Eastern winds have been a blessing for Sarasota and Charlotte counties, blowing a red tide algae bloom south that plagued Englewood and other coastal communities the past few weeks.

Due to the winds, surface concentrations are being blown south out of Sarasota and Charlotte counties into Lee County and could end up in the Florida Keys, FWC researcher Alina Corcoran said. However, Corcoran cautioned red tide may still be found in the water column offshore and samples continue to show varying concentrations of the algae.