Late last month, record-low temperatures cooled down the waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic significantly, causing almost 800 sea turtles to wash ashore across Florida's beaches.

Commissioners agreed to give county staff another month to work out a deal with Kelly Tractor, hinting that without one they would reject the mayor's veto.

At a press conference Tuesday, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava urged commissioners to uphold her veto rejecting a new heavy equipment headquarters on wetlands when they meet Wednesday.

The Everglades seldom benefit from invasive species. Burmese pythons have unraveled food webs for decades. Green iguanas damage landscapes and infrastructure. But now, as non-native species of apple snails disappear, the endangered Everglades bird, the snail kite, is paying the price.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service settled federal litigation over the species’ plight. But the wood stork will lose its listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Local governments would be severely restricted from implementing measures to reduce the effects of climate change under a bill approved Thursday by a Florida House committee. The measure (HB 1217) comes nearly two years Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation declaring that the state would no longer be required to consider climate change when crafting energy policy.

Several bills coursing through Tallahassee have aroused the ire of many conservationists. But some bills also have their backing.

A team of researchers say that human-caused climate change had an important impact on the recent ferocious wildfires that engulfed parts of Chile and Argentina's Patagonia region, making the extremely high-risk conditions that led to widespread burning up to three times more likely than in a world without global warming.

A fact sheet posted Friday showed that all but six of the 172 permits purchased were by Florida residents.

Under the order, residents are reminded to follow local rules that restrict lawn watering to twice a week, before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.