Florida health officials recommend you skip swimming at these Key West beaches
Just in time for Labor Day weekend, the Florida Department of Health this week issued advisories for three Key West beaches after testing for water quality.
The results: “poor.”
Advisories were issued for Higgs Beach, Smathers Beach and South Beach on the island after testing was done Aug. 31.
The warnings come from the state’s Florida Healthy Beaches program, which routinely tests for water quality at beaches across the Sunshine State.
The three Key West beaches remain open and available for swimming and splashing.
“We recommend you not swim there,” said program coordinator David Polk. “It’s just an advisory. If you choose to swim there, we won’t keep you out. It’s just an advisory for increased risk of illness associated with high levels of bacteria.”
A fourth Key West beach, the one at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, received good marks for water quality.
Beaches across the Keys fared better than the three in Key West.
Receiving “good” reports were: Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine Key, Sombrero Beach in Marathon, Founders Park in Islamorada, Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 4:24 PM.
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