Director’s Notes on Bay Health
The health and ecosystem balance of Sarasota Bay is vitally important not only for the plants, fish, and wildlife that rely on the bay for survival, but also for our economy, job security, coastal protection, and larger community well-being. The following updates from SBEP's Executive Director, Dr. Ryan Gandy, summarize what’s been going on in Sarasota Bay as SBEP continues to monitor and look towards improving water quality and ecosystem health.
PLEASE NOTE: We have kept these entries as they were originally written in real time in order to archive events, photos, and additional information. The information in older posts may be out of date.
Director's Notes
- June 5, 2026: Entering the Wet Season Transition
- April 7, 2026: Ecosystem Health Update for 2025
- March 3, 2026: What You Need to Know About the Latest Wastewater Spill in Sarasota Bay
- January 22, 2026: Habitat changes outside of the Sarasota Bay estuary matter, and here’s why
- December 23, 2025: Sunset of 2025
- December 3, 2025: How will drought conditions impact the bay?
- November 12, 2025: What have we been doing over the past few years, and why?
- November 6, 2025: Tracking our bay's health - what about bacteria?
- October 29, 2025: What would it look like if Melissa hit us?
- October 10, 2025: Hurricane Milton's one-year anniversary
- October 7, 2025: Sea level rise and wastewater treatment – is there reason for concern?
- September 23, 2025: City of Bradenton's efforts to reduce wastewater issues
- September 3, 2025: Potential sources of bacteria along Palma Sola Bay
- August 20, 2025: Bacteria Source Identification Efforts
- August 7, 2025: What’s the big deal with seagrass coverage, anyway?
- July 17, 2025: Is rainfall trending in our region?
- July 2, 2025: Does Florida believe in climate change, or not?
- June 13, 2025: How common are the results from Sarasota Bay?
- June 3, 2025: Saharan dust on the horizon…
- May 9, 2025: Sea level rise – SBEP values compared to FDEP estimates and their implications
- May 6, 2025: Macroalgae findings – so far…
- April 8, 2025: Update on ANEP letter and the value of the NEP program
- March 28, 2025: 2024 Seagrass results – further good news on the bay’s recovery
- March 14, 2025: 2024 Ecosystem Health Report Card update
- February 27, 2025: Midnight Pass – what’s the latest?
- January 17, 2025: Hot cars and greenhouse gases – how are they related?
- December 5, 2024: Our bay is getting warmer – why should we care?
- November 27, 2024: Lots to be Thankful for!
- November 21, 2024: Manatee abundance in Little Sarasota Bay
- November 8, 2024: Midnight Pass – what now?
- October 29, 2024: Is it safe to go into the water?
- October 22, 2024: Red tides and Midnight Pass – what are we seeing out there?
- October 16, 2024: Red tide on the horizon?
- October 10, 2024: Post-storm activities
- October 7, 2024: Potential impacts from Milton
- September 26, 2024: Midnight Pass – re-established, but for how long?
- September 24, 2024: Latest info on Helene
- September 23, 2024: Potential impacts of Helene
- September 4, 2024: Permit received for red tide study
- September 3, 2024: Bacteria levels - 4 weeks after Debby
- August 22, 2024: Debby’s impacts on the upper bay
- August 20, 2024: Bacteria results – two weeks after Debby
- August 16, 2024: Latest on water quality post-Debby
- August 14, 2024: Bacteria levels after Debby, and introducing our newest employee!
- August 12, 2024: 2024 macroalgae results
- August 9, 2024: Results from first post-Debby sampling efforts
- August 5, 2024: Post Debby Impacts
- August 2, 2024: Rain amounts from Potential Tropical Cyclone Four
- July 22, 2024: Red tide duration and nitrogen loads
- July 16, 2024: Update on Little Sarasota Bay
- July 11, 2024: Palma Sola Bay – how’s it doing lately?
- June 26, 2024: Two weeks later….how’s the bay?
- June 20, 2024: And, a setback…
- June 19, 2024: Reasons for optimism – with a few caveats
- June 15, 2024: Site visit to NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program
- June 5, 2024: Improvements in our lower bay
- May 29, 2024: 2024 Hurricane outlook
- May 14, 2024: Caloosahatchee River discharges and the duration of red tide events
- May 8, 2024: Pogo, FOGs, flushable wipes and the bay
- May 2, 2024: Artificial reef deployments
- April 22, 2024: El Niño and macroalgae – a potential link
- April 16, 2024: Proximate and Ultimate Causes of Observed Phenomena
- April 1, 2024: Potential impacts of releases from Lake Okeechobee
- March 26, 2024: Blackburn Bay – a sometimes overlooked bay segment
- March 20, 2024: Water quality restoration success stories – New York/New Jersey Harbor
- March 13, 2024: Ecosystem Health Scores – Update for 2023
- February 27, 2024: Ice ages, mangrove sediment accretion rates, Alexander the Great and trends in sea level rise
- February 12, 2024: What the future might hold for us
- January 24, 2024: Honing in on the basis for recent trends…
- January 12, 2024: Elements of a Water Quality Protection Plan
- January 6, 2024: Uncertainty and concerns about “paralysis by analysis” – relevance to fertilizer ordinances
- January 2, 2024: Future Challenges
- December 21, 2023: Look back at 2023, and what to expect in 2024
- November 29, 2023: Bacteria and impairment status updates
- November 17, 2023: Importance of Sarasota Bay to offshore fisheries
- November 9, 2023: Director’s Note: Recreational fishing guide feedback on bay health
- October 23, 2023: George Orwell, Milton Friedman, and bay management
- October 19, 2023: Why pursue a Water Quality Protection Plan?
