The Daily Fray :: Motion

Putnam ordered to pay $16.9M in citrus suit or face contempt charge

THE DAILY FRAY
March 28, 2018 7:58 am
Florida agricultural commissioner Adam Putnam “has done absolutely nothing” to uphold private property rights in a case involving Lee County homeowners whose citrus trees were destroyed under the citrus-canker eradication program more than 15 years ago, a state judge has ruled. MORE-»

Laser technology joins fight against citrus greening

THE DAILY FRAY
March 8, 2018 8:19 am
A form of laser surgery used to mend human hearts also shows promise for Florida's iconic orange and the desperate antibacterial fight against fatal citrus greening, a major grower said this week. MORE-»

Interstate fisheries bosses leave bunker on the hook

THE DAILY FRAY
November 14, 2017 11:00 pm
Menhaden, a fish at the bottom of the ocean’s food chain, is also staying put at the bottom of the menu for Atlantic saltwater fisheries management for at least two more potentially risky years, many stakeholders say. MORE-»

Bimini's Shark Girl is wild about underwater ballet

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 9, 2017 6:30 am
Jillian Morris was free-diving in a shiver of sharks near her home in Bimini when she had a yin and yang moment. The experience was breathless; the photo is now timeless. “Two species of shark,” Morris said, “coexisting in a beautiful ballet.” MORE-»

Conservationist Jillian Morris coaches next wave of shark advocates

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 9, 2017 6:00 am
Jillian Morris, a marine biologist, photographer, and educator, goes diving with sharks as routinely as people commute to work during rush-hour traffic. Each involves mutual respect. The difference is highway driving can be hard on the nerves. MORE-»

In battle for the bunker, it's science and chance for history

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
October 30, 2017 11:15 pm
Healthy U.S. marine fisheries rely on management plans approved by government stewards that keep prized fish in the water and people in business. It mostly works for the saltwater stars such as striped bass, bluefish, and snappers but not as well for forage fish like menhaden, according to scientists, conservationists, and a variety of stakeholders. MORE-»

USF's Hennig, 'Tampa Bay Water Story' make a splash

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 9, 2016 9:12 pm
Katy Hennig has always been close to the water. She moved to Sarasota from Long Island, New York, at age 10. She attended the University of Tampa with a swimming scholarship. And this weekend her film, “Tampa Bay Water Story,” is ready for a splash at the Blue Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit in St. Petersburg. MORE-»

Polls show baby boomers putting charge into Amendment 2 drive

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
October 23, 2016 7:54 am
In September 2014, Luigi Costello of Sarasota was a United for Care volunteer, pacing a sidewalk on busy Manatee Avenue in Bradenton, holding big signs in each hand. At the time Costello was not typical of the block of voters who were coveted for Amendment 2. He is now. MORE-»

Pine rocklands builders could bug out about this

THE DAILY FRAY
October 21, 2016 12:02 pm
For some of Florida’s most reclusive residents, early October was a wild relief. Consider the Miami tiger beetle, “actually a beautiful little bug," according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Miami tiger beetle minds its own business in South Florida’s weakening pine rocklands and now developers will be expected to mind theirs, too, the FWS says. MORE-»

Leaked tape: Solar chicanery guiding strategy for big utilities, Amendment 1

THE DAILY FRAY
October 19, 2016 5:46 pm
Amendment 1, misdeeds, and audiotape emerged in an in-depth report in the Miami Herald that claims Florida electric companies collaborated — flexing more than $21 million in "political jiu-jitsu" — to deceive voters regarding a hotly contested utility-funded solar power initiative. MORE-»

Ocean stewards partner to enhance Caribbean corals

THE DAILY FRAY
September 15, 2016 9:02 am
A new coral colonization partnership between Mote Marine Laboratory and the Nature Conservancy is targeting depleted reefs in the Florida Keys and aims to expand to the U.S. Virgin Islands and at least three Caribbean nations, including Cuba. MORE-»

Federal, global inattention contribute to burst in crisis

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
July 24, 2016 3:37 pm
UPDATED | Rare tropical diseases were always part of South Florida’s scene from time to time. But Zika is an extraordinary health threat — a perplexing mosquito-borne, sexually transmitted illness linked with neurological disorders and seemingly without peer in the insect world, according to scientists and health authorities. Many, though, saw it coming for years. MORE-»

Last generation: SeaWorld ends captive orca breeding and reaction's wild

THE DAILY FRAY
March 17, 2016 9:30 am
After years of controversy, lawsuits, pressure from environmental groups, and an Oscar-winning film, SeaWorld will stop breeding captive killer whales immediately, the Orlando-based company announced Thursday. On social media, the reaction was swift, contagious, and worldwide. MORE-»

