Florida wildlife officials see manatees dying at an alarming rate
Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 819 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through June 25. For perspective, that is 182 more manatee deaths than the total recorded in 2020.
VIDEO: Gator spotted swimming with shark in Indian River Lagoon
VERO BEACH, Fla. โ Itโs common to see sharks and alligators in Florida, but it is rare to see both together. Gray Vinson shared a video with WKMG showing a gator wading through the water. To the left of the screen is what appears to be a small shark swimming at pace with the gator. He said he was on a walking bridge in Vero Beach when he first noticed the gator around noon. Thanks for sharing!โ and โCome on...thatโs amazing,โ were some of the comments shared on the Facebook video.
Disappearing seagrass hurting beloved manatees in Florida
The situation is threatening a number of species, including manatees, who depend on seagrass for food. AdAn expert who has spent 40 years studying manatees in Central Florida said dead manatees are being found with nearly nothing in their stomachs. Essentially, itโs an emergency.โRose and others blame the seagrass loss for a spike in manatee deaths this winter. In all of 2020, there were 637 manatee deaths across Florida. The Indian River Lagoon system stretches 165 miles from Volusia County south to Port St. Lucie.
Federal grant will help build bridge to Cape
Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Space Florida, the states aerospace arm, received a $90 million federal transportation grant Monday to replace a State Road 405 bridge over the Indian River Lagoon that links Cape Canaveral to the mainland. The existing bridge is a NASA bridge that needs replacement, so the state applied its capabilities to assure the continued success of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Space Florida said in a tweet. The Space Florida Board of Directors in March backed an application for the federal transportation grant, which is expected to help fund a Florida Department of Transportation project to replace the 55-year-old drawbridge and to widen Space Commerce Way. The road is the main access to Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex and Exploration Park, a business park operated by Space Florida. NASA and Space Florida are expected to split 40 percent of the cost.