In the article it says:

The bloom began in January off St. Petersburg and has spread from there along the coast, reaching the Panhandle shortly after Hurricane Katrina crossed the gulf, Lake said. The storm, which made landfall in Louisiana on Aug. 29, may have helped it spread to the Panhandle, he said.

Well the storm actually made landfall on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, not Lousiana. Louisiana had damage from the actual storm (as did Alabama). The majority of the damage in Louisana that is all over the TV's is from the Levy's breaking after the storm. They should have done a better job editing that article.

BTW related to the red tide I have notice down here in SW Slorida that the effects are not nearly as harsh as they were (I see people going to the beach again), but there are still areas where the effect is still quite noticable.