Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
Capping the bottom muck helps heal the Indian River Lagoon. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
"Millions have been spent dredging muck from the Lagoon. Now, Cocoa Beach and Brevard County are trying another approach in the Banana River Lagoon: covering the nutrient-rich muck with a foot-thick layer of sand.
The $41.1 million sand-capping project is designed to create a physical and chemical barrier that limits bacterial decay and helps improve water quality and seagrass habitat. Muck can restrict seagrass growth and contribute to fish kills.
About $29 million of the project’s funding comes from the Save Our Indian River Lagoon program, which is funded by a half-cent sales tax."
A settlement reached with egg producers awarded the state of Florida not only with cash, but 5.7 million eggs.
Through Feeding Florida, the eggs have been distributed throughout all 67 counties to provide food to families and foster homes struggling with rising costs.
"One of the things that makes Feeding Florida so effective is our longstanding partnership with state agencies"
That was the CEO of Feeding Florida, Robin Safley.
She says that they have nine-member food banks in addition to the 2500 local agencies they work with.
"Foster homes are closing faster than they're opening, and this leaves kids in crisis, And the families we support cite lack of additional support as the number one reason for closing."
That was Alicia McMillan who works directly with West Florida Foster Care Services.
She says that they opened a free-to-shop food pantry that has recently been by supplied Feeding Tampa Bay with 900 dozen eggs
Florida public schools are being told to use a new name for Lake Ontario.
Florida’s Education Commissioner directed the state’s Division of Public Schools to begin using “Lake America” in K-through-12 schools.
The directive was announced last week, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to rename the lake.
But the name change only applies to the federal government.
Canada is holding to the name Lake Ontario, which comes from the Wendat [WEN-dat] name used for the lake for more than 400 years, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying that name will remain, quote, “then, now and always.” //
Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis is backing the change and has introduced the “Lake America Act,” legislation supporting the new name.
For now, Florida schools have been told to use “Lake America” immediately, though the state has not said when textbooks, maps and other classroom materials will be updated.
WFIT’s Rick Glasby reports that Florida does not want to debate the merits of having a state-wide bear hunt:
"Florida will be conducting a bear hunt again this year. But the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is not conducting public hearings to gather comments. Instead, applications to kill a bear will be accepted starting September 11th, with the hunt scheduled for between December 5th and December 28th. In the 13-county Central Florida area, 21 permits will be up for grabs. 1,400 bears call our area home. Once again, non-hunters are expected to flood the FWC with applications, under the Sierra Club’s “Bag a Tag - Spare a Bear” campaign. Last year Florida set the kill quota at 172 bears, but only 52 were shot, perhaps due to the Spare a Bear campaign."
Last year Florida set the kill quota at 172 bears, but only 52 were shot, perhaps due to the Spare a Bear campaign.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk