A Seminole County conservation group asked a judge Tuesday to halt Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years, now scheduled to begin Oct. 24. Speak Up Wekiva filed suit against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in July over the commission’s decision to allow the hunting of a species that until 2012 was classified […]

BY JENNY STALETOVICH jstaletovich@MiamiHerald.com If Florida ever wants to rid itself of Burmese pythons, tegus and other slithery invaders, pray for cold. A new University of Florida study has confirmed what scientists have long suspected: temperature, more than habitat, determines where reptiles invade. Using the kind of risk assessment strategy normally used in business, researchers modeled […]

By Charlie Frago 8/10/15 ST. PETERSBURG— Faced with a wastewater system overwhelmed by weeks of torrential rainfall, the city dumped about 5.5 million gallons of treated sewage into Tampa Bay for eight hours beginning Sunday evening. The wastewater — everything from toilet sewage, sink drainage and rainwater — was treated at the Albert Whitted plant […]

Published 7/28/15 Sanjay Shukla looked out over row upon row of tomato and pepper plants and had an idea: What would happen if he made the compacted soil rows taller and more narrow? Would the plants need less water, fertilizer and fumigation? Would the plants grow as tall? Would the plants produce as many vegetables? […]