An investigator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission met today with the family of Corey Smith, one of four men who went out on a fishing trip last week that ended with a boat capsized and Smith and two other men missing. ...more

March 6, 2009

Michael Helmholtz considers himself an ambassador for marine life. ...more

December 19, 2008

For a creature that might weigh more than a ton, manatees can be surprisingly hard to see. They often travel just below the surface, and the only thing that shows above is the tip of their nose as they raise their head to breathe, a mouse-sized patch of skin and whiskers that's very difficult to spot from a fast-moving powerboat. ...more

December 7, 2008

the symbol of the nation's strength - underscores the weakness of state laws meant to protect the birds America loves. ...more

December 7, 2008

In a developing corner of Pinellas County, an Audubon volunteer says the empty nest of a pair of bald eagles — the symbol of the nation's strength — underscores the weakness of state laws meant to protect the birds America loves. ...more

December 5, 2008

Eight members of a crime ring making millions through the sale of contraband shrimp and scallops were arrested Thursday, including six Hernando County residents. ...more

November 14, 2008

Mojo isn't the type of police dog that bites the running bad guy. ...more

September 16, 2008

MELBOURNE As if a fourth straight day of rain from Tropical Storm Fay wasn't enough, weary residents are now dealing with quintessentially Floridian fallout: alligators, snakes and other critters driven from their swampy lairs into flooded streets, backyards and doorsteps. ...more

August 21, 2008

TAMPA - Missing the U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials by just 29 seconds at last month's Disney Marathon, St. Petersburg's Melanie Peters finally secured a berth in that race with a winning performance in Sunday's Gasparilla Marathon. ...more

February 11, 2008

AVON PARK — When Dan Evers showed up to work Monday morning, he thought someone was playing a joke on him. A 9-foot Burmese python was stretched out along the sidewalk, snuggled against the wall of his State Farm Insurance office at 706 Main St. "I was looking around for the cameras," Evers said. "Then it lifted its head just a little, and I realized this was no joke." ...more

October 2, 2007