Fracking foes succeed after state Senate halts drilling bill

THE DAILY FRAY
March 1, 2016 5:00 pm
UPDATED | Florida lawmakers who oppose fracking were outnumbered in the House recently and a setback in the Senate seemed likely. But opponents — including 41 cities and 27 counties — achieved a victory Tuesday when a Senate panel refused to reconsider the bill after tapping the brakes on the controversial oil drilling practice last week. MORE-»

Florida's DEP offers a checkup for Deepwater cleanup efforts

THE DAILY FRAY
February 16, 2016 12:00 pm
An online map that pinpoints hopeful restoration projects that stem from 2010’s Deepwater Horizon explosion and catastrophic oil spill is more than a routine exercise in government transparency. It's more like an X-ray. And the patient is Florida. MORE-»

Zika: Health authorities slow to acknowledge sex connection

THE DAILY FRAY
February 3, 2016 9:16 am
UPDATED (Feb. 6, 13) | For weeks, world and U.S. health authorities were saying there are five things everyone needs to know about Zika. Here’s No. 6: sex. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention knew about the potential blockbuster health threat involving Zika and sexual intercourse since at least 2008. MORE-»

Photo challenge celebrates parks and wildlife experience

THE DAILY FRAY
February 2, 2016 5:37 pm
Troy Mattes, a former major league pitcher, was out for a stroll near Jiggs Landing in Bradenton when a fearsome pair of watery eyes came into focus. A 4-foot alligator “didn’t seem too worried about a guy with a camera,” Mattes said. And the next thing, click. MORE-»

Big power's Smart Solar initiative 'on track' for 2016

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 21, 2015 6:54 pm
UPDATED (12/29) | Consumers for Smart Solar and a solar amendment drive that is the brainchild of big Florida utilities is closer than ever to gaining a spot on the 2016 ballot. “Suffice it to say, we are on track,” Smart Solar spokeswoman Sarah Bascom said. MORE-»

For Caribbean, big victory in Paris but 2 degrees might not be enough

THE DAILY FRAY
December 12, 2015 5:29 pm
Caribbean government leaders are coming home from Paris with two big wins after a landmark global climate accord Saturday offered hope against rising seas. “For the first time in a long time, our concerns were being heard.” MORE-»

St. Pete student's eco-video shares Monaco's Blue carpet with 'Extinction'

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 2, 2015 12:01 am
A short video about lionfish left a lasting impression at an international film festival recently and gave a St. Petersburg teen a brief closeup in the eco-doc spotlight with “Racing Extinction” director Louie Psihoyos. MORE-»

Young eco caregivers scrub polluted Tortola coastlines

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
October 1, 2015 6:21 pm
Romani Christopher arrived at Road Reef in Tortola recently with latex gloves, garbage bags, and an improbable smile. “I think cleaning up our environment is fun,” Ms. Christopher said. “You find a lot of things you’ve never seen.” MORE-»

South Florida eco-preneurs ready to spring trap on lionfish

THE DAILY FRAY
August 3, 2015 3:00 pm
A new trap that targets lionfish and is also a potential moneymaker for fishermen and restaurants joined Mote Marine Aquarium on a short list for a lucrative eco grant in the inaugural Gulf Coast Innovation Challenge, organizers said. MORE-»

Forage fishes: Extra sardines, and don't hold the anchovies

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
June 25, 2015 7:14 pm
Forage fishes are small, schooling fishes that live short, mostly inconspicuous lives. People put anchovies and sardines on pizza not license plates. No one brags about swimming with the scad. There are no T-shirts to save the herring, menhaden, goggle eyes, ballyhoo, or pinfish — are there? “They’re not really glamorous,” a marine conservationist said. MORE-»

Eco summit focuses on ocean health and healthy business

THE DAILY FRAY
June 18, 2015 2:07 pm
Amy Slate grew up around Miami and loved to watch Flipper and Jacques Cousteau. She was about age 6 and taking a swim with a dolphin on a trip to a Florida Keys marine park when a light went on. It’s still on. MORE-»

Tech giants promising bigger plunge for Caribbean Internet

THE DAILY FRAY
June 4, 2015 7:24 pm
A decent beach experience is mostly a given in the Caribbean but not a decent Internet experience. Progress is coming, according to Google, Netflix and dozens of global content giants who huddled recently at a rare tech summit in Barbados. MORE-»

Former Bradenton mayor says lawmakers are out of touch

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
May 30, 2015 3:47 pm
A big oak tree at old Manatee County Courthouse shaded Bill Evers, just barely, before a rally began Saturday for Amendment 1. “They should just go ahead and fund it,” said Evers, Bradenton’s hardnosed mayor for 20 years. “The people want it. What better way can you spend your money than to protect your future?” MORE-»

