Florida Keys

On a stretch of the Lower Keys, near an old borrow pit quarried during the construction of Big Pine, sea water and mud cover much of the rocky ground.

On this Tuesday, Jan. 7, episode of Sundial:

Puerto Rico Earthquakes

Puerto Rico's governor, Wanda Vázquez, has declared a state of emergency after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island early this morning. The earthquake was followed by an aftershock measuring 6.0. 

A couple weeks ago during Art Basel, the news was all about fruit as art — specifically a banana duct-taped to the wall that went for $120,000.

But there was other fruit-related art news in South Florida at the same time that didn't get quite as much attention.

School is out for two weeks around the holidays in South Florida. That's a welcome break for some kids — but it also means some aren't getting meals they rely on. One nonprofit in the Keys is keeping its after-school meals going, even while school is out.

Federal and state officials are trying to strike a balance between conservation and public access to South Florida waters.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed Thursday to back tighter fishing limits in Biscayne National Park, where fish populations have dwindled.

The Keys get freshwater from the mainland — it's pumped in Florida City and sent down a pipeline all the way to Key West. In an emergency, they can make some freshwater. But the plant that does that is obsolete and in line for replacement.

Florida has an underappreciated secret weapon to help heal its ailing reefs: prickly sea urchins.

For decades, most of the news about coral reefs has been pretty gloomy. Now the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is launching a new mission to bring back a few of those reefs.

New sea level rise projections for South Florida were released Wednesday. And the numbers are up.

Driving down the Overseas Highway is always a challenge during the busy season: the cooler months. And it's about to get even trickier, with two major construction projects scheduled to start the week of Dec. 2.

After Hurricane Irma slammed into the Florida Keys in September 2017, the island chain saw a drop in visitors. Now the primary industry in the Keys is back — and it's booming.

Over the last 20 years, the Keys have been on a major mission to clean up nearshore waters.

That meant spending a billion dollars to install central sewage systems along the island chain. And the waters surrounding the islands are a no discharge zone.

To help make that happen, the county offers free pumpouts for vessels, including those in marinas without pumpout facilities and boats that are tied up behind people's homes.

There's a big pot of money coming to Florida from the federal government to help communities hit hard by recent hurricanes be more resilient in future storms. The Keys are making the case for a good chunk of that money.