AVON PARK — The gates to the Carter Creek fence have not been installed yet, but Riverdale Road has been a lot more quieter with the fence nearly completed, according to a Highlands County Sheriff's Office official. Sheriff's Capt. Paul Blackman said fewer area residents have complained about all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, criss-crossing the environmentally sensitive area. Authorities also have not had any complaints about ATVs running up and down Riverdale Road, he added. "That issue kind of went away as well since the state started erecting the fence," Blackman added. ...more

February 9, 2008

In September this year, the IUCN World Conservation Union (IUCN) officially declared the Florida manatee endangered using exactly the same criteria state officials are attempting to use to justify downgrading the manatee's status from Endangered to Threatened. After a scientific status review at the international level, the Florida manatee was declared Endangered on the Red List, which is recognized as the most reliable evaluation of the world's species. The manatee's status evaluation was conducted and also reviewed by some of the world's most qualified sirenian scientists who based their recommendation for listing as Endangered on the most recent scientific data. ...more

November 23, 2007

Pasco County spent years and years trying to get the state to put up the money to dredge the roughly 2-mile-long Hudson Channel. Noe it is embroiled in a controversy over sea grass warning signs. ...more

November 13, 2007

GO FISHING is a daily look at the area fishing scene through the eyes of local charter boat captains and fishing guides. Today: Ray Markham. ...more

October 30, 2007

SEMINOLE - Thousands of hatchery-reared bass are settling in for a new life at Lake Seminole. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released 7,000 6-inch largemouth bass today in the 700-acre Pinellas County lake as part of a research project to compare growth and survival rates of stocked bass with those of wild largemouths. ...more

October 23, 2007

Fines are continuing to mount for the owner of two commercial fishing boats left abandoned on the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs, behind Pelican Point Seafood two years ago. ...more

October 13, 2007

SEBRING — The beaches will be full, boats will be out, grills will be fired up, and people will be looking for things to do this Labor Day weekend. All the more reason to pay special attention to your personal safety while you're enjoying your days off of work. "Just be cautious," said Nell Frewin Hays, a crime prevention specialist with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office. "Have a good time and enjoy yourself, but be responsible." The best tip Hays has for people may be obvious: don't drink and operate a motorized vehicle. ...more

September 2, 2007