Sarasota County health officials are warning people to avoid swimming and other water-related activities at Brohard Beach in Venice because of elevated bacteria levels.
The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County issued the water quality advisory Friday for the beach at 1805 Harbor Drive South.
Tests completed Monday, Sept. 7, found that the water did not meet the state’s recreational water quality criteria for Enterococcus bacteria, according to the department. Routine monitoring showed bacteria levels exceeding state guidelines.
Health officials said entering the water could increase a person’s risk of illness. The department did not specify how far the advisory extends along the beach or identify a possible source of the elevated bacteria.
The advisory will remain in effect until testing shows that bacteria levels have fallen below the state’s accepted health threshold.
Updated test results are available through the Florida Department of Health’s Healthy Beaches program. For more information, call 941-861-2900 or visit Sarasota.FloridaHealth.gov.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Health advisory issued for popular Sarasota County beach
