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 June:
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13 Florida Stories to Watch
- Despite concerns from environmental groups, Governor Ron Desantis approved a budget measure that would grant University of Florida researchers $250,000 to study the effectiveness of rainy season fertilizer bans. The measure also prohibits cities and counties from amending or enacting new bans for one year. Bans on certain fertilizer products during the rainy season in Florida seek to reduce nutrient-laden runoff that feeds harmful algal blooms in Florida’s waters, like the toxic blue-green algal bloom currently covering half of Lake Okeechobee. Critics of the measure argue that scientists already know that excess fertilizer brought into local waterways from rainfall harms water quality and spurs algal blooms.
- A white-tailed deer in Holmes County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. The neurological disease is not transmissible to humans but is fatal for deer, elk, moose, and caribou, and has the potential to seriously hurt deer populations across the state. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is currently implementing its plan to contain the spread of CWD and inform the public about its potential hazards.
- County health departments issued public health alerts due to toxic blue-green algae blooms for Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie Canal, the Caloosahatchee River, and areas of downtown Fort Myers. While spillover freshwater from Lake Okeechobee can lead to blooms in the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers, scientists say the water levels in the lake aren’t high enough yet. Instead, increased rainfall has brought in more freshwater allowing the blooms to thrive. But Lake Okeechobee can only hold so much water, and it is currently 15 inches higher than last year due to heavy rains and leftover swell from Hurricane Ian. If needed, water releases to the east and west could exacerbate the problem. Many residents in the area fear a repeat of 2018 when major blooms fouled South Florida’s waters for months.
- The Florida Rights of Nature nonprofit group is working to add an amendment to the Florida state constitution that would make it unlawful for state agencies to “to harm or threaten to harm Florida waters by action or inaction.” If successful, the amendment would allow Floridians to sue state agencies for harm to Florida waterways. Similar “rights of nature” measures have been approved by voters in local elections but were preempted by state law. The group must collect 900,000 signed petitions by Nov.30 for the measure to be included on the 2024 ballot.
- Two people in Manatee and Sarasota counties were recently infected with malaria from mosquito bites. As a result, both counties have increased aerial pesticide treatments. The mosquito species that typically carry malaria are most often found in ponds, lakes, and ditches surrounded by dense vegetation. Those living in affected areas should drain standing water and cover their skin with clothing and CDC-approved repellents. In addition to malaria, Miami-Dade County has had two local cases of dengue, and chickens and horses have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Polk and Orange counties.
- Environmental groups and a potential deep-sea fish farm are at odds over a proposed site off the coast of Sarasota. The aquaculture company Ocean Era received a permit from the EPA in 2020 for the nation’s first open ocean aquaculture operation in federal waters to farm almaco jack. Proponents of open ocean aquaculture say demand for seafood is increasing, and fish farms can help alleviate pressure on wild stocks. Since the original permit was approved, the company has changed the pen design and now wants to farm red drum fish, so a new permit is needed. Environmental groups who worry the fish farm will add pollution to an already ailing system are now petitioning the EPA to deny the permit.
- Florida’s $400 million strawberry industry is feeling the heat of climate change. By 2050, Florida strawberry farms, concentrated in Hillsborough County surrounding Tampa, will be pushed out of the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ of ideal growing conditions, leading to an expected 11% decrease in yields and a 10% decrease in net income per acre. Other agricultural sectors across Florida, from citrus to corn, are suffering similar consequences.
- In 2021, the giant African land snail was declared eradicated in Florida after a decade-long and $23 million fight. But 3.5 square miles of Miramar in Broward County have recently been placed under quarantine after the snail made a resurgence. The quarantine prohibits the movement of the snails and of plants, soil, and building materials that could be carrying the snails’ eggs. Since it first arrived in Miami in the 1960s, the state has taken action against the snail, which destroys crops and buildings and carries meningitis-causing rat lungworm parasites. Two additional quarantines – in Pasco and Lee counties – are already underway.
- A new study by researchers at the University of Miami and Florida International University revealed that in Miami-Dade County, actual temperatures exceed recorded readings by 6 degrees Fahrenheit, and the heat index is 11 degrees hotter on average. Thresholds for heat warnings and advisories have been lowered across Miami, allowing for extended hours in air-conditioned public spaces and increased protection for people without adequate shelter. But the lack of laws enforcing paid water breaks and shade provisions in outdoor industries, from roofing to farming, still leaves over 100,000 workers in Miami-Dade vulnerable. The county is currently enacting an Extreme Heat Action Plan to reduce the economic and health impacts of increasingly warmer temperatures.
