endangered species

Florida is home to a host of diverse wildlife you can’t find anywhere else. Most people know of manatees and Florida panthers. But you might never have heard of the Big Cypress fox squirrel, a subspecies found only in southwest Florida.

A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration over its decision this week to remove Endangered Species Act protections from species threatened by oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

On "Florida Matters Live & Local," we dig into a lawsuit in Charlotte County pitting a landowner against federal wildlife protections for the Florida scrub jay and why it could be significant to the Endangered Species Act.

An appeals court in Washington upheld a lower court decision to toss out a 2020 federal decision delegating authority of wetlands permitting to Florida.

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.

After having what one described as a "significant impact" on Florida's black bear hunt this month, conservationists could seek to add bears to the federal threatened species list. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Tuesday reported 52 bears were killed during the hunt, which was held from Dec. 6 through Sunday. That was less than a third of the 172 bears that could have been killed.

The Trump administration wants to roll back protections for endangered and threatened species viewed as detrimental to economic growth. One critic says the proposals would have "destructive effects."

The stowaways were discovered hanging out in a leafy park on one of the world’s largest cruise ships after it left PortMiami earlier this year on a trip bound for Spain. Why the pint-sized birds that normally favor solid ground wound up sailing the high seas remains a mystery.

The ghost, native to only Florida and Cuba, is a leafless web of roots splayed on the trunks of native trees. It’s also taxing to find, but the orchid’s ribbon-like white bloom makes the dangerous trek well worth it – especially for those drawn to rarity.

“These amazing snakes are hidden gems of the Southeast, but if they don’t get Endangered Species Act protections soon there’s a real chance they could go extinct,” said Jeremiah Scanlan, a legal fellow at the Center, in a statement.

A rewording of the Endangered Species Act is being proposed by the Trump administration. The proposed rollback would eliminate the definition of "harm" that includes habitat destruction.

This winter's deaths come nearly six months after a mysteriously ailment linked to toxic algae killed more than 50 endangered sawfish around the Florida Keys.