LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- After a red tide and algae-filled summer in 2018, water quality issues have been much quieter in Southwest Florida in summer 2019.
The latest red tide status map from Florida Fish and Wildlife says that red tide is not present at any testing locations in Southwest Florida, or anywhere in the state.
At this time last year, Florida was placed under a state of emergency by then-Governor Rick Scott due to impacts of red tide in Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
It also has helped that another contributing factor to 2018's water issues in Southwest Florida, the heavy releases of excess water from Lake Okeechobee, has been flowing at much lower rates.
However, last month researchers did find high concentrations of toxic water in Lake Okeechobee.
