Escambia County keeps watch on huge sargassum bloom. When, where they expect biggest impact:
Pensacola Beach businesses and Escambia County leaders are keeping a close watch on the massive mat of seaweed known as sargassum that’s making its way to Florida.
Some hoteliers are concerned visitors may be scared off by reports that the brown macroalgae could wash up on Northwest Florida’s sugar white coastline.
On Tuesday Escambia County’s Marine Resources Division manager, Robert Turpin, gave the Tourist Development Council an update on the status of the massive seaweed drift, described as 5,000 miles wide. Turpin says it’s not one big blob, but rather individual mats totaling around 13-million tons. The masses of leafy seaweed have air bladders that keep them afloat and right now the blooms are moving across the Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean.
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County staff say they’re ready if it does spread to Northwest Florida and local tourism promoters are working to make sure the public knows Pensacola’s beaches are clean and free from the seaweed bloom.
“Commissioner (Robert) Bender had mentioned to me there were some folks at the beach, hoteliers and condo owners, that were concerned about it and wanted to make sure the messaging was being presented correctly that we’re still open for business," said David Bear, tourist development council member, “that the beach is clear and that we had the resources ahead of it so that we weren’t trying to play catch up afterwards.”
Turpin says they are tracking satellite imagery of the sargassum and, so far, the models show that Cancun, Mexico, will probably take the greatest hit. The amount that could hit local beaches depends on wind and currents, particularly the Loop Current which will carry it into the Gulf of Mexico. He said they’ll be ready to respond no matter how much washes up.
“We’re watching it and we will right size our response,” said Turpin. “It could be anything from a light amount, like what we would have on a normal summer day. The tides can move it in, the tides can move it back out, so the tides and the winds and the water currents are going to work for us or against us and we’ll just have to be ready to respond to that.”
In the past, Escambia County has sometimes seen substantial sargassum mats move into local waterways. Turpin says models predict a moderate amount with a maximum amount expected sometime in June. The seaweed is already washing up on other parts of Florida, including the Florida Keys, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Sargassum seaweed blob in Florida has beach businesses concerned
