Faculty Progress Report 05-4
July - August 2005


To the Reader: The bimonthly Faculty Progress Report is a statewide
service of Florida Sea Grant. It now is distributed by providing the link
to its location on our website. This is done to resolve difficulties in
receiving attachments by some faculty mailboxes. Each item in the
Contents may be opened separately.
CONTENTS
1. Upcoming Sea Grant Opportunities & Deadlines
2. Florida Oceans and Coastal Resources Council Created
3. Gulf of Mexico Alliance Initiated
4. South Florida Program Ecosytem Grants
5. Florida Healthy Beaches Program
6. Positions
7. Meetings
Contact:

William Seaman, Associate Director

5. Florida Healthy Beaches Program

Beginning with a 1998 pilot program, 11 Florida coastal counties began conducting beach water sampling every two weeks and reporting the results here and in local news media.  In August 2000, the beach water sampling program was expanded to include the 34 Florida counties shown on the map below.  In August 2002, the coastal counties began collecting weekly samples.

The coastal beach water samples collected by the county health departments are analyzed for enterococci and fecal coliform bacteria.  High concentrations of these bacteria may indicate the presence of microorganisms that could cause disease, infections, or rashes.  County health departments will issue health advisories or warnings when these conditions are confirmed. See http://esetappsdoh.doh.state.fl.us/irm00beachwater/default.asp.