WEATHER ALERT
Florida Coral Rescue Center marks 4 years working toward โHerculean goalโ
Four years after the Florida Coral Rescue Center opened in Orlando, researchers said they are seeing great progress in their efforts to save the stateโs coral reefs from possible extinction.
Nearly 430 miles of Florida beach classified as critically eroded before hurricanes hit
Before Hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit Central Florida, state researchers had declared 426 miles of Florida beach as critically eroded.
Titusville sewage fallout could top half a million
The more than seven million gallons of sewage Titusville spilled into the environment just before Christmas last year could wind up costing the city more than a half-million dollars.
State finds 24 โpossible violationsโ after massive Winter Springs fish kill
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection discovered 24 "possible violations" after a massive fish kill in January at a Winter Springs pond.
What. A. Weekend. Sunny and in the 80s, with no rain
(Courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection via AP)ORLANDO, Fla. โ We are in for a warm afternoon Friday across Central Florida. Expect high temperatures in the low 80s in the Orlando area, with mostly sunny skies and no chance of rain. The next chance for rain in Central Florida is late next week. Orlando has a rain deficit of 2.53 inches in 2021. Donโt forget to set your clock ahead an hour before you go to bed Saturday night as we โspring forwardโ into daylight saving time.
Algae blooms turn Indian River Lagoon green and stinky, again
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. โ Algae blooms are turning parts of the Indian River Lagoon green again in Brevard County. Brevard County Public Information Officer Don Walker said for the last couple weeks the weather conditions have helped and the county has not received reports of any major fish kills. On Sept. 11, county officials warned of a possible fish kill like the ones seen in 2016 and 2018 due to the wet weather in recent weeks. Brevard County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2011 to generate more than $400 million for restoration of the lagoon. Ron DeSantis signed bills designed to address environmental issues ranging from sea level rise to blue-green algae blooms.
74 new electric car charging stations coming to Florida highways
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Using money from a settlement, Florida is adding 74 new electric car charging stations along the stateโs major highways. From that, $8.5 million will be used to create the 74 charging stations along Interstate 75 and Intestate 95, spanning about 1,200 miles. We are now ready to award over $8.5 million in contracts to build 74 additional fast electric charging stations belongs to Florida has major highways and evacuation routes,โ DeSantis said. There are plans in the future to add additional charging stations using that same settlement money. Valenstein called the move โanother step forward for the environment here in Florida.โWith the charging stations already slated to be built along the Turnpike by the Florida Department of Transportation, there will soon be about 100 charging stations statewide.
All Florida State Parks closed due to COVID-19 pandemic
Florida State Parks announced that every state park will close Monday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will close the parks. Florida State Parks tweeted about the closure Sunday, asking for understanding. We look forward to welcoming you to our award winning parks as soon as possible,โ the department said in a statement. As of Sunday, there were more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida, resulting in 13 deaths.