10 Florida Stories to Watch

• More than $745 million has been designated for Everglades restoration in Florida’s 2024-25 budget, funding the most ambitious hydrological restoration project in the United States. The allocation will fund the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, which was authorized in 2000, the construction of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir, and the Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program. The 10,100-acre EAA Reservoir is set to be completed in 2030. It will both control water levels in the Everglades and filter water from polluted Lake Okeechobee through an adjacent stormwater treatment area. The reservoir also intends to reduce the excess nutrients and algae that flow from Lake Okeechobee, which leads to seagrass die-offs in other water bodies such as the Indian River Lagoon.  
• Crooked River Ranch was purchased by Manatee County on February 12th, making it the first acquisition under the 2020 Conservation and Park Projects Referendum Fund. The 64-acre ranch was scouted by the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and presented to the county as a conservation opportunity last year. This parcel of land is one of the largest remaining pieces of continuous habitat along the Manatee River, and holds great opportunity for coastal resiliency, water quality protection, and native habitat restoration. 
• A strange, new “spinning fish” disease is present in the Florida Keys. At least 44 species, including pinfish, snook, jack, and goliath grouper have been observed spinning and swirling and swimming upside down — seemingly unable to control their movements. Scientists are especially concerned about this phenomenon as it is greatly affecting the rare and endangered smalltooth sawfish. Tests have been done to determine the cause of this strange behavior, and while toxins were present in many of the effected fish, there has been no definitive conclusion. 
• Mosaic, a Fortune 500 mining company, has confirmed a tear in a gypsum stack at its New Wales mine in Pinellas County. The gypsum stack contains rainwater, and there are concerns that the polluted water may seep underground. This is the latest in a string of environmental incidents for Mosaic. In 2016, a sinkhole opened beneath the same plant that sent more than 200 million gallons of polluted water in the underground aquifer. The New Wales location is also where Mosaic plans to test its phosphate byproduct in road construction.  
• A toxic blue-green algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee caused Florida Department of Health officials to issue a warning for the area. Toxic blue-green algae can be poisonous and deadly to pets and hazardous for humans, causing hospitalizations if fumes produced by the algae are inhaled. The Florida Department of Health recommends no swimming, drinking, wading, or boating in water affected by a blue-green algae bloom and to avoid fish and seafood that have contact with blue-green algae-affected water. 
• Following a court-ordered agreement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated more than 1.1 million acres of critical habitat for the endangered Florida bonneted bat. Florida bonneted bats are a unique species endemic to South Florida, but rising sea levels and expansive development put them at high risk for habitat loss. Before their listing on the Endangered Species Act in 2013, development and pesticide use nearly drove the Florida bonneted bat to extinction. It is predicted that this protected habitat will be highly beneficial for the recovery of the species, although more protections may be needed in the future to combat additional habitat loss associated with sea level rise. 
• Seminole County recently unveiled plans to turn the former Deer Run golf course into a public wetlands park as part of a broader master plan to upgrade parks and recreational areas in the county. Residents are excited for this community enhancement project, hoping that restored hydrology and ecology will bring in ecotourism, improve natural drainage, and protect the area from development. 
• For generations of Florida manatees, power plants and the warm water they discharge have been a lifeline. Manatees need water that is above 68 degrees Fahrenheit, or they can die of cold stress. But as algae blooms have depleted the seagrasses they eat and infrastructure and pollution have diverted and clogged their main migration passages, manatees have had to adapt. Instead of habitually moving south during colder seasons, manatees have been gathering near power plants that release millions of gallons of warm water each day into natural waterways. However, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that within 30 years, these plants will transition into cleaner energy sources that do not circulate warm water. Researchers worry that we will face future manatee die-offs if there is no statewide effort and funding to develop solutions as power plants are being phased out. 
• The Florida Cabinet has approved the $36.1 million purchase of the 1,342-acre Creek Legacy Ranch property through the Florida Forever program. The program and its predecessor, Preservation 2000, have allowed the state to purchase over 2.6 million acres of conservation lands. The acquisition of the Polk County property comes after interest to develop at least half of the land for homes and retail. Now Legacy Ranch will be managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), with wildlife protection at the forefront. It will join several nearby preservations in the continuation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor which helps to connect fragmented habitats for Florida panthers, black bears, and other species.    
• Clean energy is coming to the city of Tampa. In a plan headed by the University of South Florida’s Patel College of Global Sustainability and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tampa Bay will focus on improving its solar energy systems and work to convert vehicles to electric. Across four counties and four years, the plan aims to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2050. 

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