Red Tide Near Fort George Inlet Is Another Warning Sign: Jacksonville Needs to Move Beyond Coal

The Florida Department of Health in Duval County has issued a health warning after red tide appeared near Fort George Inlet in Jacksonville. Red tide is a harmful algal bloom that can kill fish and wildlife and cause respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma or other lung conditions. The bloom showed up near JEA's Northside Generating Station, a large coal plant that also burns petroleum coke. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says fossil fuel plants are a major source of the nitrogen buildup that can trigger these blooms.

A University of Florida-Jacksonville pediatrics professor and former county health director warned that warming seas combined with continued coal burning are making red tide a growing public health problem, hurting health, tourism, and quality of life. The Sierra Club and the Duval Affordable Clean Energy Coalition are calling for scientists and public health experts to study air and water quality around the plant, along with the combined health and environmental effects on nearby communities and wildlife.

The groups are pushing JEA and the city to move away from coal and petroleum coke at Northside, step up monitoring of air and water quality nearby, make emissions data easier for the public to see, weigh health impacts more heavily in energy planning, expand clean energy and battery storage, and give residents a real voice in decisions about Jacksonville's energy future. For homeowners in the area, this is a reminder that local power plant choices can affect nearby air and water quality, along with health risks tied to conditions like asthma.