A Florida delegation hand‑delivered a letter to Congress warning H.R. 1897 would roll back decades of recovery for manatees, panthers and sea turtles.

A proposed Seminole County ordinance would ban smoking and vaping at county parks to protect kids and cut litter; commissioners are set to discuss the measure next week.

Sanford temporarily closed its Paw Park for treatment after a surge of fuzzy tussock caterpillars whose barbed hairs can cause painful rashes. Officials say targeted spraying will follow.

Orlando has banned public feeding of Lake Eola’s swans and removed coin‑operated feeders after this winter’s avian‑flu losses. The city says swans will be fed via floating dispensers while staff finalize a new care plan.

Alligator sightings are rising across Central Florida as mating season approaches. Officials urge keeping distance, securing pets and reporting threatening animals to FWC.

A harbor seal was seen on a Mosquito Lagoon sandbar south of Ponce Inlet; Hubbs‑SeaWorld responders photographed it before it swam off. Officials ask the public to report sightings.

A troop of rhesus macaques at Silver Springs State Park offers dramatic wildlife sightings while prompting safety warnings and renewed questions about management.

A coalition of 32 groups is urging Florida lawmakers to tap trust‑fund receipts and boost appropriations after a state report found a roughly $759M parks repair backlog.

Fishermen off Cape Canaveral filmed a massive great white swimming feet from their boat; the footage shows the shark circling close to the hull.

Sanford breaks ground March 4 on a $5.3M Fort Mellon Park overhaul that adds a new amphitheater and Lake Carola shoreline upgrades. The six-month project aims to boost waterfront programming.

An 88-year-old Sanford homeowner says wild hogs have plowed her four-acre lot, leaving deep holes and torn landscaping. Neighbors say a hunter was denied permission to pursue the animals on city land.

Orlando's Lake Eola reports no new swan deaths for nearly a month after an avian flu outbreak, leading to increased scrutiny over swan safety and care.

A hard freeze left the shoreline at Circle B strewn with thousands of dead tilapia; park officials say scavengers and decomposition will restore the marsh.