- The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt shrunk by 15% during the month of May, the first time such a decline has been recorded during that time of year. While the mass of brown seaweed that makes an annual appearance on Florida’s east coast beaches is far from gone, the bloom reduction indicates a small reprieve from a larger-than-normal sargassum this summer.
- The Georgia State Environmental Protection Division is considering a proposal to loosen a decade-old moratorium that would allow more withdrawals from the Floridan Aquifer. The proposal comes in response to demands from farmers to use the water for the purpose of protecting blueberries, citrus, and other crops from Spring freezes. Some see this as a reasonable exception, as frosts only tend to occur for a few days each year. Opponents are concerned that should the proposal pass, it will only be the first step in an effort to withdraw further protections.
- A proposal to drill an exploratory oil well in Collier County has been rejected for the final time by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. After its first rejection in 2021, it was brought to the state Division of Administrative Hearings. In her decision, Judge Francine Folkes cited the lack of evidence for a commercially profitable amount of oil in the Big Cypress Swamp area.
- Clean water advocate Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch has been removed from the South Florida Water Management District’s governing board due to a comment she made during a February 2022 meeting. Her comment was made while objecting to a would-be-vetoed Senate bill that critics believed would undermine progress in Everglades restoration. In reference to another environmental bill opposed by lawmakers, she said, “Oh well, we’re God, you’re not, we’re in Tallahassee.” This statement was deemed inappropriate and disrespectful by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo’s office, leading to Thurlow-Lippisch’s removal from the board. Gov. DeSantis appointed Thurlow-Lippisch to the board in 2019 calling her a “champion to the environment,” and reappointed her for another four-year term last year.
The Good News
- Tampa’s Little Skimmer, a boat operated by the city’s solid waste department, has picked up more than 13 tons of trash in one year along the Hillsborough River. The goal of the boat is to catch the trash before it empties into Tampa Bay and beyond. At the end of the day, the trash is offloaded and taken to Tampa’s waste to energy facility to be burned for electricity.
- The Panama City Beach Turtle Watch has marked four loggerhead turtle nests as the sea turtle nesting season, lasting from May through October, starts to gain traction. While nesting is expected to pick up in the coming months, the group’s director indicated that the season appears to be on course with previous years, and no issues have appeared thus far.
- A rare bird species is nesting on the Sanibel Causeway for the first time in 30 years. Least Terns, which are colony nesting birds, were spotted on the sandy stretch of Sanibel Causeway Islands. Wildlife and transportation officials closed off the area to vehicle, pedestrian, and construction traffic to preserve the nests and give them their best chance at survival.
- A restoration project on Virginia Key in Miami aims to increase the area’s resiliency using natural solutions. As opposed to manmade structures like flood walls, gates, and pumps, the volunteer-based project is aiming to revitalize the dunes and tropical hammocks along the coast to protect both the unique island ecosystem and the mainland. As the forest fills in, it will provide a buffer for floods and high winds that could damage and erode Miami’s coast.
Florida Research News
- Paleontologists recently uncovered several gomphotheres – extinct relatives of elephants – at the Montbrook fossil dig site in North Florida. Scientists say the mammals died in or near a river in the area, and even though their deaths likely occurred hundreds of years apart, their bodies were all deposited into the same “graveyard.” This “once in a lifetime find” for the Florida Museum of Natural History researchers and volunteers opens new avenues to learn about the ancient animals that once inhabited North America. The team hopes to fully assemble the fossil and put it on display at the museum.
- Lethal bronzing disease has steadily made its way across Florida for 20 years, killing significant numbers of Florida palm trees. A new study by researchers at the University of Florida has found that infected palm trees emit chemical signals that warn nearby healthy palms of the threat. In turn, the healthy trees produce their own defense. Scientists hope to utilize this discovery to develop better disease management strategies.
