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Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Selene San Felice.

Axios Tampa Bay

We’re certainly not trying to minimize the disaster of Pinellas County’s red tide fish kill, but we really want you to understand just how much 1,600 tons of dead fish is — and how its scale affects our local environment.

We already showed you how the pile would stack up next to Tampa’s Beer Can Building, and now we've visualized how it would turn Disney’s Magic Kingdom from the happiest to the smelliest place on earth.

Of note: This isn’t even all of it. Since our last update, the amount of dead fish recovered has increased to 1,687 tons, according to the county. 

How Tampa Bay's red tide could make Disney World the smelliest place on earth

We really want you to understand just how much 1,600 tons of dead fish is.

Data: Pinellas County; Animation: Will Chase/Axios

Extreme weather

We’re certainly not trying to minimize the disaster of Pinellas County’s red tide fish kill, but we really want you to understand just how much 1,600 tons of dead fish is — and how its scale affects our local environment.<ul><li>We already showed you how the pile would stack up <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="next to Tampa’s Beer Can Building" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/tampa-bay-dead-fish-red-tide-beer-can-building-d145d6c0-c92a-46c2-ab9d-30088ca64669.html" data-vars-content-id="4e213be9-f04e-4b7d-afce-aac6f02bd8a2" data-vars-headline="How Tampa Bay&#x27;s red tide could make Disney World the smelliest place on earth" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/tampa-bay-dead-fish-red-tide-beer-can-building-d145d6c0-c92a-46c2-ab9d-30088ca64669.html" target="_self">next to Tampa’s Beer Can Building</a>, and now we&#x27;ve visualized how it would turn Disney’s Magic Kingdom from the happiest to the smelliest place on earth.</li></ul>Of note: This isn’t even all of it. Since our last update, the amount of dead fish recovered has increased to 1,687 tons, according to the county.

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Whats Next

Axios What's Next

Data: S&P Global Mobility; Chart: Axios Visuals

Four of the 10 most-registered vehicles in Tampa Bay are pickup trucks — vehicles that have been supersized and redesigned for comfort in recent decades, a far cry from the utilitarian and economical machines of previous years.

Driving the news: In the 1980s, about half of pickup trucks were categorized as small or midsize. But by the 2010s, small pickups had nearly vanished.

In a new special project, Axios' Will Chase, Jared Whalen and Joann Muller examined the past 50 years of societal and lifestyle changes behind pickups' ever-increasing size.

Why it matters: As trucks transitioned from farm and ranch workhorses to lifestyle vehicles, their design shifted accordingly: Cabs expanded to accommodate more passengers, while beds shrank.

Yet, pedestrian and road safety advocates say today's massive trucks are a hazard, given their size, weight, and driver blind spots.

One result of supersized trucks: greater risks to pedestrians and other drivers. 

Drivers of today's trucks sit much higher, creating a blind spot where small children or wheelchair users are hidden from view.

Moreover, pickups' weight increased by 32% between 1990 and 2021, meaning they strike pedestrians with more force. 

Plus, the tall front of a truck strikes pedestrians in the torso or head — increasing risk of critical injuries  — whereas the lower hoods of cars typically strike pedestrians in the legs.

Zoom in: According to data from S&P Global Mobility, Tampa Bay's bestseller is Ford's F Series, a prime example of how trucks have grown.

The first F-150s were 36% cab and 64% bed by length.

By 2021, the ratio flipped, with 63% cab and 37% bed, as trucks were being used more for carrying people than lumber, rubble or bags of concrete.

Nearly half of Tampa Bay's most-registered vehicles are pickup trucks

Pedestrian and road safety advocates say today's massive trucks are a hazard, given their size, weight, and driver blind spots.

Transportation

Four of the 10 most-registered vehicles in Tampa Bay are pickup trucks — vehicles that have been supersized and redesigned for comfort in recent decades, a far cry from the utilitarian and economical machines of previous years.Driving the news: In the 1980s, about half of pickup trucks were categorized as small or midsize. But by the 2010s, small pickups had nearly vanished.

Axios Tampa Bay, anchored by Ben Montgomery and Selene San Felice, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

We are now at 1,624 tons of dead fish that have been pulled from the waters surrounding Pinellas County. 

It’s hard to think about how big that is, but we tried out best to show you with a little local flair.

Pile 'em all up and they'd go a decent way up the Beer Can Building in downtown Tampa. (We'll leave you to imagine the smell.)

Some scale: The heaviest blue whale on record weighed 200 tons. This is more than eight times that. 

According to themeasureofthings.com, that's also ...

🗽 11 times as heavy as the Statue of Liberty (without its base).

Now that you’ve got a grip on all that dead fish, here’s some better news: Pinellas County spokesman Tony Fabrizio told Axios things are moving in the right direction from our ongoing red tide threat.

"We’re encouraged. It looked a lot better over the last two days. But the Gulf temperature is really high — 88 degrees. We’re hopeful at this point."

One way to visualize Tampa Bay's 1,624 tons of dead fish

We are now at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1,624 tons of dead fish" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/ron-desantis-tampa-bay-red-tide-state-of-emergency-334ecd4c-700c-4a1e-8f99-2495d22c84a9.html" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/ron-desantis-tampa-bay-red-tide-state-of-emergency-334ecd4c-700c-4a1e-8f99-2495d22c84a9.html" target="_self">1,624 tons of dead fish</a> that have been pulled from the waters surrounding Pinellas County. <ul><li>It’s hard to think about how big that is, but we tried out best to show you with a little local flair.</li><li>Pile &#x27;em all up and they&#x27;d go a decent way up the Beer Can Building in downtown Tampa. (We&#x27;ll leave you to imagine the smell.)</li></ul>Some scale: The heaviest blue whale <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="on record " data-vars-click-url="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/2/record-setting-anatomy-of-the-blue-whale-a-look-inside-the-largest-animal" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/2/record-setting-anatomy-of-the-blue-whale-a-look-inside-the-largest-animal" target="_blank">on record </a>weighed 200 tons. This is more than eight times that.

Will Chase

Featured stories

Nearly half of Tampa Bay's most-registered vehicles are pickup trucks

How Tampa Bay's red tide could make Disney World the smelliest place on earth

One way to visualize Tampa Bay's 1,624 tons of dead fish