Sloth World scandal
Another sloth from the now-defunct Sloth world has died at the Central Florida Zoo. Eleven sloths remain in the zoo’s care. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
Although the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has closed its inquiry, the state attorney general says a criminal investigation into the case is still ongoing. PETA has filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement seeking aggravated animal cruelty charges against Sloth World owner Benjamin Agresta and former vice president Peter Bandré, linking them to the deaths of up to 52 sloths at the now-bankrupt attraction. According to PETA, Bandré — founder of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society and president of Incredible Pets Inc. — has promoted himself as an expert and author on sloth care. The group also says his name began disappearing from company records weeks before the case gained national attention, and that Sloth World’s website and social media accounts were cleared of prior content.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, neither Sloth World nor Sanctuary World Imports held the federal license required to exhibit animals to the public.
Ospreys have a peculiar choice for nesting
Despite deterrents, Ospreys in Brevard County, Florida, are nesting on traffic lights.Competition with other raptors and ongoing development have pushed ospreys to nest on man-made structures, but sites such as power poles and traffic signals can be hazardous to the birds and cause power outages. The county installs deterrent devices to prevent nesting, though ospreys often adapt to them. While ospreys are not listed as endangered, they are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. With a state permit, nests can be removed from man-made structures as long as they do not contain eggs or chicks.
Florida Democrats are suing Gov. De Santis
A lawsuit by Florida Democrats is being filed in opposition of Florida's recent congressional mapping. The lawsuit was filed in Leon County Circuit Civil court and claims the new map as illegal and unconstitutional, as well as that it goes against Florida’s Fair District Amendments, that states it is prohibited to draw lines that favor or disfavor a political party. The new districts would give Republicans 24 of the 28 U.S. House seats in Florida. In terms of what changes affect Brevard, the 8th congressional district of Florida now goes further west taking in sections of east Orange, the University of Central Florida, Central Florida Research Park, all the way to Pinewood Reserve.
Will Spirit Airlines be owned by the people?
Spirit Airlines has shut down operations and canceled all flights. So what should you do if you’re holding a ticket for a Spirit flight. Contact your credit card company. If you booked your flight using any other method, including a voucher, credit or Free Spirit points, you’ll have to wade through the bankruptcy process. Following the cease operation of Spirit Airlines, a tiktoker started a website called letsbuyspirit.com where people can pledge toward buying the airline. Currently there are more than $88 million worth of pledges from over 125,000 people. The site lists other companies that work under this co-op model, such as REI, Ocean Spray, Land O'Lakes, and the Green Bay Packers.