With red tide absent, people return to Fort Myers Beach

When Priscilla Izquierdo’s mom told her the beach was clear to swim, Izquierdo had her doubts.

But when the Cape Coral mother and her children, Brandon, 11; D.J., 5; and Siri, 3 arrived at Fort Myers Beach on Saturday, the water was so clear they jumped right in.

“It’s awesome we were finally able to get in the water,” Izquierdo said. “No more pool. We could come back to the beach. The red tide, I didn’t believe it’s gone. We’re trusting it is.”

So are hundreds of other Southwest Florida beachgoers.

In case you missed it:Lee, Collier waters clear of red tide after Hurricane Michael

Algae-exposed?:Researchers taking samples from people who've been around toxic blooms

They lined Fort Myers Beach on Saturday morning and afternoon where they played cornhole, biked, tossed around a football or just relaxed in their chairs. Many walked the beach while dozens went in the water where they either cooled off or checked for shells. Meanwhile, more than 20 boats could be seen just offshore.

Red tide counts were clean from the Sarasota area south through Collier County, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report on Friday. 

The red tide that's been so nasty and deadly this summer showed no traces of life in Lee or Collier waters. 

Red tide did show up in the Florida Keys and in other areas of the state. 

Counts in Lee from this bloom have ranged as high as 200 million cells per liter but have dropped to normal, background levels in recent weeks. 

The bloom started nearly a year ago and has centered around Lee County. 

Brady Walden, who came with friends from Indianapolis, said he thought the water would be a lot darker.

Justin Schneider, another Indiana native who arrived last week, has been keeping tabs. He works on environmental and natural resource issues as well as representing farmers through the Indiana Farm Bureau.

“I work on blue-green algae issues in the Midwest,” he said. “It’s amazing how nature can heal itself. I think it reminds everyone of the delicate balance, of what man does and how nature reacts and finds a balance so we can all coexist in a wonderful way.”

Schneider has been out in the water with sons, Jackson, 8, and Blake, 6, the past week.

“I had heard co-workers farther up north were coughing and having respiratory problems,” he said. “But we didn’t see anything.”

Theresa and Frank Boring, of LaBelle, were just ready to walk into the water. They started coming back to the beach a couple weeks ago. One of the reasons Theresa Boring returned to her hometown from Georgia is that she wanted to come to the beach more often with her husband.

“Two weeks ago, there were about 20 people out here,” Frank Boring said. “It was unreal, man. People ask, ‘Why don’t you go here or there?’ I want to come here. I like it here. It’s a real melting pot.”

After a morning of helping with beach cleanup by the Fort Myers Beach library, Fran Verwilt took a chair close to the beach while she read on her tablet. Every now and then, the waves would touch her toes.

“It’s tranquil,” she said. “I don’t go in the water much but I love walking on the beach and I enjoy people watching.”

Around Verwilt was a lot of seaweed, which had been churned up by Hurricane Michael. “Very smelly, like walking through a fish market,” she said.

More:How Hurricane Michael transformed Florida

During the cleanup, Verwilt said she saw a few dead horseshoe crabs but not much else.

Meanwhile, Al Kinkle was in the middle of a walk and run. The chief operating officer at Lexington Country Club echoed Verwilt that he felt sorry for the beach businesses and urged locals to return.

“I heard some of the hotels along the beach are full this week,” he said. “I’m very optimistic that what happened is something we can prevent. Our local officials are working on it, like Heather Fitzenhagen.

“It’s very unfortunate, sad. I’ve been here almost two years. We love the beach, it’s where I do all my walking or running.

“It looks great. C’mon back.”

Staff writer Chad Gillis contributed to this story.