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Your Florida Daily: Republican debate in Miami, new plan to clean Indian River Lagoon

Plus: The Green Mound of Ponce Inlet

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The race for president is likely coming to Florida.

According to published reports, the third republican debate will be held in Miami.

GOP hopefuls took part in their first debate in August in Milwaukee.

The second one is scheduled for Sept. 27 in Southern California.

Sources tell CNN, that multiple media outlets are in talks to host the Miami debate which would likely be held in early November.

Classroom stock graphic (Canva)

Teacher pay in Florida has been a subject of debate for several years and now a state lawmaker wants to significantly increase salaries across the board.

Rep. Jervonte “Tae” Edmonds of West Palm Beach re-filed a bill to raise minimum pay for teachers to $65,000 per year.

Right now, salaries start at $47,500.

The state has dedicated more than $3 billion toward higher teacher pay since 2020.

Edmonds said it’s still not enough.

“The thing I hate the most is talking to teachers, and they are telling me that they have two jobs,” he said. “They have two jobs, a family and you work at night. How do you have the energy and the focus to actually go into a school and teach our kids?”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median teacher pay nationwide is between $61,000 and $62,000.

And Brevard County is partnering with engineering company AECOM to deploy an algae harvesting ship to help clean up the Indian River Lagoon.

AECOM Algae Practice Founder Dan Levy said the new tool is designed to address the overload of nutrients that have caused harmful algae blooms in Florida’s waterways.

Levy says the pink barge is like a massive filtration system.

“We are using air to essentially create an air pocket that allows us to raise and keep the algae at the surface long enough that we can scrape it off the top and return back crystal-clear water,” he said.

AECOM is also using the leftover biomass to create crude oil.

You’ll be able see the Algae Harvesting ship going up and down the Indian River Lagoon over the next few months.

Random Florida Fact

Composed entirely of discarded organic material, the Green Mound of Ponce Inlet is one of the largest shell mounds of its kind in the United States.

It was formed by Native American tribes as a dumping ground for the shells of oysters and clams that allowed the population to flourish in the area for hundreds of years.

Between 800 and 1600 CE, it rose as much as 50 feet tall.

Today, the mound stands at 30 feet high and because of the unique environment, rare plants still surround the Green Mound, including wild coffee, marlberry, snowberry and a 350-year-old live oak.

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