Space Coast beaches covered in seaweed from storm system

Miles of beaches along the Space Coast are covered in a brown spongy carpet of seaweed that in some places is more than a foot thick, according to city officials here. 

The Sargassum seaweed is a natural marine plant that grows out in the open ocean, but city officials say winds and currents driven by the low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico are driving the spongy organisms onshore.

We checked with officials in Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, and Port Canaveral and all three say that as of Monday, there are no plans to remove the seaweed off the beaches.

They say the seaweed harbors marine life that birds, crabs, and turtles feed on. Officials say they also don't want disturb the beach during turtle nesting season, which began on May 1st and runs until October.