This might affect your weekend beach plans. A new report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows Red Tide now in Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. Tests from an area near North Beach at Fort De Soto Park showed low levels of the organism that causes Red Tide, and can affect people with breathing difficulties.
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.
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.
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