Swim advisories not stopping beachgoers in Collier County

Published:
Collier County is advising residents to stay out of the water at local beaches due to bacteria after Ian. (CREDIT: WINK News)

The Florida Department of Health warns everyone to stay out of the water.

In Collier County, there is a swim advisory for all of its beaches because of bacteria in the water.

Walking along the beach isn’t safe either as debris covers the sand.

Blake Kriz was surfing on Wednesday.

“We never get surf in Naples, so, whenever there are waves, we’re going to come out and have fun,” Kriz said.

The Florida Department of Health said not to do this.

Beaches in Collier County experienced significant damage after Ian and you should not go in the water.

“This brought bacteria, this brought an increased amount of debris in our area. This debris is not only on the beaches, it’s in the sand and it’s also in the water,” said Florida Department of Health in Collier County spokeswoman Kristine Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth said fecal matter has been found at extremely high levels throughout a number of different coastlines.

“We do have staff who are going out and testing the water, but it should be noted that we only test for a certain bacteria. We don’t test for other viruses or bacteria such as Vibrio vulnificus,” Hollingsworth said.

At Delnor Wiggins State Park, there is trash, debris and people’s belongings like a chair.

Still, some people walked along the beach.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.