florida keys

National

Tropical Storm Debby is approaching Florida

7:25pm August 03, 2024

by Willem Marx

Tropical storm warnings and a hurricane watch were issued for the west coast of Florida and the panhandle as Debby crossed the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rains are expected across the Southeast.

Health officials at Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services study specimens of anopheles mosquitoes that cause malaria, in Sarasota, Fla. on June 30, 2023. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after five cases of malaria were confirmed, the first locally acquired cases of the disease in the United States in 20 years.

New gene-editing tools may help wipe out mosquito-borne diseases

5:01am January 26, 2024

by Greg Allen

Scientists say gene-editing technology may eradicate a mosquito in the U.S. that spreads dengue and other diseases. Concerns remain about the possible environmental impact of bioengineered mosquitoes.

The Key deer is the smallest deer species in North America. The deer live only in the low-lying Florida Keys. They are considered federally endangered, with an estimated population of around 1,000.

A tiny deer and rising seas: How far should people go to save an endangered species?

5:30am November 12, 2023

The Key deer is losing the only place it lives, raising uncomfortable questions for the people tasked with keeping endangered species alive.

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Over the holiday weekend, hundreds of migrants landed in Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 miles west of Key West, Fla., in the Gulf of Mexico. Tourists walk along the sea wall surrounding Fort Jefferson in the park in February 2016.

National

An influx of 300 migrants forces closure of a national park in the Florida Keys

2:32pm January 03, 2023

by Ashley Ahn

The U.S. National Park Service estimated that some 300 migrants arrived in the Dry Tortugas National Park over the past couple days. The park is about 100 miles north of Havana, the Cuban capital.

Fishermen secure their boats to land ahead of the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa in Havana, Cuba, on July 5. Elsa made landfall in Cuba and is now headed to Florida.

Tropical Storm Elsa Is Lashing Cuba And Has Florida Next In Its Sights

11:33am July 05, 2021

by Dan Charles

The tropical storm is bringing winds of up to 65 miles an hour and between five and 10 inches of rain to the tropical island. It is expected to reach the lower Florida Keys late on Monday.

Benzonia is one of more than 100 World War I-era wooden ships in Mallows Bay, Md. The ship was built in 1919 in Washington state. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel lifted the Benzonia wreck on top of another World War I steamship.

National

New National Marine Sanctuary For Shipwrecked Vessels Is A 'Time Capsule'

4:24pm October 25, 2019

by Jacob Fenston

Thirty miles from Washington, D.C., lies one of the largest collections of shipwrecks in the world. Now, these WWI-era vessels are attracting tourists and federal investment.

As part of a national plan reassessing the status of animals and plants on the Endangered Species List, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended that Key Deer be "delisted due to recovery."

Trump Administration Opens Door To Dropping Florida's Key Deer From Endangered List

4:20pm August 28, 2019

by Greg Allen

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials recommended that Key Deer be "delisted due to recovery," but advocates say the Key Deer population was hard hit by Hurricane Irma and its aftermath.

Fish swim in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Key West just voted to ban the sale of sunscreens with chemicals linked to coral bleaching.

Environment

Key West To Ban Popular Sunscreen Ingredients To Protect Coral Reef

1:31pm February 06, 2019

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Sunscreens containing the chemicals linked to coral reef bleaching will be banned from sale in Key West, the city commission voted 6-1 Tuesday night. Industry officials say the link isn't proven.

Protest signs at the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District board's meeting Saturday in Marathon, Fla.

Florida Keys Approves Trial Of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes To Fight Zika

2:58pm November 20, 2016

by Greg Allen

In the Florida Keys, no cases of locally transmitted Zika have been reported, but officials have decided to go ahead with trials of a genetically modified mosquito to combat the spread of the disease.

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