To pair with the rest of our educational content in each Earth to Florida newsletter, we bring you monthly updates on statewide environmental news. Read on below to see what we found for the month of January:
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10 Florida Stories to Watch
- The Florida State legislative session began on January 9, and as usual, many introduced bills are related to the state’s environment and natural resources. The Tampa Bay Times has put together a list of the bills that could help or hurt Florida’s environment if passed. Stay tuned for our state legislative issue in February which will provide an in-depth look at bills related to water quality and quantity, climate change, agriculture, land use and development, and more.
- In December, the Florida Department of Commerce released its first Hurricane Evacuation Modeling Report in more than a decade. Hurricane evacuation models consider the number of housing units and the vehicle use rate to calculate the number of possible evacuating vehicles and clearance time. By law in Florida, permanent residents in hurricane-prone areas must be able to evacuate within 24 hours. The report gives planners and policymakers estimates of future evacuation times based on certain development scenarios. The City of Marathon sent a draft bill to Florida state Rep. Jim Mooney that would allow up to 8,000 more building permits in the Keys and increase the allowable evacuation time from 24 to 31 hours. But, in its 2012 report, the Florida Department of Commerce determined that the proposed number of units would be thousands more than what the state could handle today. The Monroe County Commission has asked the Legislature to hold off on any decisions until the public has time to weigh in.
- While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used to nourish beaches in Pinellas County with sand every few years, a decision by the Corps to reinterpret policy about a decade ago has left the area’s beaches severely eroded. These beaches are important for the local tourist economy, provide habitats for endangered species, and defend against hurricanes and severe storms. Last week, two Pinellas County lawmakers filed a House memorial, urging Congress and the Corps to change their policy interpretation.
- Rising sea levels are leading to more saltwater intrusion, groundwater contamination, and coastal flooding– meaning more problems for infrastructure and private property. In fact, thousands of homes across Florida are at risk of or have already experienced repetitive flooding. However, homeowners and prospective buyers or tenants are typically legally barred from knowing about it, especially where flood insurance policies are not required, or maps of flood-risk properties are outdated. Despite soaring property costs and vulnerability to natural disasters, Miami-Dade County has managed to secure a 35% cut in flood insurance costs for around 100,000 residents in unincorporated Miami-Dade. This was done by updating public flood zone maps, maintaining canals, and raising building elevations. The county’s efforts have improved its ranking on FEMA’s community rating system, which encourages communities to build more resiliently.
- In the South Fork of the St. Lucie River, a mystery substance thought to be gas, oil, or diesel, has been leaking from an unknown location since December. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is aware of the issue and is actively investigating the cause.
- In East Seminole County near the Econlockhatchee River, 1,314 acres of pastureland form an important piece of the state’s wildlife corridor. But 20 years ago, the owners of the property were granted permission to develop 300 homes in the area and are getting ready to break ground. Seminole County has asked the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to purchase the land and set it aside for conservation under its Florida Forever program. If the DEP doesn’t agree, three out of five Seminole commissioners have agreed to purchase the land with county funds. The owners are currently “having confidential discussions with the state” regarding the matter. The connectivity of wild spaces like state parks, rivers, streams, ranchlands, and timberlands allows for wildlife to roam freely while helping protect natural resources from pollution and overuse.
- Panther advocates are speaking out against a planned 10,000 home housing development in east Lee County. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the current Florida panther population is just slightly above 200. Public comments on the matter will be filed into a report for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Opponents of the development are concerned with the sprawl and paving in an area that is considered a core panther habitat and breeding ground. The owners of the development, Cameratta Cos., say that 60% of the area would be preserved and that the panther population would benefit from conservation efforts such as the conversion of 2,000 acres of agricultural land into native habitats.
- To supplement its vulnerable surface water supply, the City of West Palm Beach has filed an application with the South Florida Water Management District for a 50-year permit to draw water from the brackish Floridan Aquifer. The move follows a 2021 harmful algal bloom in Clear Lake, which provides drinking water to West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, and South Palm Beach. In order to use the salty water in the aquifer, the city would need to build an expensive desalination plant. The city acknowledges that the change would have a significant economic impact on residents. If approved, the city would account for the biggest draw on the aquifer in the district.
- A new report published by the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and the advocacy group 1,000 Friends of Florida has found that development and sea level rise are projected to result in the loss of about 2.2 million acres of Florida farmland by 2070. This loss could have major consequences for the state’s economy and environment. The report also outlined recommendations to help mitigate the impacts such as funding for land conservation programs, sound community planning, and market-based incentives for preservation.
- A new study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies demonstrates the key role benthic (seafloor) communities, like seagrass beds, play in reducing ocean acidification. Among other impacts, ocean acidification makes it harder for corals to grow their skeletons. Results showed that ocean acidification near Florida’s coral reef varies both geographically and over time. The southernmost reefs in Florida’s reef tract were identified as hotspots for ocean acidification. However, inshore reefs, like those in the Upper Keys, proved less vulnerable. Increasing water alkalinity from river runoff and the presence of seagrass beds significantly influence the carbonate chemistry, providing a buffer against ocean acidification.
The Good News
- Six finalists have been selected by the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority to come up with a creative way to rid South Florida shorelines of the stinky seaweed known as sargassum. Project proposals outline plans to use sargassum to create green hydrogen (a source of renewable energy), produce biochar (a soil additive that sequesters carbon), prevent coastal erosion, make fertilizer, synthesize building materials, and generate biogas. At least three of these proposals will receive $100,000 to make their ideas a reality.
