Mote Marine Lab reports ‘significant spike in Sarasota Bay concentrations of nitrate and ammonia’. On Sept. 3, writing about the latest results of water sampling that a team has been conducting in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby’s passage along the Gulf Coast of Florida, David Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, wrote, “As of now, the open waters of Sarasota Bay from Siesta Drive down to Venice Inlet are out of compliance for fecal indicator bacteria, and should not be considered to be safe for recreational activities such as swimming, jet skiing, wakeboarding, or any activity that could involve the participant accidentally ingesting water through their mouth or nose or entry of water via a cut or scrape. These aren’t samples taken by stormwater pipes or in quiescent dead-end canals – these are out in the open waters of the bay.”