Jack Prator

Ybor City vigil honoring shooting victims brings together community, local officials

November 1, 2023 at 9:02 p.m.

Brucie Boonstoppel said she’s only felt a few rare moments of peace since the death of her 20-year-old son — one of two people killed in a shooting in Ybor City early Sunday morning....

For now, coral restorers are celebrating the small victory of returning the first batch of healing corals back to their offshore Tavernier nursery. Ocean temperatures in recent weeks have dipped to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 12 degrees cooler than the summer peak.

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Environment |
As ocean temps cool, divers start returning Florida’s rescued corals back to sea

November 1, 2023 at 2:56 p.m.

For now, coral restorers are celebrating the small victory of returning the first batch of healing corals back to their offshore Tavernier nursery. Ocean temperatures in recent weeks have dipped...

Elkhorn corals are already considered “functionally extinct” in the upper Keys, and other elkhorn and staghorn populations in the Florida Reef are following suit.

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Environment |
Coral researchers see ‘mass mortality’ amid Florida Reef bleaching crisis

October 16, 2023 at 11:37 a.m.

Elkhorn corals are already considered “functionally extinct” in the upper Keys, and other elkhorn and staghorn populations in the Florida Reef are following suit.

Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge widened barrier island passes, thrashed vegetation and displaced nesting wildlife.

See how Hurricane Idalia shifted shorelines of Pinellas barrier islands

September 30, 2023 at 7:34 a.m.

Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge widened barrier island passes, thrashed vegetation and displaced nesting wildlife.

Madeira Beach wildlife center reopens in temporary space after devastating fire

September 16, 2023 at 3:01 p.m.

Behind the bulky bank teller counters, pythons and bearded dragon enclosures sit atop empty safes. Offices where people used to apply for loans now house alligators and lemurs. Tortoises roam...

Idalia cools Gulf of Mexico. How long will temperature drop last?

September 12, 2023 at 12:31 p.m.

Hurricane Idalia cooled waters in parts of the Gulf of Mexico by roughly 1 degree Celsius, but experts say this reprieve from the ongoing marine heat wave is already starting...

Residents who take issue with their city's or county's plan change will have to foot the bill if they lose a legal battle to developers or local governments.

Business |
New Florida law will kill ‘smart growth,’ critics contend

July 4, 2023 at 8:10 a.m.

Residents who take issue with their city's or county's plan change will have to foot the bill if they lose a legal battle to developers or local governments.

Sanibel residents return to hurricane-ravaged island by boat, await bridge repair

October 10, 2022 at 4:23 p.m.

SANIBEL, Fla. – Utility trucks kicked up freshly settled dust while dodging pedestrians and bicyclists who trekked through Sanibel's streets to visit their damaged homes over the weekend, their first...

Lifelines after landfall: Southwest Florida grapples with Hurricane Ian’s impact

October 2, 2022 at 7:06 p.m.

FORT MYERS -- The Gulf of Mexico swallowed driftwood, stray shoes, split skim boards and the last vestige of Crystal Edge's mother's memory in the days following Hurricane Ian's devastation....

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