The state's report has found toxic algae levels to be in the Sarasota area and south to Marco Island

Scientists are claiming that Hurricane Ian is creating a red tide off the coast of Florida.

This bloom has persisted for a number of weeks and is now being fed by nutrients running off the land.

Red tide is a naturally occurring organism in the Gulf of Mexico that sometimes blooms to toxic levels.

But research shows that nutrients originating from nearby farm fields and lawns fuel red tide blooms in the close-to-shore environment, making them more frequent, longer lasting, and more intense.

Ian did not create the conditions for the original bloom, but it has helped fuel it with rainfall and storm surge.

The bloom now stretches from Sarasota to Marco Island.