Portuguese Man O' War: Gulf Coast's Spring Stinger

0:00It's April 8th, from your city to your ears. This is Tampa Bay News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Spring means Portuguese man-a-war season along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. These venomous ciphonophores float on the surface like colorful balloons, blue, violet or pink, but pack a serious punch with tentacles full of stinging cells that deliver painful venom. They're not chew jellyfish, but they look close enough to fool you and they've got lifeguards flying purple flags next to rip current warnings. They're pushed around by wind and currents, showing up in big groups of a thousand or more, washing the shore or drifting in the water where they're tough to spot a mid-sea weed. Experts say keep your distance, even from dead ones on the beach, because the sting can cause welts, intense pain, and sometimes worse effects. A Minnesota family learned that the hard way on Galveston Island, their three-year-old son Keegan, picked up what looked like a harmless washed-up treasure, and 30 seconds

1:00later, he was screaming from the sting. Locals recognized a quick and sent them straight to the emergency room. Doctors treated him with a mix of vinegar, meat tenderizer, and lato cane that ease the pain right away. The doc warned these stings, drop folks to their knees and can last hours without care. But Keegan bounced back fully and is his happy self again. If you're hitting Gulf beaches this spring, stay vigilant for these drifters in the water or on shore, and hit medical help fast, if stung better safe. Then sideline on vacation.