Florida remains a popular place to relax. The latest from TripAdvisor has four Sunshine State cities in the top ten. Those area Orlando and Key West come in at #2 and # 5, respectively. The top ten also include Miami Beach at #7 and Ft. Lauderdale is #9.

Fish kills are washing up onshore in Sarasota and Manatee county beaches, with the red tide bloom continuing to grow. Florida Fish and Wildlife have blamed the recent hurricanes for triggering the toxic tide that has lingered for weeks. The Florida Department and Wildlife will have a new report Wednesday.

Another stinky situation in Polk County, where it’s a local state of emergency due to trash not being picked up for weeks. The county is trying to find more companies to help out, but if you’re having trouble with pickup, there’s more information here.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wants Gov. Ron DeSantis to classify 911 dispatchers as first responders. Dispatchers did not receive a $1,000 bonus that first responders were awarded after Hurricane Ian.

The Florida-based Center for Biological Diversity has filed a petition to have manatees placed back on the endangered species list. That petition was also filed by the Save the Manatee Club, and say a variety of factors have killed off the seagrass manatees depend upon to live. A record 1,100 manatees in 2021, most of those from starvation. Florida Fish and Wildlife has 90 days to review the petition and decide if manatees should go back on the endangered list, then another year to complete the the review.

©2022 Cox Media Group