Jessica Meszaros

Florida Forever would receive $100 million, another $100 million is earmarked for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, and $800 million would fund projects connecting the Ocala and Osceola National Forests.

Hawaiians had the highest monthly electric bills in 2022 paying on average $210.26 a month. In contrast, Utah’s residents paid the least at $84.97.

As sea levels rise, saltwater intrusion and heat will create challenges for certain plants and trees to survive in the coming years, and Florida is on the front lines.

"These agencies are basically pretending that another catastrophic oil spill cannot possibly occur, cannot possibly be a risk for the Gulf of Mexico. And we know that that risk is real, and they need to be paying attention to that," said Chris Eaton, Earthjustice attorney.

The absence of chemical signatures in some areas could indicate that repopulation is moving the water and sediment around, but marine chemistry student John Hilliard said he wants to continue his research.

Acidification is “not terribly bad right now” in the Gulf, but due to climate change, the water will likely become more acidic in the future. This threatens the estimated $2.04 trillion annual marine economy.

One hatchling was rescued from a parking lot after crawling across Gulf Boulevard, a major roadway along the barrier islands.

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System's respiratory forecast showed Friday that Nokomis Beach has moderate respiratory irritation risk, and low risk in North Jetty and Venice Beach.

"Instances of smuggling or poaching, a lot of the times the turtles are shipped in inhumane ways. You'll see awful photos of turtles wrapped up in duct tape, are piled up on top of each other," said Daniel Parker of USARK.

At a time when developers are cutting down mangroves and building in such a way that's harming coral reefs, scientists will work with community members on solutions and policy changes.