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Pinellas County halts fish kill clean-up as red tide begins to dissipate on beaches

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INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, Fla. — Officials say red tide is starting to go away along Pinellas County beaches.

The county has halted red tide clean-up efforts because they say the fish kill is minimal enough for city crews to handle along the beaches.

Kelli Hammer-Levy with Pinellas County Public Works says the bloom that has been plaguing the bay area since mid-June has started to disappear.

"We had a very dramatic early start to last week but things are calming way down, the bay looks good. The satellite imagery is clearing up and it's wonderful," said Hammer-Levy.

The latest red tide map still shows high levels of red tide algae near Redington and Madeira Beaches, but Hammer-Levy says minimal fish kills are being reported.

"We’re cautiously optimistic that this bloom is breaking up and going away, hopefully for the rest of the summer," said Hammer-Levy.