State wildlife officials have documented 23 Florida panther deaths so far this year, leaving as few as 120 of the big cats surviving in the wild. Vehicles killed 21 of the panthers. The cause of death for the other two is unknown, state officials say. A record 27 panthers were reported dead in 2021. Vehicles … Read more
Along West King Street in St. Augustine, Florida, is an eco-friendly shop called The Local Refillery. Spices, nuts, coffees, grains, oils and other organic goodies line the walls of the store, which advocates zero-waste shopping. That means customers bring in their own containers or buy reusable containers when they want to stock up on necessities. … Read more
Rapid development in Florida can put cultural sites at risk. Emily Jane Murray would like to raise awareness of what could be lost. She is public archaeology coordinator for the Florida Public Archaeology Network – Northeast Region. My conversation with Murray is below: Losing Florida: Could you tell me about your background and your tie … Read more
Katherine Sims is busier than ever. She’s one of just two archaeologists in St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565 and touted as America’s Oldest City. Tourists and new residents are arriving in droves, making it ever more difficult to protect archaeological sites, she says. My conversation with Sims is below. Losing Florida: Could you tell … Read more
Have you ever visited a new town and gotten the uneasy feeling that it felt too perfect? Kind of like that scene in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull where Indy gets caught in the atomic bomb testing site, running around frantic for help because everything in it is perfectly set up … Read more
Just north of Tampa in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, sits a 40-foot recreational vehicle, but it’s no ordinary RV. It’s a self-sustaining, off-the-grid home that runs off solar power and features a biodigester, described as “a mechanical stomach that breaks down organic waste.” “We want to be living examples of what a reimagined Florida could … Read more
“Impaired” water is how the government describes it. You shouldn’t swim in it. You shouldn’t drink it. You shouldn’t eat fish taken from it. In fact, it’s not even safe for fish and other creatures living in it. And Florida has more “impaired” water than any other state, a March 17 report says. “Florida is … Read more
The Florida Legislature’s 60-day session was scheduled to end today, leaving the Safe Waterways Act stuck in a Senate committee. Jen Lomberk supports the act because it would require the state to test all fresh, brackish and saltwater bodies for nasty things like fecal matter. “We were trying to get the state to do testing … Read more
Just off a dirt road, past the steel gate and Beware of Dog sign, past dried out stalks of sugar cane and a freight container, there’s a former meth house, its walls charred and part of the roof caved in. Welcome to paradise. At least that’s how Phil Groh sees it. He lives on more … Read more
Nearly 160 New Yorkers move to Florida every day. New York is a “tax hell,” Florida’s chief financial advisor Jimmy Patronis told Fox Business. That – along with the rising cost of living and high commuting costs – drives many people to leave. A fifth of New Yorkers who moved to Florida in October 2020 … Read more