As Florida Power and Light finalized plans to expand its nuclear reactors at Turkey Point three years ago, critics were aghast. The nuclear plant already sits at a environmentally fragile spot and upping the power production would seriously threaten the ecosystem, they argued. Turns out they were right. This morning,…
In the middle of the concrete jungle of the FIU Campus, there’s a unique refuge. It’s a giant green space made up of some 450 plant and animal species, where students and faculty go to get their hands dirty, research, learn and relax. But that urban oasis, the FIU Nature…
Even as scientists keep reminding us that Miami is one of the most susceptible cities to the potential damages of sea level rise, developers keep erecting shiny new luxury tower after shiny new luxury tower in the areas most threatened by rising tides. So EMiami Condos, a website that tracks condo…
It wasn’t just multi-million dollar super yachts clogging the waterway at last weekend’s Yachts Miami Beach event, located on a 10 block stretch west of Collins Ave. in mid-Beach. Volunteers on standup paddleboards and in kayaks picked buckets full of styrofoam out of the water surrounding the event, too. Tracy…
On Saturday, thousands of passengers on the Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas sailed out of New Jersey into calm seas, sipping margaritas and dreaming balmy beaches. Just off the coast of the Carolinas, meanwhile, a monster storm was brewing, with winds howling around a huge low pressure front. Last…
Danielle Daals has been making the most of every minute with her family lately, from relishing strolls in the park with her pup Maxwell, a mixed rescue, to savoring sips of coffee during chats with her mom Stephanie. Because next week, the New Zealander plans to travel across the world…
Twenty counties and forty cities have already banned fracking in Florida. Environmentalists warn that the oil extraction technique could put the final nail in the Everglades’ coffin. And with the price of oil plummeting, the expensive procedure may not make much economic sense. So why are Florida Republicans gung-ho to…
A public health emergency has been declared in Miami-Dade County after a case of Zika was detected. Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties are also affected by the warning. “We have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state,” said Governor…
Last weekend, a horrified visitor from Michigan filmed as Miami Beach garbage crews trashed hundreds of unopened gallons of water left over after the Miami Marathon. The man couldn’t help but think of the lead water crisis in Flint back in his home state while wondering if the race couldn’t have conserved…
On Sunday thousands of runners lined up early in the morning at American Airlines Arena for The Miami Marathon. They ran across the MacArthur Causeway, then did a loop around South Beach, then ran back across the causeway and all the way south to Coconut Grove before looping back up…
You’d think Miami would have no trouble keeping green grass on its soccer fields. There’s more than ample sunlight, plenty of rain, and friendly temperatures year round. So why is Miami-Dade aggressively installing artificial turf into its parks — especially given mounting health concerns, from cancer links to ligament damage,…
There are only two known populations of the Miami tiger beetle in the world. Both, as the insect’s name suggests, are located around Miami, in rare pine rocklands habitat; because of the beetle’s rarity, an effort is now underway to classify it as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, a…
Last summer, environmentalists were horrified when a whole section of protected mangroves on Virginia Key were cut down by a City of Miami contractor working on preparations for the 2016 Miami International Boat Show. City officials apologized and blamed the contractor, saying it was all a mistake. But now, the…
The State of Florida’s semi-annual Python Challenge is set to kick off on January 16th, and in advance the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is blasting the state for allowing hunters to decapitate the reptiles during the great snake hunt. PETA claims the method causes the snakes prolonged pain,…
It’s the first week of January, so you know the drill: Gyms are packed with noobs misusing the squat racks, out-of-practice joggers are huffing along every beachside trail and Miami’s doctors are doing strong business in freshly pulled hamstrings. But some parts of Miami need to re-up those New Year’s…
Wouldn’t it be great to be Tarzan? You’d have great abs and get to hang out with wild monkeys all the time. Maybe more realistically you could, at least, get rid of those love handles and live in a place where you could occasionally see monkeys out in the wild…
This month in the New Yorker, writer Elizabeth Kolbert makes it painfully clear that the city has essentially no battle plan to combat rising sea levels in South Florida. Between Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s wholesale denial of the problem and civic figures waiting on the savior of innovation, very little…
Spurred by articles in publications from Vanity Fair to the New Yorker, the nation finally seems to be waking up to the fact that Miami is slowly being swallowed by the sea. With predictions ranging from eight inches to six feet of sea level rise over the next century, it’s…
At a City of Miami Commission meeting last Thursday more than 50 men, women, and children crowded into the small gallery inside City Hall, an unusual, impossible-to-miss crowd for a run of the mill city meeting. The crowd wore fluorescent green shirts, for maximum impact, emblazoned with the message, “All…
Every year in South Beach, the Miami International Boat Show brings huge, Basel-esque crowds to gape at fleets of luxury yachts. This morning, though, city commissioners will decide whether to let the show flee to Virginia Key. It’s all part of an ambitious plan to renovate Miami Marine Stadium, a…
Perhaps you’ve been watching the rising seas routinely inundating Miami streets, soaking cars and stranding residents unlucky enough to not own kayaks, and thinking to yourself, “Well, I’m sure our leaders have some great ideas how to save our city.” Afraid not! This morning, the New Yorker dropped a new longread…
For so long, the rallying cry of conservationists has been: “Plant a tree, save the planet.” But in Florida, it may be more appropriate to plant a coral—to save the ocean. So much of our state’s magic and beauty is hidden underneath the ocean’s surface. Our hundreds of square miles…
