Port Charlotte Beach is located on Charlotte Harbor, not on the Gulf of Mexico.
This morning, @CHGIFlorida posted on Twitter the news that Port Charlotte Beach has been closed indefinitely due to health concerns over high bacteria counts. This caught my eye because I just visited this beach park a few days ago and snapped the photo above. High levels of enterococci were found in the waters. Read the advisory from the Charlotte County Health Department.
The State of Florida monitors water quality through its Healthy Beaches Program. Results are posted publicly on the web:
Healthy Beaches Weekly Test Results for Florida
Charlotte County Weekly Water Test Results
Normally these beach closings only last for a few days. Bay beaches tend to have more closings because they are partially closed bodies of water and are direct recipients of runoff from the land.
