Environment Archives - WMNF 88.5 FM

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This week the Pasco County Board of Commissioners voted to amend its tree mitigation fund.

The new rules set a 10,000-dollar cap per acre on the fees developers have to pay when they can’t meet tree replacement or maintenance requirements.

These fees in the previous requirements were higher when developers removed “heritage trees.” Now, the distinction is eliminated from the fund.

Instead of the definition, now development project applications must include tree location surveys, inventories for trunks 10 inches DBH and larger and a certified removal plan prepared.

The county has a goal of preserving 20% of trees giving priority to those that help with drought-prevention.

But residents during the meeting called the measures insufficient.

“This means to me that the commission is willing to let go of 70 or 80% of the trees in Pasco County,” Nancy Hazelwood said. She also criticized the lack of community input in drafting the measure. “The trees in Pasco County are our natural resources and our water supply and here’s a question: can a child live with only 20 or 30% of his body? I don’t think the trees can either.”

Her concerns were echoed by Little Lakes resident Maryanne Bishop. She said the measure wasn’t considering the communication that exists between tree populations to maintain ecosystems.

“A mature oak or maple already supports hundreds of insect species, which means food for dozens of bird species. Removing a healthy tree erases decades of habitat in one afternoon,” Bishop said. “Oaks also provide carbon sequestration and air quality, erosion control, transpiration and cooling.”

The changes to the fund also included an exemption from canopy preservation requirements for minor rural subdivisions and commercial developments.

Pasco County amended the fund last summer.

Despite the pushback, the board approved the proposal, arguing it balanced Pasco’s growth and conservation efforts.

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Environmental group Center for Biological Diversity says they intend to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The lawsuit comes after the agency denied protections to the Horseshoe Crab.

According to a press release, the Center for Biological Diversity and 25 other organizations petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect American horseshoe crabs. 

But in February, the Trump administration denied the protections, saying their petition “does not present substantial scientific or commercial information” to warrant action.

Danny Waltz is the senior attorney for the Southeast Program at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“If the Endangered Species Act applied to horseshoe crabs, then the harmful activities that we’re currently doing would stop, and it would allow the population to recover,” Waltz said.

He said the crabs have been around for over 450 million years. 

“They’ve been very unique and amazing in their ability to survive pretty much everything until they’ve come across a species that is a massive threat to them, and that’s us, humans,” Waltz said.

The animals, which serve as prey for other threatened species, are threatened by habitat loss and overharvesting for use in the biomedical industry. 

No animals have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since Trump’s second term. 

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reached out to ZooTampa last year. 

They had an injured young panther named Loper in need of surgery. The animal had been hit by a car in Fort Myers and fractured its radius and ulna. The fractures were repaired using orthopedic plates.

Loper’s healing was slowed down by a limp which required another surgery to fix.

Over the course of the last year, he received three different procedures.

According to ZooTampa veterinary doctor Meredith Persky, most panthers do not survive these accidents.

“…There are believed to be fewer than 200 Florida panthers,” Persky said. “Part of that is that their habitats are being fragmented through roadways, through development and construction.”

Vehicle crashes are the number one mortality cause for panthers. In 2024, almost 30 panthers died due to vehicle collisions. The highest death toll since 2016.

ZooTampa aimed for recovery “without habituation.” The end goal was to return Loper to his natural habitat.

Cameras and sedatives were used to monitor his recovery and reduce human interaction through the around-the-clock-care.

“As a Panther, he would need to be able to defend his territory and to catch prey and, kind of resume normal Panther duties,” Persky said. “But because of his age and because of the time he spent in human care, there was concern that he was becoming more accustomed to being around humans. So, the decision was made that he was a non-releasable candidate.”

Loper will remain at ZooTampa for the coming years.

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The Senate Bill may be a win for environmental advocates around Tampa Bay, as it would stop the development of a mega cruise port in Manatee County.

Officials delayed the final vote on a proposal to build a massive data center after residents raised concerns about higher electric bills, water usage, and emissions during a Fort Meade City Commission meeting.

The drought is one of the worst the state has seen in 50 years, according to Chief Science Officer for Tampa Bay Water, Warren Hogg.

The bill would designate certain organizations as domestic terrorists, and allow for the expulsion of college students who support those movements.

The lawsuit claims multiple Freedom of Information requests sent in October have not been answered, violating public records law.

The Scoop, produced by Mackenzie Queen.

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Seán Kinane, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton. 
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Leah Burdick, Sofia Caballero, Josh Holton
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran.

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
https://archive.org/details/jamendo-001084/02.mp3
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com / WMNF

The post The Scoop: Wed. Mar. 11, 2026 Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

A bill passed in the legislature on Monday may be a win for environmental advocates around Tampa Bay. 

The bill that could halt the development of a controversial mega cruise port in Manatee County is now on the governor’s desk for approval. 

Senate Bill 302 ensures coastal resiliency protections. 

It would halt dredging in the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, except for certain reasons. That would be a roadblock for a potential cruise port near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Manatee County. 

Manatee County Republican Representative Will Robinson Jr. called it one of the more important environmental bills in the entire session.  

“I fish there, I fished there as a kid. My nephews fish there. It is one of the most pristine areas in our state, and we don’t need mega cruise ships in this area.” Rep. Robinson said.

SSA Marine wants to build a new cruise port that would take in ships that can’t fit under the bridge.

The massive cruise ship proposal has drawn significant pushback, with hundreds rallying at protests and thousands signing petitions against it.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now needs to be signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, something that longtime Manatee County resident Bob Reguzzoni hopes will happen soon.