Rare seabird losing fight to gain federal attention

THE DAILY FRAY
April 13, 2015 9:17 pm
The black-capped petrel, a prolific nocturnal seafarer, is fighting extinction on several manmade fronts and could even use some protection from itself. A big help is some techy advances. A huge enemy is time. That fight may be settled in court, a St. Petersburg conservation attorney said. MORE-»

Former major leaguer finds gator zone; an elusive cuckoo

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
April 7, 2015 1:33 pm
"I'm as amateur a photographer as there is," said Troy Mattes, whose alligator profile near Jiggs Landing in Bradenton won Manatee County’s Photography Challenge. Another photo solved a feathery local riddle. “We were so impressed by the quality,” Melissa Nell said. MORE-»

Duke Energy adjusts forecast for Florida to a chance for sun

THE DAILY FRAY
April 3, 2015 4:09 pm
Duke Energy submitted plans with state regulators for a burst of solar power in Florida, a shift from partly cloudy to partly sunny in the energy giant's solar outlook. Also in the forecast is a fresh flood of cash to oppose wider freedoms for rooftop solar. MORE-»

Membership closely guarded by medical pot trade group

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
April 1, 2015 9:57 pm
For a newly minted, seemingly reclusive statewide organization, the Medical Cannabis Trade Association of Florida is notable for its surprise arrival on the Charlotte's Web scene – and for reaction to its sudden existence by a state lawmaker. “In response to Representative Gaetz, his comment suggests [the MCTA] is seeking publicity. This is simply not true,” a Fort Lauderdale attorney said. MORE-»

Two new challenges for Charlotte's Web, and fresh allegations of favoritism

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
March 26, 2015 1:48 pm
Charlotte's Web medical marijuana and the state Department of Health were walloped this week by two new stacks of court papers, including more allegations that state policymakers are “motivated by their own political, financial, and business goals.” MORE-»

Solar Choice organizers say milestone is achieved after feet drag in Tallahassee

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
March 25, 2015 8:56 pm
Solar supporters are one-tenth of the way to putting solar energy policy on the 2016 ballot. Roughly 72,000 signatures are officially in the books, and 683,149 total are needed by Feb. 1, but hey, who’s counting? Apparently no one in Tallahassee. MORE-»

Former marine mammal policy boss: Changing manatee status 'premature'

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
March 24, 2015 6:46 pm
UPDATED (Jan. 7) | The good news is 6,063 Florida manatees were counted in February. And the bad news is 6,063 manatees were counted in February. On Thursday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to reclassify Florida's iconic sea cow from endangered to threatened, intensifying a controversial debate about federal protections. MORE-»

Tampa science center to give world's first commercial AV a spin; sticker price $250,000

THE DAILY FRAY
March 16, 2015 9:12 pm
Fore. The future in driving – driverless driving – is coming to Tampa and it looks like a souped-up golf cart. The French-made Navia by Induct Technology will be exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry and start tooling around this summer. Top speed: 12.5 mph. MORE-»

Charlotte's Web: Financial interests, bias alleged in lawsuit

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
March 13, 2015 4:04 pm
Regulations to grow, cultivate and dispense Charlotte's Web are “arbitrary and capricious,” were framed by policymakers with a financial stake in medical marijuana, and are politically biased, a lawsuit against the state Department of Health alleges. But that’s not all, a Jacksonville attorney says. MORE-»

Charlotte's Web: Patients' optimism builds for April 15

THE DAILY FRAY
March 8, 2015 7:08 pm
A new framework to regulate Charlotte's Web held up under a 21-day period of public scrutiny and tilted into another three-week test: special interests. "Barring a legal challenge to this rule by March 25, applications will be accepted as early as April 15," state health officials said. MORE-»

For great white shark's anglers, there might be a catch: FWC

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
March 3, 2015 10:59 pm
The first great white shark caught from a shore in Florida was 9 feet, 8½ inches long. A group of surfcasters shared an hour-long fight to reel in the juvenile Jaws early Tuesday in Panama City. Now they might share liability, according to state wildlife officials. MORE-»

Snapper: One-day federal season likely

THE DAILY FRAY
February 3, 2015 8:04 pm
For Florida’s pleasure anglers who prize red snapper, the 2015 season for federal waters can be sized up in two words. One day. A chance also exists for no season. Expected to be hit hardest are fishers from Tarpon Springs to Naples, where opportunities for the Gulf's red snapper are the thinnest in the state. MORE-»

