A roundup of news items related to climate change and other environmental issues in Florida:
Florida bill allowing gambling money to be used for environmental projects heads to DeSantis | News Service of Florida
A plan that would provide gambling money for environmental projects is heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The House on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill (SB 1638) that would provide at least $450 million a year for issues such as buying and maintaining land in a state wildlife corridor, removing invasive species and converting properties from using septic tanks to sewer systems.
The Senate unanimously passed the plan on Feb. 22. Much of the money will come from a 2021 gambling deal that the state reached with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
After airing of concerns, Legislature bans intentionally releasing balloons | Florida Politics
Florida residents and visitors will do well to start holding their balloon strings a bit tighter in July, lest they get fined for being litterbugs.
Lawmakers approved a bill (HB 321) to reclassify the intentional release of balloons as noncriminal littering, an offense that carries a $ 150-per-violation fine.
The measure, which cleared the House on a 102-9 vote, will delete a section of Florida Statutes allowing the intentional release of nine helium-filled balloons per day. It will also nix allowances for so-called “biodegradable” and “photodegradable” balloons that still present environmental dangers.
First baby right whale of the season dies from injuries caused by a ship collision | Associated Press
The first confirmed baby right whale of the year has been found dead from a collision with a ship, a devastating blow for the vanishing species.
North Atlantic right whales number less than 360 and they are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Federal authorities were notified of a dead right whale stranded off Georgia on Sunday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Federal and state officials identified the whale as the injured calf of a right whale known as Juno by marine scientists. The calf had first been seen on Jan. 3 with injuries to its head from a vessel strike, NOAA said in a statement.
If you have any news items of note that you think we should include in our next roundup, please email The Invading Sea Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.
