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FL. Supreme Court Future; Recap of 2017 Hurricane Season; Music of Miami Art Week; Iguanas in S.FL.

2017 was the costilest hurricane season on record with approximately $386 billions in damages.

Uncertainty looms at the Florida Supreme Court as three judges near retirement at the same time Gov. Rick Scott leaves office in January 2019. Who will pick the three vacant spots on the court: Gov. Scott or his successor? The decision may change the balance between conservative and liberal members of the court.  

Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, there’s a term limit for justices on Florida’s Supreme Court. Reportedly, Gov. Scott plans to make his judicial decisions during the final hours of his last day. According to sources, his plan is to stack the court with  conservative judges, a move that the opposition groups argue can change the balance of the court for decades.

The League of Women Voters Florida and government watchdog group Common Cause are challenging the governor’s power to appoint the three new justices. 

Mary Ellen Klas, the Miami Herald’s Tallahassee bureau chief, talks about the peculiarities of this situation and the possible impact on the state’s highest court.

Also on Sundial: The 2017 Hurricane season is officially over, a season that was far from average. Harvey, Irma, Maria- these were infamous names for people living mainly in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Countless families are still recovering from the damage caused by the severe and constant storms.  

The first named storm, Arlene, developed in April, almost two months earlier than  the official June 1 start date, hinting that 2017 was not going to be a typical year for hurricanes. Seventeen storms formed, 10 of them became hurricanes and six developed into major-systems, which included two Category 5 storms and four that made landfall in the U.S and its territories. This season was the costliest on record with approximately $386 billions in damages.

Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist and spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center, recaps the 2017 season and talk about the lessons learned, as well as what to expect for the future.

Also on the program: Early December in Miami is for appreciating art during all the different events set up for Miami Art Week and Art Basel. Miami Art Week is an internationally known event that brings a collective of global artistry together in the Magic City. In turn, music lovers can enjoy special performances that would not be available were it not for the spotlight of Miami Art Week and Art Basel.

Lauren Reskin of Sweat Records joins us in the program to tell us more about the different events happening during the highly-anticipated Miami Art Week. 

The Florida Keys appeal to all: locals, tourists and non-native species. Green iguanas and black spiny-tailed iguanas are large, non-native lizards that plague areas of the Keys. These reptiles are nuisances to the community as they damage landscaping plants, destroy lawns by digging burrows and leave droppings in yards and pools.

The Florida Wildlife Center aims to stop the extent of this threat by hosting public technical assistance workshops regarding iguanas in the Florida Keys. These sessions will examine how to discourage iguanas from entering residents' property and explore legal removal options and regulations pertaining to the species.  FWC biologists will also provide hands-on instruction with live traps.

Erick Suarez, FWC biologist, explains more about these workshops,set to start in the middle of December