Miles of almost empty beachfront in Martin County on Monday. Double red flags keeping swimmers out of the water after a weekend where green algae washed ashore along several miles of beachfront.
“It’s been horrible," said Carrie Weinand, who works at the Chef Shak at Stuart Beach. She says business has seen an 80-percent drop-off in recent days.
“We’re here 7am to 4pm every day and closing early though because it’s costing to stay open," said Weinand.
The news is slightly better in St. Lucie County, as all its beaches were flying green flags Monday, luring beachgoers north into the water.
We were looking forward to going into the water and the girls were too so we’re glad that it was just a short drive to come down here," said visitor Christine Furey.
The Department of Environmental Protection was out on the water Monday collecting a number of samples.
They were first on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River near Club Med.
Samples were also taken 100 meters east of Bathtub Beach, at the St. Lucie Inlet near the Stuart Sandbar, and in the St. Lucie River near Sandsprit Park. A spot near Taylor Creek in Fort Pierce was also checked out, but with no algae found, no samples were taken. The samples taken will be sent to the DEP lab in Tallahassee for analysis to see if the algae is toxic.