News Digest
Florida’s National Scenic Trails Celebrating 50 years of the National Trails System Act
Photo: Florida Trail Association Website "In February 1965, President Lyndon Johnson’s speech to Congress on 'Conservation and Preservation of Natural Beauty' was more than about clean water and parks. He also spoke about trails. 'The forgotten outdoorsmen of today...
“Congress moves to revive National Scenic Byways Program”
Photo: Scenic America "The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously moved H.R. 5158, a bill to restart the National Scenic Byways Program, on to the full House! Click here to watch the committee's discussion on the bill. This action represents...
Scenic Florida’s John R. Crescimbeni awarded 2018 Charles E. Bennett Champion Of the Environment Award
Photo: Sandy Arpen - John Crescimbini with Amy Fu, Vice Chair of Jacksonville's Environmental Protection Board "John Crescimbini was awarded the 2018 Charles E. Bennett Champion of the Environment Award from the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board. The award,...
Coconut Grove: “Miami will bloom with new orchids”
Photo: City of Miami Twitter "Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood will be flush with orchids in the near future. On Monday morning, city of Miami officials, representatives from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Million Orchid Project and volunteers began planting...
“Are underground power lines really the solution to power outages in South Florida?”
Photo: Al Diaz, Miami Herald "Hurricane Irma was a game-changer for South Florida. Cities are preparing for hurricane season differently now. And the region’s largest utility, Florida Power & Light, is pushing for a method that could turn the lights back on faster...
West Palm Beach: “Vegetation Vigilante” going out on a limb to fix stalled out beautification project
Photo: WPTV, West Palm Beach "People are going out on a limb to make a statement about beautification on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. And it's turned into a unique and fun display of public disobedience. 'Someone has to "bark" at them,' said Jim...
“Protecting Florida’s Waters by Planting Trees”
Photo: WGCU Pixabay "We’re looking at a preemptive approach to reducing the possibility of harmful algae blooms by reducing the amount of nutrients from stormwater runoff that wind up in the water in the first place -- by planting trees. A local nonprofit called...
“How planting trees is helping to solve the water crisis in SWFL”
Photo: Abc-7.com "More than fifty people spent the morning planting hundreds of trees in Cape Coral to help with the water crisis in Southwest Florida. The event was originally intended to help with deforestation, but more roots in the ground could help prevent future...
“Titusville’s Hopkins Avenue to get total makeover, businesses brace for impact”
Photo: Jessica Saggio Wochit, Florida Today "Hopkins Avenue in Titusville has long served as a hub for the city's small businesses and a main thoroughfare for motorists. It's also an aging road that's been neglected for decades, peppered with patched potholes, without...
“Google’s Targeted Ads Are Coming to a Billboard Near You”
Photo: Bloomberg Opinion "Google may be about to pair all that data it has on users' web browsing with the ads displayed on public billboards. Creepy? Maybe. Inevitable? Almost certainly. The Alphabet Inc. unit is in talks in Germany about pushing into out-of-home...
“What’s the value of a clean beach? Here’s how economists do the numbers”
Photo: Florida Trend "...In one recent study, I worked with other researchers to estimate increased travel and time expenditures that people incurred to avoid trash and debris on 31 Southern California beaches. No one wants to go to a beach littered with hypodermic...
Legal: Beach trash collection Vs. private property “Walton County trashes private beach garbage collection”
Photo: NWF Daily News "...Walton County is notifying coastal private property owners that its crews will no longer collect garbage from the beaches at their homes or condominiums. County Attorney Sidney Noyes told county commissioners Tuesday that enough owners had...
“A solar ring and retractable roof will soon hang above a premier Miami concert venue”
Illustration: A rendering of the solar ring and retractable cover by José Suárez "The amphitheater at Bayfront Park, one of Miami’s signature performing arts venues downtown, will soon get a halo-like ring of solar panels and a retractable roof... FPL says the solar...
Forbes Analyst Overview of 5G Cell Tower Providers
Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images "In the July edition of the Forbes Real Estate Investor (monthly newsletter) I explained that “major telecommunications companies will soon begin to roll out 'new' 5G technology in the U.S., and I’ve been reviewing the issues,...
“City of Melbourne looking to eliminate snipe signs popping up around the area”
Photo: City of Melbourne "The City of Melbourne is asking for the public’s help in eliminating the blight of illegal snipe signs... 'Snipe signs are illegal in the City of Melbourne primarily for safety reasons,' said Officer Cheryl Mall. 'They are visually...
“Coastal highways showcase wildflower diversity”
Photo: Steve Coleman "Georgia tickseed (Coreopsis nudata) is a short-lived native perennial that thrives in wet conditions." "While driving or riding around the local roads at this time of the year you might think – wow, look at all those wildflowers. They may all...
Legal: “Trees for the planting, thanks to tree mitigation fund”
Photo: Resident Community News "If you’ve always wanted or needed to plant a tree in the right-of-way in front of your property, now you can, thanks to the City of Jacksonville’s tree settlement with a variety of civic groups in July 2017. The suit filed in 2015 by...
“Two vacant lots in the ‘heart’ of St. Petersburg. Why does one look so much nicer?”
Photos: Susan Taylor Martin, St. Pete Times "When several old buildings on the 400 block of Central Avenue were demolished two years ago, the owners were required to attractively fence and landscape the property. The reason? To avoid having an unsightly vacant lot in...
“FPL looks to cities, counties to regulate tree trimming for next storm season”
Photo: Sun Sentinel "Toppled trees left many South Florida residents in the dark after Hurricane Irma... Ninety percent of FPL’s customers, or 13 million people, lost power as a result of Irma. One of those people without power for 10 days was Broward County...
“After decades of destruction, native orchids making a comeback”
Photo: South Florida Sun Sentinel "The delicate Florida Butterfly orchid, decimated by development and illegal collection over the past century, is about to make a comeback in Palm Beach County. Students at 12 schools have been attaching them to trees on their...