Jessica Meszaros

Some Florida citrus growers are finally starting to see an increase of orange production. Those who managed to stick around as the greening disease ravaged their groves have been experimenting with different variations of trees, expensive chemicals and fertilizers. 

Members of Congress want the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale to be federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

State wildlife officials are drafting a rule to protect Florida’s native songbirds from illegal trapping. Officers are seeing an increase in bird trafficking for the pet industry.

The latest red tide report shows high concentrations of the toxic algae blooms in Sarasota and Collier counties. This nearly 16-month red tide event has killed more sea turtles than ever recorded.

Respiratory irritation related to red tide was also reported over the past week in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Researchers in Florida received funding from the federal government to restore seagrasses in the Gulf of Mexico. The goal is to protect about 30 acres of the sea floor, and repair about half of that.

EDITOR'S NOTE: After being contacted by a representative of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, WGCU would like to make clear that the second to last sentence of this story in no way indicates that human remains are being excavated by the Seminole Tribe. 

A 7,000-year-old indigenous burial site was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico near Venice. The finding shows this kind of preservation can exist on the continental shelf, surviving hurricanes and sea level rise.

A senior at Fort Myers High School used chalk to write mass shooting victims' names outside of her school this past weekend.

Lisa Marteeny survived 8-to-10 feet of storm surge during Hurricane Irma in Everglades City. But her husband of nearly 13 years Lee Marteeny did not. He died at the age of 72 from a bacterial infection days after wading in nearly chest-deep floodwaters with his wife. Lisa Marteeny, 62, describes in her own words what it was like to wait out the major storm on her neighbor Adela Butler’s back porch, which is on stilts. And she talks about losing her husband days later:

Nearly a month after Hurricane Irma washed 8-to-10 feet of storm surge onto Everglades City in southern Collier County, residents with damaged, unlivable homes are still waiting on emergency temporary housing. City officials estimate about 100 homes in the area are uninhabitable due to flood damage and mold. But officials say they expect relief within a week.