As a precaution, Sarasota County health officials have issued "No Swim" advisories for the following beaches: Lido Casino Beach, Brohard Beach, Venice Pier Beach, Siesta Beach and Longboat Key Beach. The amount of enterococcus bacteria found during water quality testing on Thursday, August 23, was outside acceptable limits. The beaches remain open, however, wading, swimming and water recreation is not recommended as long as there is an advisory in place. Enterococcus bacteria can come from a variety of natural and human-made sources. These include pet waste, livestock, birds, wildlife (land-dwelling and marine), storm water runoff, and human sewage from failed septic systems and sewage spills. No sewage spills have been reported within one mile of the beaches in the past month. The rapid response teams from Sarasota County and the City of Venice have determined the cause of the elevated bacteria levels is likely due to natural sources. Testing has revealed bacteria levels within acceptable limits at the following area beaches: Bird Key Park, South Lido Park Beach, North Lido Beach, Nokomis Beach, North Jetty Beach, Blind Pass, Manasota Key Beach, Turtle Beach, Service Club Beach, Caspersen Beach and Venice Beach.

Sarasota County Beach Water Test Results