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Weekly Beach Report

Is the beach safe this week?

UPDATED March 7, 2024

If you’re thinking about a trip to the dog beach this weekend- plan on going to Pinellas County. Sadly, the water quality of the dog beaches in Hillsborough is tainted according to this week’s report from the Florida Department of Health. See below for the full results.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Pinellas County officials have announced that three raccoons have been tested and found to be positive for Distemper at Fort Desoto. This is a potentially fatal disease to dogs. If you do plan on visiting Fort Desoto, ensure your pets are up to date on all of their vaccines to ensure their health and safety. At this time, we are uncertain as to when this advisory will be lifted.  To learn more about canine distemper- including symptoms and how to keep your pet safe- visit this link.

Water samples are taken by the Florida Department of Public Health from dozens of beaches around the state to test for fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria. These samples are taken weekly in Hillsborough County- and bi-weekly in Pinellas County. It takes a day before test results are back- and we will report on these as soon as we can review and post them here. The quality of the water is affected by numerous factors- including heavy rains which can flush contaminants from the land into our waterways into the gulf. As a reminder- these results have nothing to do with red tide. For more information on red tide in our area, please see the FWC’s website here.

Don’t forget to check out some of our other blogs- especially our blog on the toxic and potentially fatal effects of saltwater on your pet. It can be fatal if your pet ingests too much. Learn the symptoms here.

As a reminder, Pinellas County is only offering bi-weekly water quality testing, as the county has chosen not to fund weekly testing.

There are lots of public beaches in our area- but we will only be posting on the following beaches since they allow our furry friends to play. They are:

  • Davis Island
  • Picnic Island
  • Fort Desoto
  • Apollo Beach Nature Preserve (not tested, but is nearby Bahia Beach- which is tested)
  • Honeymoon Island

*Apollo Beach Nature Preserve is not a site that is tested, however there is a test site within a few miles of this dog beach- Bahia Beach. We will report the findings for this site.  Use this data at your own risk.

You may be wondering about Gandy Beach water quality. The Florida Department of Health does not currently do testing at this site, as it’s not really a beach. If this changes, we will include it, since we know lots of folks take their pups there, too.

Hillsborough County Water Quality Results Results issued 03/06/24

Picnic IslandModerate levels of bacteria found. Use at your own risk.

Davis Island Dog Beach: POOR Conditions- high levels of bacteria noted. Advisory issued. Avoid the water.

Apollo Beach Nature Preserve:POOR Conditions- high levels of bacteria noted at nearby Bahia Beach. Advisory issued. Avoid the water.

As a reminder, Apollo Beach Nature Preserve has a dog-friendly beach. This site is not tested, but is only about one mile from Bahia Beach which is tested weekly. Use these test results at your own risk.

Pinellas County Water Quality Results reported 2/26/24  Conditions reported by FDOH every 2 weeks

Fort Desoto: Good Conditions

Honeymoon Island: Good Conditions

The Florida Department of Health water quality reports can be found here directly.

 

For all local beach reports (includes non-dog beaches)- follow these links:

Hillsborough County Beaches

Pinellas County Beaches