Miami-area beaches closed after lab tests confirm red tide

MIAMI, Fla. – Some beaches north of Miami are closed because of a rare red tide outbreak along Florida's Atlantic coast.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez tweeted Thursday that public beaches north of Haulover Inlet were closed after lab tests confirmed the presence of the toxic algae that has caused massive fish kills on Florida's Gulf coast.

Red tide can cause breathing problems in humans.

At least six Palm Beach County beaches have been closed since the weekend because of the outbreak.

State officials say a red tide bloom that began last fall now stretches along roughly 135 miles of Florida's southwest coast.

In Florida's Panhandle, crews of county jail inmates are cleaning up piles of dead fish killed by a red tide bloom near Panama City Beach.