- October 9, 2023: FDEP determinations of water quality trends
- October 6, 2023: Good news from FDEP – with a caveat…
- October 3, 2023: Progress being made on large regional stormwater retrofit project
- September 19, 2023: Good news on bay recovery
- September 15, 2023: Bacteria levels after Idalia
- August 31, 2023: Preliminary findings on Idalia
- August 9, 2023: Fish kill in Palma Sola Bay
- August 2, 2023: Interconnectedness of Sarasota Bay and other coastal waters
- July 11, 2023: Seawater temperatures
- June 29, 2023: Restoration projects and vinyl seawalls
- May 24, 2023: How big of an area was impacted by Piney Point?
- April 27, 2023: Influence of sources outside of SB on regional water quality issues (including red tide)
- April 19, 2023: The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt and potential impacts to our region
- March 27, 2023: Report card update & meetings in Washington, DC
- March 7, 2023: Red tide mitigation – potential involvement in field trial
- February 21, 2023: Bad news and good news
- February 17, 2023: Seagrass losses in SW Florida
- January 13, 2023: Extent of impacts from Piney Point – an update
- January 10, 2023: 2022 seagrass map results – how are we doing?
- December 26, 2022: Just how bad was Piney Point?
- December 15, 2022: How long will it take for Sarasota Bay to “recover”?
- November 29, 2022: Red tide and fish kills – likely effects of Hurricane Ian, and scalability of management paradigms
- November 18, 2022: Recovery from Hurricane Ian
- November 16, 2022: Nutrient pools
- November 15, 2022: Busy start to the week – Midnight Pass and Water Quality Consortium
- November 7, 2022: Tropical Storm Nicole
- November 2, 2022: Latest on red tide
- November 1, 2022: Update on impacts from Hurricane Ian
- October 14, 2022: Recent findings on water quality
- October 11, 2022: More info on Ian
- October 5, 2022: Initial findings, post-Ian
- September 29, 2022: What will Ian do to Sarasota Bay?
- September 23, 2022: Hurricanes and storm prep
- September 21, 2022: Additional releases from Piney Point
- September 19, 2022: Little Sarasota Bay and Midnight Pass
- September 14, 2022: If you see something, let us know
- August 30, 2022: Wastewater overflows
- August 17, 2022: More good news on the bay’s recovery
- July 29, 2022: Beach closures due to bacteria
- July 22, 2022: Follow up on mangrove trimming issue in upper Sarasota Bay
- July 21, 2022: Additional information on Piney Point discharges
- July 5, 2022: New Piney Point discharges – should we be concerned?
- June 30, 2022: What a difference a year makes
- June 16, 2022: Outlook for red tide?
- May 16, 2022: Mangroves, mangrove trimming and water quality
- May 2, 2022: Macroalgae survey in upper bay
- April 27, 2022: Recent findings in Sarasota Bay
- April 5, 2022: Sarasota Bay is a local exception to bad news on Florida manatee populations
- March 30, 2022: Paper on Piney Point
- March 22, 2022: Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant groundbreaking ceremony
- March 17, 2022: Good news across the bay...
- March 11, 2022: Good news to start the weekend... (lower bays)
- March 10, 2022: Venice area red tide study
- February 3, 2022: Clam deployment projects and seagrass transplants
- January 18, 2022: Mangroves and water quality
- January 7, 2022: Lots of good news (Piney Point & Bee Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades)
- December 27, 2021: Neat story about how complicated biological data are
- September 23, 2021: Red tide status and UF research study
- September 14, 2021: Red tide status and impacts to water quality
- August 26, 2021: Red tide
- August 18, 2021: Red tide update
- August 12, 2021: Red tide forecast
- August 6, 2021: Red tide, fish kills, and bacteria
- August 3, 2021: Red tide update
- July 31, 2021: Update on red tide in Sarasota Bay
- July 25, 2021: Red tide in Sarasota Bay
- July 21, 2021: Red tide in Sarasota Bay
- July 19, 2021: Survey of lower Sarasota Bay
- July 16, 2021: Update on red tide and bay health
- July 9, 2021: Sarasota Bay
- July 1, 2021: Sarasota Bay sampling
- June 22, 2021: Weekly update on Piney Point
- June 17, 2021: Update on algal blooms in Anna Maria Sound
- June 14, 2021: Update on algal blooms in Anna Maria Sound
- June 9, 2021: Photos from Anna Maria Sound
- June 7, 2021: Anna Maria Sound and upper Sarasota Bay
- June 2, 2021: Anna Maria Sound and upper Sarasota Bay
- April 13, 2021: USF model of plume dispersion from Piney Point
- April 9, 2021: USF model of plume dispersion from Piney Point
- April 7, 2021: USF model of plume dispersion from Piney Point
- April 5, 2021: Piney Point