It might soon be against the law to let go of a balloon in Florida: Explanation of balloon release bans

Woman releasing balloons – Photo: Song_about_summer/Shutterstock.com Florida may soon impose fines for willfully launching a balloon into the sky if the state is successful in tightening its regulations around littering. It’s a component of a larger initiative that includes legislation in at least eight other states to safeguard wildlife, birds, dolphins, and turtles from ingesting

Florida wildlife officials considering new set of regulations to protect seabirds at Skyway Fishing Pier

Skyway Fishing Pier – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by kesterhu ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Between fishhooks and line entanglements, the Skyway Fishing Pier is the center of where several brown pelicans have sadly died. Previous cases of red tide wiped out the majority of the food source causing them to head to the pier for

Human activity has been directly linked to red tide in Southwest Florida thanks to new study

Red Tide — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Alfred Rowan According to a new study, human activity and red tide have now been linked. Researchers linked blooms in Charlotte Harbor and its surrounding coastal areas to nitrogen flowing from Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River, and areas upstream of the lake. Outbreaks of red tide are caused by

According to officials, Florida’s lettuce test project has fed 25 tons of lettuce to manatees

Manatee Eating Lettuce — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Mary-Kaitlyn Arnette The unprecedented human effort to save starving Florida manatees has so far provided the adorable marine mammals with over 25 tons of lettuce, officials said Wednesday. The round-tailed, snout-nosed animals that are popular with tourists and locals have suffered a major die-off. Their preferred seagrass food

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

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

Florida climate summit kicks off in Orlando

Climate Summit — Courtesy: Shutterstock — teerayuth oanwong Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer welcomed attendees to the 2021 Florida Energy & Climate Summit, held at the Florida Hotel & Conference Center in Sand Lake Road on Tuesday. This year, the summit is hosted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Energy and

South Florida makes a major difference on International Coastal Cleanup Day

Trash Beach Cleanup South Florida – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Serenethos Over the past weekend, South Florida joined a global effort to remove tons of trash and debris from our waterways and oceans on International Coastal Cleanup Day.  The mission was launched by the Ocean Conservancy nonprofit 36 years ago and has grown incredibly.

Florida crews working to prevent ‘Catastrophic’ flood situation in Manatee County phosphate mine

Governor Ron DeSantis addressing the Piney Point water situation – Courtesy: Chris O’Meara/AP A significant toxic wastewater leak was discovered last week Friday at a former phosphate plant located at Piney Point in Manatee County. After the leak was discovered, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the entire county and ordered the

Florida becomes largest clean-air state in the nation; meets all EPA air-quality standards

Courtesy: EPA meeting at Simmons Park, Ruskin, Fla. Photo by EPA The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday, Oct. 22, that Florida satisfied all six of its air quality standards. Ruskin, Fla., was the site of the news conference that held the announcement. Florida Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Secretary for Regulatory Programs