Dead fish litter the downtown St. Petersburg marina St. Petersburg spokesman Ben Kirby said city officials had reached out for state help in dealing with red tide, which has resulted in 15 tons of dead fish hauled ashore by city crews. But they had not received a response by late Tuesday. That comes on the heels of a letter written by state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried asking the governor to declare a state of emergency. Fried, a Democrat running for governor, asked Ron Desantis to issue an executive order that would help Tampa Bay counties affected by red tide. She wrote: "Severe red tide needs a coordinated state response and resources, instead of shifting the burden to local governments.