Florida Research News
- A new study led by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has assessed more than 460 likely invaders and their potential to harm Florida if introduced. These include the alewife (a fish), zebra mussel, and red swamp crayfish. Species were ranked based on their likeliness to survive, spread, and establish and the severity of their impact.
- Researchers at the University of Florida are investigating ways to improve a cow’s microbiome and the way they digest fiber in order to reduce the amount of methane gas they emit through their burps. Each year, a single cow will belch about 220 pounds of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
- The Loammi skipper (Atrytonopsis loammi) is an imperiled species of butterfly that, since losing a lot of its habitat to development, is only found in patches around Florida. Researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History are studying the genetic health of these butterflies in the face of habitat fragmentation, building upon our knowledge of insect decline and vulnerable populations.
- With help from the Jacksonville Zoo, the University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience is developing ways to extract environmental DNA – or eDNA– from bobcat tracks. While bobcats are widespread across the United States and are not considered at risk, populations in Florida may be on a slight decline. Using eDNA, researchers can monitor species like the bobcat by defining ancestral populations and microbial communities associated with individuals. eDNA techniques are non-invasive, and bobcat print research may help to broaden where and how they are used in conservation.
- The Florida Atlantic University Center for Environmental Studies has conducted a quarterly Florida Climate Resiliency Survey since October 2019, shedding light on how Floridians feel about climate change and their own resilience to climate hazards. The most recent results indicated that 90% of Floridians believe climate change is happening, which is consistent with previous years, and most people support increased governmental action to address climate change on state and federal levels (69% and 70%, respectively).
- Off the U.S. East Coast from Florida to South Carolina, the world’s largest deep-sea coral reef has been discovered. A map of the reef was created with data from 30 multi-beam sonar mapping surveys and 23 submersible dives. The largest part of the reef, nicknamed “Million Mounds,” is primarily made up of stony coral, which is important for creating habitats and providing food for invertebrates and fish.
- A new report by Florida environmental nonprofit groups in collaboration with economic analysts details the financial ramifications of harmful algal blooms in Florida. Should there be a repeat of algal blooms at the scale of those in Collier, Charlotte, and Lee counties in 2005, 2006, and 2018, “the study area would lose more than $460 million in commercial and recreational fishing, 43,000 jobs, $5.2 billion in local economic output, $17.8 billion in property values.” Though the report focused on data from counties on the west coast of the state, it is easy to draw east coast parallels. The algae blooms have significant impacts on tourism and recreational activities such as fishing, hiking, birding, and boating.
National News
- The U.S. Virgin Islands is planning to build its first artificial reef to help buffer wave action and provide storm protection. With $760,000 in federal funding dedicated to response efforts for hurricanes Maria and Irma, the reef will be installed along the coast surrounding St. Thomas.
- In 2023, average global temperatures were 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above average temperatures from NASA’s 1951-1980 baseline period, making it the warmest year on record. NASA strongly attributes the cause of these high temperatures to climate change. European climate agency Copernicus agrees that other variables, such as El Niño and volcanic eruptions, play a microscopic role in the warming compared to fossil fuel emissions. Copernicus pointed out that a 1.2 degrees Celsius increase is worryingly close to the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, after which Earth will experience the most severe effects of warming. Copernicus reported that 2023 already had a staggeringly high number of weather-related natural disasters including heat waves, floods, droughts, severe storms, and wildfires compared to any previously recorded years.
- New houses weather hurricanes with much more success, but a new report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that the most effective upgrade in terms of disaster preparedness is a new roof. Homes with new roofs are more likely to survive the devastating winds, water, and debris caused by a hurricane, with the data showing that 90% of homes with roofs put in before 2015 had damage compared to only 28% of roofs put in after 2015.
- A newly released federal budget for endangered species shows that about half of the $1.2 billion budget goes to just two types of fish – salmon and steelhead trout along the U.S. West Coast. Popular animals like manatees and right whales also received bigger pots of money. The budget revealed the disparities between more charismatic species and lesser known animals and plants. Scientists argue that spending should focus on species that can be easily recovered and play a bigger role in the ecosystem.
Things You Can Do
- Tampa Bay Watch, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and many other organizations are crowdsourcing data for studies and conservation efforts by training volunteer “citizen scientists.” The Tampa Bay Watchkeepers enlist anyone who uses the water to be on the lookout for algal blooms, oil spills, injured animals, or endangered species, providing free QR code stickers that pull up the page to make a report. Other volunteer opportunities include providing oyster habitats by making DIY vertical oyster gardens, counting gopher tortoise nests, patrolling roped-off sanctuaries that are important for shorebird conservation, and snorkeling in the Great Bay Scallop Search, which has documented scallop populations annually for over 30 years.
The More You Know
- Anthropogenic climate change has led to rising temperatures around the globe, producing a flurry of more frequent, and dispersed, rare diseases. Naegleria fowleri and Vibrio vulnificus are both diseases transmitted through water that caused deaths across the country in 2023, including 12 in Florida alone. The first two locally transmitted cases of the mosquito-borne dengue virus were also discovered in California, and tick-borne diseases are becoming more widespread. Researchers indicate that while sporadic rare diseases are not unusual, climate change is likely multiplying and distributing pathogens from the tropics farther north.
- Sand Dollar Island, which was once home to one of Florida’s largest black skimmer colonies is no longer a host to this bird species. The black skimmers abandoned their nesting site on the island in the summer of 2023 and did not produce any chicks. This could be due to several factors, including dredging, habitat alteration, human disturbance, predation, and erosion.