One-week, statewide bear hunt

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 29, 2015 11:17 pm
After years of mounting encounters with black bears and complaints, a ticking public policy time-bomb for Florida wildlife stewards is about to go off. Conservation specialists will recommend a one-week statewide bear hunt in the fall with a lengthy proposal when the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meets Wednesday in Jacksonville MORE-»

Prickly-apple: A Manatee County homecoming

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 23, 2015 9:00 pm
A sprawling cactus with tall stems, showy white flowers and a baseball-sized yellow fruit was found in Terra Ceia Island in 1919. A scientist who discovered the plant called the area a “botanical fountain of youth.” New roads, a surge of development in the '70s, plant collectors, poachers and a mixture of natural events pushed the aboriginal prickly-apple to the edge. By 2002, the cactus was gone in Manatee County. MORE-»

Mangrove violations apparent In DEP inspection

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 16, 2015 2:50 pm
Terri Wonder ducked under a black mangrove that hugged Palma Sola Bay in Bradenton. Adjacent red mangroves were cropped, apparently illegally. She pointed out a stump and nearby white mangroves. “No matter how you cut it,” Wonder said, “they did something wrong on this property.” MORE-»

Diverse coalition launches solar quest

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 13, 2015 8:30 pm
Like clean water, fresh air and unspoiled landscape, Floridians care about their electric bills. But unlike Amendment 1, a grassroots effort to put solar energy on the 2016 ballot will have a real foe, with huge pockets, and a tendency to hit back. MORE-»

For Amendment 1, business begins with a coalition proposal and a website

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 12, 2015 10:00 pm
With roughly $750 million to spread around this year, lawmakers set up shop last week for Amendment 1, starting with a website to plug in the public. And when the Senate Committee on Environmental Protection and Conservation gathered with chairman Charlie Dean, a coalition of environmental watchdogs was first in line with a proposal. MORE-»

UF students in campaign to win over millennials

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 8, 2015 8:00 pm
Pouring a glass of orange juice each morning is old school. Only 17 percent of Americans are considered OJ loyalists, according to the Florida Department of Citrus. But the strategists seem determined to plug holes in consumption, reverse negative thinking and win a generation. For that they’ll need an app. MORE-»

DEP plan for Cockroach Bay meets approval

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 7, 2015 8:00 am
The first public hearing of the Amendment 1 era was held Tuesday night in Ruskin. The subject was a sensitive 10-year management plan for Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park. A feather – ideally from a roseate spoonbill – could have cut the tension. MORE-»

FWC names new head for law enforcement

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
January 6, 2015 3:13 pm
Col. Curtis Brown, a 24-year veteran of the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was named director of the FWC's Law Enforcement Division. MORE-»

Bob Simpson: scientist who ranked hurricanes

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 20, 2014 8:30 am
Bob Simpson was head of the National Hurricane Center in Miami when Camille bulldozed into Mississippi Aug. 17, 1969. Under his direction, an experimental computer model was predicting a monster storm surge. When the data was combined with a report from an Air Force WC-130 estimating winds near the eye at 190 mph, last-minute evacuations were ordered. The forecast is hailed for saving hundreds of lives. MORE-»

For public hearings, ARC could be wider

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 9, 2014 9:39 pm
House Deputy Majority Leader Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, was just named vice chairman for the Appropriations Committee. Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, is vice-chairman of the Agriculture and Natural Resources subcommittee under Appropriations. The jobs will keep Boyd and Pilon busy in 2015 with Amendment 1. MORE-»

Sarasota planning eco-park in Walton Ranch

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 5, 2014 7:00 am
Clyde Butcher said he gets the question all the time. “People ask me do I want to save the [Florida] panther and my answer is no; I want to save where they live and where they eat and then the panther will take care of itself." MORE-»

Manatee concerns around Pinellas Bayway Bridge

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
December 1, 2014 7:15 pm
St. Pete Beach wants Blind Pass restored to a proposed list of manatee protection zones in western Pinellas County, and state wildlife officials are considering the request. St. Pete Beach also wants the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to include waters around the new Pinellas Bayway Bridge. That's a new conversation. MORE-»

For Florida's exotics, it doesn't get any wilder

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 23, 2014 12:00 pm
Exotic pets in Florida fit into two categories: the known and the all-too-well-known. Sometimes there’s the unknown. The nonnative animal invasion was going strong in 2006 when the Exotic Pet Amnesty Program was formed. FWC workers roll around the state like a traveling zoo absorb an eye-popping menagerie of ecological evil-doers. MORE-»

