Higgs Beach Water Quality

Monroe County, Florida

Good

The latest test found low bacteria levels (35 or fewer per 100 mL).

Latest test
Oct 20, 2026 (16 days ago)
Enterococci
10 per 100 mL
Past 12 months
18 of 23 tests Good, 5 Poor

Results over time

101001000Dec 7, 2021: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 21, 2021: 385 per 100 mL (Poor)Jan 4, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 18, 2022: 75 per 100 mL (Poor)Feb 1, 2022: 364 per 100 mL (Poor)Feb 15, 2022: 64 per 100 mL (Moderate)Mar 1, 2022: 42 per 100 mL (Moderate)Mar 15, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 29, 2022: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Apr 12, 2022: 164 per 100 mL (Poor)Apr 26, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 10, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 24, 2022: 64 per 100 mL (Moderate)Jun 7, 2022: 200 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 21, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 5, 2022: 254 per 100 mL (Poor)Jul 19, 2022: 180 per 100 mL (Poor)Aug 2, 2022: 58 per 100 mL (Moderate)Aug 16, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 30, 2022: 624 per 100 mL (Poor)Sep 13, 2022: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Oct 25, 2022: 132 per 100 mL (Poor)Nov 8, 2022: 999 per 100 mL (Poor)Nov 21, 2022: 53 per 100 mL (Moderate)Dec 6, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 20, 2022: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 3, 2023: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 17, 2023: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 31, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Feb 14, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Feb 28, 2023: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 14, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 28, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Apr 12, 2023: 124 per 100 mL (Poor)Apr 25, 2023: 31 per 100 mL (Good)May 9, 2023: 118 per 100 mL (Poor)May 23, 2023: 324 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 6, 2023: 58 per 100 mL (Moderate)Jun 20, 2023: 42 per 100 mL (Moderate)Jul 5, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 18, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 1, 2023: 15 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 15, 2023: 97 per 100 mL (Poor)Sep 5, 2023: 738 per 100 mL (Poor)Sep 12, 2023: 64 per 100 mL (Moderate)Sep 26, 2023: 164 per 100 mL (Poor)Oct 10, 2023: 53 per 100 mL (Moderate)Oct 24, 2023: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 7, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 21, 2023: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 5, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 19, 2023: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 2, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 16, 2024: 53 per 100 mL (Moderate)Jan 30, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Feb 13, 2024: 42 per 100 mL (Moderate)Feb 27, 2024: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 12, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 26, 2024: 364 per 100 mL (Poor)Apr 9, 2024: 154 per 100 mL (Poor)Apr 23, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 7, 2024: 164 per 100 mL (Poor)May 21, 2024: 171 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 4, 2024: 591 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 19, 2024: 659 per 100 mL (Poor)Jul 2, 2024: 105 per 100 mL (Poor)Jul 16, 2024: 12 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 30, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 13, 2024: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 26, 2024: 2000 per 100 mL (Poor)Sep 10, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Sep 24, 2024: 36 per 100 mL (Moderate)Oct 15, 2024: 659 per 100 mL (Poor)Oct 22, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 5, 2024: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 19, 2024: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 3, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 17, 2024: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 2, 2025: 42 per 100 mL (Moderate)Jan 14, 2025: 15 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 28, 2025: 64 per 100 mL (Moderate)Feb 11, 2025: 111 per 100 mL (Poor)Mar 11, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 25, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Apr 8, 2025: 42 per 100 mL (Moderate)Apr 22, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 6, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 20, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jun 3, 2025: 434 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 17, 2025: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 1, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 15, 2025: 2005 per 100 mL (Poor)Jul 29, 2025: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 12, 2025: 406 per 100 mL (Poor)Aug 26, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Sep 9, 2025: 53 per 100 mL (Moderate)Sep 23, 2025: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Oct 7, 2025: 51 per 100 mL (Moderate)Oct 21, 2025: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 4, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Nov 18, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 2, 2025: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Dec 16, 2025: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jan 27, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Feb 10, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Feb 24, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 10, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Mar 24, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Apr 7, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Apr 21, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)May 5, 2026: 15 per 100 mL (Good)May 19, 2026: 354 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 2, 2026: 20 per 100 mL (Good)Jun 16, 2026: 232 per 100 mL (Poor)Jun 30, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 14, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Jul 28, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Aug 11, 2026: 222 per 100 mL (Poor)Aug 25, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)Sep 8, 2026: 75 per 100 mL (Poor)Sep 22, 2026: 560 per 100 mL (Poor)Oct 6, 2026: 31 per 100 mL (Good)Oct 20, 2026: 10 per 100 mL (Good)20222023202420252026
Enterococci per 100 mL, log scale. Lines mark the Moderate (36) and Poor (71) levels.

Recent tests

DateEnterococci per 100 mLRating
Oct 20, 202610Good
Oct 6, 202631Good
Sep 22, 2026560Poor Advisory
Sep 8, 202675Poor Advisory
Aug 25, 202610Good
Aug 11, 2026222Poor Advisory
Jul 28, 202610Good
Jul 14, 202610Good
Jun 30, 202610Good
Jun 16, 2026232Poor Advisory
Jun 2, 202620Good
May 19, 2026354Poor Advisory
May 5, 202615Good
Apr 21, 202610Good
Apr 7, 202610Good
Mar 24, 202610Good

The long view

The state has 945 tests on record for Higgs Beach over 27 years, starting August 2000. In the last 10 years, 82 tests of 278 (29%) came back Poor, well above the rate for all Florida sampled beaches (6.1%). Bacteria levels usually jump after heavy rain, when stormwater washes to the shore, and drop again within a day or two.

Nearby sampled beaches

About this site

Sampling site HIGGS BEACH (Monroe County, EPA beach ID FL963834), at 24.54667, -81.78556. Results are from the Florida Department of Health's Healthy Beaches Program; years before 2026 come from the state's submissions to EPA's Water Quality Portal.