Algae blooms in Melbourne create a stink
Brevard County officials are warning Melbourne Beach campers about an algal bloom and its odor near Long Point Park campgrounds.
Brevard County officials sent a message to campers, saying they'd help park guests cancel their reservations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says algal blooms can be dangerous to both humans and pets, with health risks such as skin rashes, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and respiratory irritation.
The CDC warns people to avoid swimming or wading in the water. It also advises people not to drink the water, cook in it or eat the fish in it.
Brevard County officials say the bloom, along with the odor, will dissipate with rainfall or when the water eventually moves along.
ALDI comes beachside.
Grab your quarters, because the grocery store ALDI is opening a new store beachside. Rick Glasby has more:
The no-frills grocery chain is known for its cost-saving approaches to shopping - you’ll need a quarter to get a shopping cart. And bring your own bags or you’ll have to pay for some. The ALDI is opening July 10th at the east end of Eau Gallie Blvd where Winn Dixie used to be.
Citizens Drops Below 800,000 Policies
Citizens Property Insurance's policy count dropped below 800 thousand last week and is projected to plunge to fewer than 654 thousand by the end of the year, the state insurer's top executive said Wednesday.
Citizens had 777,592 policies as of Friday, down more than 42 thousand from one week earlier.
That’s more than a five percent drop in policies since last week, and 36 percent lower than one year ago.
Citizens was created as an insurer of last resort but became the state’s largest insurer in recent years amid problems in the private market.
State leaders have long sought to hold down the number of policies in Citizens, at least in part because of financial risks if Florida gets hit by a major hurricane or multiple hurricanes.
Speaking to the Citizens board Wednesday, President Tim Cerio said Florida's private insurance market is getting healthy.
“The recovery is there. You are seeing more and more competition come into the market, which is good for Floridians. It’s good for Citizens, and it promotes a smaller Citizens, for us to really return to that role as the insurer of last resort.”
Citizens has used what is known as a “depopulation” program to shift policies to private insurers.
The current Citizens policy count, for example, is down from nearly 1.2 million policies at the end of May 2024 and more than 1.3 million policies at the end of May 2023.
Two viruses are attacking bee colonies this summer
Beekeepers are experiencing colony losses this summer thanks to a pair of viruses.
Rein Verbek [roll the R if possible r̃hein vehr-bayk] has been a beekeper in Hillsborough County for over ten years.
He says bees are responsible for the pollination of some of our foods, and so fewer of them could lead to larger environmental issues.
"The honeybees, because we watch them so carefully and because they're so important for our national food supply, it's one of the first indicators that sometimes rings the bell and say 'Hey, something is happening here."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that mites are spreading the viruses to colonies after becoming more resistant to pesticides.
Verbek says he started noticing fewer bees in March --- but even with alternative pest control methods, the colony losses are the largest he's ever seen.
More: www.floridatoday.com
