Government leaders in the region have pushed for more funding to research red tide and help businesses with the loss of income in the area. Tourism leaders in the region, meanwhile, continue to fight red ride with retail promotions.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, announced Friday he had signed on as a co-sponsor for a bill seeking $100 million in funding—$22 million for each fiscal year from 2019 through 2023—to assess and mitigate the environmental, economic and health effects of harmful algal blooms. Buchanan, co-chair of Florida’s Congressional delegation, announced his support the same day as Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fort Lauderdale and the other co-chair of the state delegation.

“Our economy, environment and marine life is under siege by this crisis and we need all hands on deck to help Florida deal with the problem,” Buchanan says. 

Visit Sarasota County meanwhile wants to remind visitors to the region that there are plenty of places to go, whether there’s a no-win advisory in effect or not.

“With the recent red tide episode, tourism businesses are hurting more than they usually are during what is a historically slow period of time for businesses,” says Virginia J. Haley, President of Visit Sarasota County. “Our staff has been hitting the pavement, going door-to-door across the County to encourage retailers to participate in Shoptember.” 

And the tourism bureau has been promoting a number of shopping experiences special to Sarasota on a dedicated SarasotaShoptember.com website.

That’s appreciated, says Barbara Barone, owner of Brants Used Books. She said all businesses relying on visitors have experienced declines in sales this year. “I can see the walk-in traffic is much less,” she said, comparing the loss in business to that of when a hurricane threatens the region.

But her big ask of leaders would be to do more than advertise businesses. “The main thing is cleaning up the fish,” Barone says. “I know it’s not easy, but so many businesses depend on tourism during the season that it should be a major priority.”