Central Florida felt the heat: Orlando’s temperature average for 2016 was 1.80 degrees above normal in 2016. From late November through December, it was 5, 6 and 7 degrees above normal day after day.
Environmental Protection
Why a Seawall in Flagler Beach Could Harm Sea Turtles and Violate the Law
Flagler Beach’s situation on the ground has changed enough between Hurricane Matthew and recent findings about sea turtles that state transportation department construction plans should be rethought in light of those developments, argues Chad Boda.
Palm Coast’s Annual Christmas Tree and Electronics Recycling Event Set for Saturday
Recycle your tree and get a a free three-gallon evergreen tree in exchange at the city’s Utility Fuel Depot at 22 Utility Drive off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Trump and the Climate: His Hot Air on Warming Is Far From the Greatest Threat
Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, has frightened many with his embrace of fossil fuels. What’s truly scary, scientists and others say, is how much larger the problem is than one American president.
Twelve Counties Get Money to Reduce Conflicts With Bears, But Flagler Is Not On the List
Volusia and Putnam counties will receive a combined $98,000. Flagler County will receive no grant. The announcement came six months after the Fish and Wildlife commission voted against holding a bear hunt this year.
FWC Honors Steve Wayne as 2016 Investigator of the Year
The annual award honors a Fish and Wildlife Conservation investigator whose efforts show outstanding performance and achievement among investigators, including captive wildlife cases, overt and covert investigations, surveillance, and wildlife trafficking.
Hikers, Campers, and the Limits of Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace seems to extend only to the easily visible: trash, toilet paper, bodily functions, and so forth. Anything you can’t see with the naked eye — like sweat, detergent, sunblock, mosquito repellent, pesticides, and other chemicals — seems to get a pass.
Court Deals Blow to FPL’s Already Leaky Nuclear Power Plans at Turkey Point
An appeals court Wednesday overturned a decision by Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet that could have helped clear the way for Florida Power & Light to add two nuclear reactors in Miami-Dade County.
Claiming “Robust” Bear Population, Florida Wildlife Commission Targets Another Hunt
The commission in October 2015 held its first bear hunt in more than two decades as a means to slow the increase of black bears in the state and to reduce dangerous interactions between bears and humans. But the hunt was highly controversial, with opponents protesting in various parts of the state.
County Explores Big-Idea Energy Savings, But Through Long-Term Wedding With Contractor
Flagler County government is looking to go greener with its energy consumption, but some of those ideas may not be possible without wedding government to a single private contractor for a decade and a half or more.