg all the way to Marco Island were affected, some more than others. Publicity was fairly widespread, despite the reluctance of tourism officials to spread the word.
For those who don't know, red tide is a natural bloom of algae in the bay and Gulf waters that discolors the water and can cause fish to die by the millions. It also releases toxins into the air that can cause respiratory irritation to humans.
Even though red tide is a naturally occurring organism, it is usually present in the waters in very small numbers. Sometimes, for unknown reasons, it multiplies in an out-of-control way, creating deadly conditions for marine life, and unpleasant effects for humans. In 2005, massive kills of marine life occurred. Among the casualties were fish, crabs, rays, sharks, manatees, dolphins, and sea turtles. The stench and dead fish kept visitors and locals away from the beaches for months.
By the Fall season of 2005, red tide seems to have gone away, and the beaches are getting back to normal.
Survey
During the summer months I posted a survey on my www.beachhunter.net website to find out how the red tide affected people who were planning to go to the beach. It is not a scientific survey since the respondents were self-selected, but it is revealing. Here are the questions and the results:
Has red tide kept you away from Florida Gulf beaches?
25% said NO, they will go to the beach anyway.
35% said it negatively affected their vacation.
40% said they have stayed away from the Gulf beaches.
Has news of red tide caused you to change upcoming vacation plans?
16% said they were not planning a beach vacation.
28% said they would still come to the beach.
56% said they changed their vaction plans because of red tide.
Should Florida do a better job of telling visitors when red tide conditions are present?
80% said that Florida should do a better job.
20% said that Florida does a good job of keeping visitors informed.
Who bears the responsibility to inform visitors about red tide conditions?
12% said State and local governments bear the responsibility.
2% said beachfront resorts/hotels and other beach facilities bear the responsibility.
5% said newspapers, TV, and other media bear the responsibility.
81% said both governments and beachfront resorts/hotels bear the responsibility.
Do you need more precise and timely information on which beaches are being affected by red tide?
88% said yes.
12% said no, that they have enough information.
Where do you live?
31% of respondents live within a one hour drive of the Florida Gulf beaches.
14% live in Florida, more than a one hour drive from the Gulf beaches.
50% live in the United States, in a state other than Florida.
5% live in a country other than the United States of America.
The respondents to the survey are people who were actively searching the internet for information about Florida beaches.
The survey clearly indicates that many visitors do not want to visit beaches affected by red tide. We, as Florida businesses that benefit from tourism, should put ourselves in their shoes. What if it were our beach vacation that was ruined by dead fish and coughing and burning eyes? How would we feel toward the hotel owner who booked a room for us knowing that we would be unable to enjoy the beach? What kind of goodwill does that create? What kind of repeat business does that generate?
There needs to be a central clearinghouse for information on red tide, and a way to get the information into the hands of visitors and residents. In this day of instant information reporting via the internet, how hard can that be?
David McRee--Beachhunter.net
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