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A pair of toxic algal blooms striking the state at the same time is rare and, in this case, especially lethal. A red tide is a natural phenomenon that develops miles offshore before making its way to the coast, where it feeds on a variety of pollutants, including phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizer, along with other runoff and wastewater.

What is not clear is whether climate change and pollution from humans near the shore has made this outbreak even worse. Scientists have found that the algae thrive in warmer waters and increased carbon dioxide levels.

Photo by Chris O'Meara/AP file photo

August has been brutal for Sarasota County, where McShane sat on a folding chair on the top-rated beach at Siesta Key. In the second week of the month – one of the worst of the red-tide bloom – small-business revenue fell by as much as 50 percent, according to a survey conducted by the local convention and visitors bureau.

At the Hub restaurant, a short walk from the beach, manager Tim Wong tried to be positive. “If it’s going to hit, this is the best time, because it’s the slow season for us,” Wong said. “It could be gone tomorrow – you never know.”

But others worry that the painful slow season, which stretches from August to November, will be tough to endure. “I’m prepared for the slow season, but this is scary,” Tom Kouvatsos said last week after yet another breakfast and lunch with hardly any diners at his Village Cafe. “This is just two weeks. What if it stays for two months? How can I carry my kitchen staff for two months?”