Alligator Alcatraz empties out.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirms all detainees have been transferred from the detention center in the Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz. ICE calls the pop-up center the Florida Soft-Sided Facility because it's made of tents. A spokesperson says ICE and the state of Florida moved people from there to other facilities for their safety due to hurricane season. It's unknown if this means the center will be taken down or if detainees will return at some point. Talks began last month about winding down operations at the controversial facility that opened early in the 2025 hurricane season. Environmental groups suing to not only shut it down but to repair the land say they won't stop their court battle.
Record sea turtle nests predicted.
A record-breaking sea turtle nesting season is predicted for Brevard County. WFIT’s Terri Wright explains.
Brevard County is on track to break another record for the number of sea turtle nests. Last year, researchers logged a record number of nests: 20,000 Green turtles and 10,000 Loggerheads. The Sea Turtle Preservation Society reports we are ahead of last year. Space Coast beaches are estimated to make up 25 percent of the loggerhead turtle population on Earth. Education is the key to ensuring nests can thrive. Keep beaches clean, flat, dark, and don’t disturb turtle nests. Yellow markers are staked in the sand to mark sea turtle nests monitored by the Preservation Society.
Sea Turtle nesting season runs through October 31.
Another sloth dies.
Another sloth from the “Sloth World” attraction previously planned for Orlando is dead, marking the 57th death of an animal tied to the exhibit. Eight sloths still remain in the care of the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
More clarity on restaurant charges.
A new law that goes into effect July 1st in Florida will provide restaurant customers with more clarity on extra charges. The so-called “operations charge” law will require that mandatory add-ons to your bill, like credit card surcharges, mandatory tips, and delivery fees be shown on the menu, website, and mobile apps. The restaurant must explain the purpose of the extra charge, not just the amount or percentage. The measure is aimed at ending hidden surcharges and deceptive "double-tipping" practices.
He shall be called Arthur.
The National Hurricane Center continues to track the first tropical disturbance of the season in the western Gulf of Mexico. While significant strengthening is not anticipated it could lead to problems along the Interstate 10 corridor. Meteorologist Andrew Wulfeck from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network has the latest.
Conditions have not come together yet in the western Gulf for potential cyclone one to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm. The disturbance has less than 24 hours before it moves inland over eastern Texas and western Louisiana. The system will be capable of dumping upwards of a foot of rain along the Interstate 10 corridor between Houston and Pensacola. There will also be the threat of a few tornadic storms along the Gulf Coast over the next few days. If the system gains sustained winds of at least 39 miles per hours, it will earn the name of Arthur.
Andrew says that regardless of whether the system earns a name, the storm will pose no threat to the Space Coast.