“Sign this bill as soon as possible, and do it for the sake of the state, and for your legacy and the legacy of everybody that’s involved in this,” Reguzzoni told WMNF.

The post Bill halting proposed Manatee County cruise ship terminal heads to DeSantis appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

The Florida legislature’s proposed budgets could severely restrict or defund Florida Forever, one of the state’s land conservation programs.

The Free Senior Health Clinic at the Claude Pepper Senior Center could close, due to the center not having a lease agreement for the property or liability insurance.

The bill could become law if the House passes its companion bill this week, and it would require public-sector labor unions to secure at least 50% of the votes of all employees in the bargaining unit to recertify.

The historic pharmacy on the corner of Manatee Avenue East and Ninth Street East closed last week after more than 130 years in business.

The Scoop, produced by Mackenzie Queen

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Seán Kinane, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton. 
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Leah Burdick, Sofia Caballero, Josh Holton
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran.

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
https://archive.org/details/jamendo-001084/02.mp3
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com / WMNF

The post The Scoop: Mon. Mar. 9, 2026 Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

The Florida legislature’s proposed budgets are set to severely restrict, or even defund, Florida Forever, one of the state’s land conservation programs.

The House’s proposed budget defunds the program entirely, and the Senate advocates allocating $35 million for easements only.

Instead of Florida Forever, lawmakers are proposing millions to go towards the Rural and Family Lands Protection program.

In that program, the state pays landowners to permanently preserve their agricultural land from development.

But Craig Pittman, author and columnist, emphasises it’s not the same as Florida Forever.

“It’s a worthwhile program to preserve these farms from development, but the public doesn’t really get a benefit from it. They don’t get to go out there and hike and canoe and fish and bird watch and things that you normally do in state parks,” Pittman said.

Even the conservative group Florida Tax Watch raised concerns about the Rural and Family Lands Protection programs, saying an “escape clause” allows landowners to develop protected land.

Lawmakers passed bills that increased transparency for that program.

“You’ve got about a week, in other words, to call your legislator, call your state House member, your Florida senator and say, don’t you dare do this. Don’t you leave Florida hanging like this.”

The legislative session is supposed to end on March 13th, but lawmakers say the budget is likely not to be complete by then.

The post House, Senate proposed budgets defund ‘Florida Forever’ conservation program appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

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A century ago, before over-harvesting wiped out the oyster reefs, the Manatee River was known as the Oyster River.

Now, a project in Manatee County is successfully bringing the oysters back and restoring the aquatic habitat. The project is led by the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency and it is an effort to naturally clean the river’s water.

“We want to see a lot more of the fish come back, the crabs, more oysters breeding,” said the Executive Director of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency, Rowena Young.

Oysters naturally work as water filters. They can ingest up to 50 gallons of water per day, depending on their sizes and “pump it out” clean.

The initiative was launched in 2023 and plantation began in 2024. In a grid, 76 reef ball clusters were planted between US41 Green Bridge and the railroad bridge on the north side of Manatee River.

Two years later, the oysters are breeding tiny spats and water quality testing is underway. The hope is to continue gathering data over the next year about the water filtration capability of oysters depending on their size and seasons.

The biological investigator with the project, Ernesto Lasso de la Vega, says they also aim to gauge how fast the oysters are reproducing and colonizing other areas of the river.

He says the restoration of the oyster reefs have also led to the repopulation of other “filter feeders” like barnacles and tunicates, as well as the presence of the exotic Asian green mussel.

If the project continues to be successful, it could become a model for other counties and cities to follow. Young says in a time of extreme weather, healthy ecosystems and clean water are essential.

“When we have water flooding and those type of things in the area, we want to make sure that it’s not polluted water that is flooding the area,” Young said. “So, people don’t have to worry too much about where the water is coming from and how it will affect them further in their health, because you can always replace a building. [But] it is very difficult to replace your health.”

The project is expected to last five years, meaning the final data and report will come out in late 2028.

The post The oyster reefs are coming back to Manatee River appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

This month, the FBI reported that from 2020 to 2024, aggravated assault was the violent crime most likely to involve someone the victim knew in a domestic relationship.

Leah Burdick reports on where the termites have been found and what homeowners can do now to protect their properties.

The “Street Legal” program includes tables with lawyers from the public defender’s office, social workers, investigators, and community service groups.

The School of Hope law allows certain charter schools to co-locate at under-capacity public schools, and allows districts to charge charter school operators for added costs.

The Scoop, produced by Mackenzie Queen.

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Seán Kinane, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Randi Zimmerman. 
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Leah Burdick, Sofia Caballero, Josh Holton
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran.

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
https://archive.org/details/jamendo-001084/02.mp3
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com / WMNF

The post The Scoop: Mon. Feb. 23, 2026 Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

Alumni at Stetson University College of Law are signing a letter requesting that the college denounces Attorney General Pam Bondi after her congressional testimony regarding the Epstein Files.

Florida House passes 113 billion dollar budget proposal.

Bill creating independent stewardship in South Hillsborough County, locals are concerned about what developing the rural area will look like.

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian-American in an attack on the village of Mukhmas.

Engineers are analyzing the data and the outcome will decide whether in March if it’s possible for the Artemis II lunar fly-around with four astronauts

The Scoop, produced by Alyssa Fraser.

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Seán Kinane, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Randi Zimmerman. 
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Juanita Hurtado Huérfano, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Leah Burdick, Sofia Caballero, Josh Holton
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran.

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
https://archive.org/details/jamendo-001084/02.mp3
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com / WMNF

The post The Scoop: Fri. Feb. 20, 2026 Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.