- Rising global temperatures are influencing the incubation temperature of sand surrounding sea turtle nests, leading to skewed sex ratios in hatchlings. A study led by researchers at Florida State University found that microplastics in the sand could further heat up sea turtle eggs. While concentrations of microplastics used in the study are higher than presently recorded amounts on beaches worldwide, it remains unknown how unsampled beaches may be affected and whether even smaller microplastic concentrations could have adverse effects on sea turtle development.
- A new study shows the 2021 Piney Point Pollution disaster had even more of an environmental impact than previously thought. Water quality monitoring over the course of a year gives more evidence that the spill of wastewater from the old Piney Point phosphate plant exacerbated red tide blooms throughout the summer of 2021 in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. Algae continue to be a problem in these areas; the study and corresponding pollution projection models give weight to Piney Point as the source.
- Researchers from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University released a new study about an often-overlooked Pseudo-nitzschia spp. algae in the Indian River Lagoon. It produces the neurotoxin domoic acid, which has been linked to illness and deaths in marine mammals, birds, sea turtles, and bull sharks. The study indicates that the algae and the associated toxin are widespread in the Indian River Lagoon and could pose a significant danger to the biodiversity and health of the ecosystem.
Things You Can Do
- Atlantic hurricane season is upon us which could lead to complications for those on septic systems. If you have a septic system, be sure to refresh yourself on how to keep your septic system operational and prevent wastewater pollution after a big storm.
- Populations across the United States are making the switch to more energy-efficient LED bulbs, but following the right guidelines to prevent light pollution is important for both the ecosystem and our own health. Using hooded street lamps, timers and dimmers, blackout curtains for nighttime, motion detection, and lower temperature LED bulbs can help reduce light pollution in your area.
National News
- May 2023 now ranks as the Earth’s third-warmest May in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 174-year climate record. The year-to-date (January through May 2023) global surface temperature also ranked as the fourth-warmest such period on record.
- The Supreme Court’s late-May ruling in Sackett v. EPA will exempt many waterways from regulation under the Clean Water Act, which has been elemental in protecting the waters of the United States since the 1970s. The ruling hinged on a decades-old disagreement over whether a protected water body must have a surface connection to navigable waters. While water bodies often have underground and ecological links besides surface connections, the Court ruled that a surface junction to a river or another navigable waterway is required for the Clean Water Act to apply. Large swaths of wetlands in Alaska will now be exempt from Clean Water Act regulations.
- Honeybee colonies across the United States have seen major population declines, but continued efforts by beekeepers are keeping the hives stable. According to a survey from the Bee Informed partnership between Auburn University and the University of Maryland, 48% of colonies were lost in the 2023 count which ended on April 1. By implementing costly but effective strategies of hive revitalization such as finding new queens, using natural acids for mite control, and re-buying colony starter kits, beekeepers are optimistic about recovery rates.
- The U.S. Department of Commerce allocated $2.6 billion to help communities across the country both prepare for and respond to climate change and natural disasters. The money, with $575 million coming from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will be distributed to coastal communities, Tribal nations, and to weather accuracy technology development.
- The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has approved a bill that would require the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to abandon a rule that would allow the leasing of federal land for conservation purposes. The BLM currently is the agency responsible for issuing leases for oil and gas development, mining, and grazing. Republicans have opposed the rule, arguing that it would lock up land that could be used otherwise, while Democrats maintain that it would give conservation equal importance to extractive uses. The public comment period for the rule closes on July 3. The bill to nix the rule will now go to the Republican-controlled House for a full vote, where it is likely to be passed, but faces little chance of approval by the Senate or President Biden.
- The southern hognose snake will now be considered for inclusion on the federal list of endangered species after the federal government originally denied the measure. The southern hognose is one of the rarest snakes in North America and can be found in scattered locations throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The Center for Biological Diversity says the measure could also increase protections for the Florida longleaf pine ecosystem.
The More You Know
- A new wildlife tracking technology could help researchers learn more about the migrations of songbirds. The Motus Wildlife Tracking System gives scientists live data about a tagged bird’s overall health and long-term migratory patterns. This data will help fill current gaps in knowledge about migratory birds’ lives and how they are impacted by the environment around them.
- A new species of salamander has been recorded in the muddy bamboo forests of Fujian, China, with a total population of less than 200 individuals. The critically endangered “Fujian bamboo salamander” is genetically distinct from other salamanders and has a uniquely ridged, dark brown body as well as cannibalistic tendencies.