Do you know the names of Florida’s coasts?

Anna Maria Island, Florida — Courtesy: Shutterstock — bonandbon If you’re a Tampa Bay resident, you’ve probably heard of the “Suncoast.” It is used for names of organizations, businesses, and even roads, such as the Suncoast Parkway. All around the Sunshine State, regions of the coast have different nicknames. Some are much more well-known than

South Florida has passed the peak of the omicron surge

South Florida Omicron Testing Site — Courtesy: Shutterstock — YES Market Media HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — According to experts, the height of the COVID-19 omicron variant surge may be behind us in South Florida.  “In Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, hospitals have already experienced their peak,” Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said

IKEA buys hurricane-damaged land in Florida to plant forests

IKEA Store — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Graeme Dawes Ingka Group, owner of IKEA furniture stores worldwide, has bought more land in the U.S. as part of a long-term goal and commitment to handle forest management responsibly. Ingka Group will plant seedlings of mainly longleaf pine on the 3,264 acres of land near Florida’s Apalachicola River

Up to 1 million COVID-19 rapid test kits found expired in Florida warehouse

BinaxNOW COVID-19 Rapid Test: Courtesy — Image by: Abbott Between 800,000 and 1 million COVID-19 rapid test kits were left to expire inside a Florida warehouse amid a nationwide shortage caused by the winter surge of coronavirus cases. Like many other Americans, Floridians have faced extremely long waits at testing sites for weeks, making the

Florida’s new & improved jobless rate leads to scaled-back benefits

Unemployed Floridians Face Scaled-Back Benefits — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: Blueee77 TALLAHASSEE, Fl. — Floridians laid off in the upcoming new year will get seven fewer weeks of unemployment benefits because of the state’s improved jobless rate for 2021.  On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced that a formula used to determine

Spike in COVID-19 cases causes closures, cancellations, and long lines throughout South Florida

COVID-19 Testing — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: zstock As several South Florida counties reach a “high” risk level for COVID-19 transmission, residents are experiencing extremely long testing lines, store closures, and event cancellations. With the holidays & Christmas approaching quickly, testing sites are experiencing exceptionally long lines. Tropical Park, a 24/7 PCR testing and

FWC & USFWS respond—Florida’s manatee facing crisis will get a bit of extra help

Manatee Eating — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: somdul The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced an expanded effort on Wednesday to respond to the ongoing manatee unusual mortality event along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Just in 2021, more than 1,000 manatees have died across the state of

Florida manatees are starving while wildlife organizations are scrambling to save them

Manatees — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: Lukasz Machowczyk In Florida, an ecological issue has led to the deaths of over 1,000 manatees. The slow-moving marine mammals graze on seagrass in shallow coastal areas, but a massive die-off of seagrass has left them with barely any food to eat.  The lack of food is most

Miami Beach celebrates the start of Hanukkah in true South Florida style

World’s Largest Electronic Menorah — Hanukkah Celebration — Courtesy: Paramount Miami The world’s largest electronic menorah will shine across South Florida’s skyline during the eight nights of the Jewish “Festival of Lights.” In a video provided by the Paramount Miami Worldcenter, the 60-story skyscraper’s LED-lit menorah went on display Sunday evening, the first night of

Giant invasive Burmese pythons are slithering their way up Florida

Burmese Pythons — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Heiko Kiera Following several years of close speculation, invasive Burmese pythons have been spotted making their way up north in Florida. “We have finally, unhappily, sighted a Burmese python in the interior of the refuge,” University of Florida wildlife professor Frank Mazzotti, who heads Fort Lauderdale’s Croc Docs research team,