USF community members arrested during protests receive more time to prepare for trial
Members of the University of South Florida community who were arrested on campus in March, known as the Tampa 5, were in court Wednesday. Defendants say they now have more time to build their case.
Commuter ferry service proposal may be terminated after 1% sales tax voted down
County commissioners will consider terminating the proposed ferry service between South Hillsborough County and MacDill Air Force Base. The Tampa Bay Times reports Commissioner Josh Wostal brought a motion to terminate the contract as he wasn’t satisfied with figures surrounding the changing future finances of the proposal.
Threatened population of Eastern Indigo is a keystone predator of venomous snakes
The Eastern indigo snake is a threatened species. Overdevelopment of the snake’s natural habitat in Florida and beyond may be the cause of the population’s decline.
Beach renourishment fund being reworked under pushback as critical thresholds loom
The Pinellas public works director will present county commissioners with beach renourishment funding options at a workshop today. Spectrum News reports on a financial summary showing the account will run out of money in a few years without a sharing program in place. Pinellas County has 35 miles of beach with over 21 miles critically eroded. The Army Corps of Engineers typically pays for about 60 percent of beach renourishment with the county and state splitting the remainder, but in May, the Army Corps denied a temporary easement waiver for beachfront homeowners saying that the use of federal dollars implies that all of the benefits should be “for the public.”
Information from the Florida Public Media, News Service of Florida, and Associated Press was used in this report.
The Scoop producer Corey Beltran
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