January 30, 2022

Florida Dept of Environmental Protection

The Report Algal Blooms hotline and online submission form are for freshwater blue-green algae reports only.

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To ensure the health and safety of our state’s residents and visitors, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is committed to keeping Floridians updated on current algal blooms and how the state is responding to protect human health, water quality and the environment.

DEP, the five water management districts (WMDs), the Florida Department of Health (DOH), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) all work together to respond to algal blooms, each with a specific role. This “bloom response team” coordinates activities based upon the nature of the bloom event.

The algal bloom response team takes all algal blooms seriously and all federal, state and local agencies will continue to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to both observed and reported algal blooms to ensure the health and safety of Floridians, visitors and our natural resources.

Who to Contact

The state’s bloom response team encourages residents to report algal blooms so that we can respond quickly and effectively.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection collects and analyzes algal bloom samples.

Florida Department of Health issues health advisories when toxin levels present a risk to human health.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responds to reported fish kills and collects algae samples at nearshore sites.

To report a fish kill, contact the Fish Kill Hotline at 800-636-0511.

County governments issue public beach closures. For more information, contact:

Monitoring and Testing

DEP and Florida’s water management districts frequently monitor Florida’s water quality, and routinely collect algal bloom samples as soon as they are observed as part of this effort. In addition, staff can be deployed to take additional samples in response to reported blooms – whether from a citizen, other response team agencies or other sources.

Source: depnewsroom.wordpress.com