Red Tide Confirmed Off Palm Beach In Rare Outbreak For Fla. East Coast

"Florida officials confirmed a rare red tide on the state’s Atlantic coast on Monday after beach goers began complaining about coughing and itchy throats along Palm Beach County over the weekend.

While not as high as amounts detected on the Gulf Coast, where a ferocious red tide that appeared last fall has littered beaches with dead sea life, clogged canals with floating carcasses and slammed businesses, the medium levels were bad enough to trigger respiratory distress among beach visitors.

“They picked up concentrations that are high enough,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration algae expert Richard Stumpf. “There’s obviously more data to be collected.”"

Jenny Staletovich reports for the Miami Herald October 1, 2018.