Next step OK'd for manatee protection zones

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 21, 2014 7:32 pm
New protection zones for manatees in western Pinellas County moved closer to final approval Thursday at a meeting of the FWC commissioners in Key Largo. But stakeholders who consider the measures excessive will get at least one more say. MORE-»

Bike czar starts job in Sarasota

THE DAILY FRAY
November 20, 2014 10:18 pm
A bicycle czar for Sarasota County went to work Monday, presumably on two wheels. "What I like about Sarasota County is the weather is great for sustainable transportation," said Patrick Lui, who was appointed bicycle and pedestrian coordinator by Administrator Tom Harmer. "You're dealing with this issue every day in this area." MORE-»

Jacki Lopez, Center for Biological Diversity, on high alert for Florida

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 19, 2014 5:00 pm
Jacki Lopez is Florida director and a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. The international nonprofit organization started 25 years ago in New Mexico with a landmark campaign to save the spotted owl, the flagship species of conservationists. MORE-»

FWC plans 'Guardians' assault in lionfish fight

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 16, 2014 5:14 pm
When the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gathers for a summit Nov. 20-21 in Key Largo, lionfish, manatee protection measures in Pinellas County, and red snapper will be on the hotlist. MORE-»

For talk on captive dolphins, panel gets wild

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 11, 2014 7:36 pm
For a passionate dolphin advocate like Louie Psihoyos, the idea of a panel to discuss the future of captive dolphins was like a trick question. For a passionate dolphin advocate like David Yates, it probably felt that way MORE-»

Sharks: Stewart leads quest for improved understanding

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 9, 2014 6:40 pm
The Shark Girl was born seven decades after the Shark Lady and half a world away. The Shark Lady is a native New Yorker and a Ph.D. The Shark Girl is from Australia’s Gold Coast and dropped out of middle school. Each is a world-class diver. And both are devoted, heart and mind and in their hippy souls, to the ocean’s greatest predator. MORE-»

Shark Girl wins top film at Blue Ocean Film Festival

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 9, 2014 11:27 am
Madison Stewart wanted to get one thing straight before production began on “Shark Girl,” a film that depicts global misunderstanding and a man-made attack against sharks. “I made them put it in the contract that they weren’t allowed to use the word man-eater in reference to the shark,” said Stewart, a 20-year-old Australian who won the top award at the Blue Ocean Film Festival and Conservation Summit in St. Petersburg. MORE-»

Cousteau: Great film equals great purpose

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
November 6, 2014 9:17 pm
Celine Cousteau, the explorer, needed directions. The hallways and meeting rooms at the Hyatt in St. Petersburg can be tricky. Not tricky like a murky fork in a waterway in the Vale Do Javari in the Amazon, where she filmed “Tribes on the Edge.” But one wrong turn and, well, the next thing might be standing in line at the hotel’s Starbucks. MORE-»

Anglers feel squeezed by red snapper management policies

THE DAILY FRAY
October 23, 2014 3:35 pm
The opposition was lined up from Aransas Pass in Texas to the Cortez Bridge and included U.S. senators and congressmen, fish and wildlife authorities from three states, and weekend anglers. But a bitter fight over a controversial federal proposal to overhaul recreational red snapper fishing appears over. MORE-»

Manatee County prepared for ebola, officials say

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
October 9, 2014 7:20 pm
Public safety and health officials said Thursday that Manatee County has the resources and emergency management ability to contend with a potential case of Ebola. “We are prepared [and] our hospitals are prepared,” Public Safety Director Ron Koper said at a news briefing. MORE-»

Ebola protocols triggered at Sarasota hospital

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
October 3, 2014 2:10 pm
Emergency protocols for treating a potential Ebola patient were activated Friday afternoon at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where a man was placed in isolation after arriving with symptoms of the deadly disease. MORE-»

Manatees: Safety first In Pinellas, wildlife officials say

THE DAILY FRAY
September 27, 2014 6:04 pm
Last year was hard on state manatees, when a record 830 died. But as federal officials consider reclassifying the gentle giants as threatened instead of endangered -- a move regarded as overdue by some -- state officials are tapping on the brakes. MORE-»

Mistaken identity fatal for honey bee hive

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
September 19, 2014 5:41 pm
A beehive in Bradenton was mistakenly identified as a colony of Africanized "killer bees," a bee expert said. The hive was destroyed on orders of county education officials. MORE-»

Citrus Dept. calls on a superhero to boost message

By JOHN HOWELL • The Daily Fray
September 18, 2014 4:52 pm
Fear not, carbonated soda drinkers, Captain Citrus is here, tasked with promoting healthy nutrition and the ageless perks of orange juice: great taste, vitamin C, Folate, Potassium and “no added sugar." MORE-»