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Tar Balls Found On Hollywood, Key Biscayne Beaches

MIAMI (CBS4) - In addition to rough surf, rip currents and some Portuguese Man of War, beach goers at two popular South Florida state parks had to deal with another unwanted distraction – tar balls.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection says oil blobs washed ashore at John U. Lloyd State Park in Hollywood and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park Key Biscayne on Friday.

Tar balls form when oil or petroleum dumped from ships' bilges, or leak from offshore rigs, congeal in sea water.

The source of the tar balls was not immediately identified. The threat to wildlife was minimal.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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