Will Florida manatees be listed as an endangered species again? Feds to review data.

In the wake of thousands of Florida manatee deaths in recent years, federal wildlife officials Wednesday announced they will launch a new scientific review to determine whether the animal should be reclassified as an endangered species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the coming months will round up manatee data and decide whether the West Indian manatee species should be given bolstered protections under the federal Endangered Species Act. More from the News Service of Florida and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Treasury to invest $25 million in Israel bonds, CFO says  

The Florida Treasury will invest an additional $25 million into Israel bonds, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced in a press release Wednesday. Patronis’s announcement comes a day after he issued a proclamation supporting Israel amidst attacks from Hamas, an armed Palestinian organization. The purchase brings Florida’s total current investment in Israel bonds to $80 million, the largest total ever held at one time by the state [Source: WUFT]

A constitutional right to hunt and fish? Florida voters will decide in 2024

Florida voters will decide next year whether to establish a state constitutional right to hunt and fish. The amendment’s backers say pre-emptive action is needed to head off “anti-hunting forces” who want to push “radical” restrictions on hunting and fishing. But a new opposition group has formed, warning voters that enshrining hunting and fishing rights in the state constitution could lead to bear hunts and other ramifications that have mostly escaped public scrutiny. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Citrus industry: Treating trees with trunk injections shows promise

Trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) is giving growers hope for the future of the Florida citrus industry. Many are optimistic the new therapy will help improve both fruit quality and quantity. The October issue of Citrus Industry magazine includes three articles on OTC trunk injection. [Source: WQCS]

Report says better management needed for Florida's wastewater

A new report says amid the Sunshine State's burgeoning population growth, better wastewater stewardship by replacing aging infrastructure is needed. Florida TaxWatch has released a report on the state’s use of septic tanks and their environmental effects. The report states that protecting Florida’s ground and surface water is essential to public health and supporting population growth. [Source: The Center Square]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› ‘Absolute anarchy’: Coral Gables Commission censures mayor, blocks salary reductions [Miami Herald]
The Coral Gables City Commission on Tuesday formally condemned Mayor Vince Lago and blocked his move to reverse a controversial pay raise, escalating an increasingly public feud between the city’s elected officials. In two separate 3 to 2 votes, the split commission held firm on hefty raises adopted last month for the mayor and vice mayor, and then formally censured the mayor for digs he made toward his fellow commissioners during recent interviews with Spanish-language media outlets.

› Tampa women’s pro soccer team will build home stadium at local high school [Tampa Bay Times]
Tampa’s first women’s professional soccer team could kick off its inaugural season at the Howard W. Blake High School stadium overlooking the Hillsborough River. Mayor Jane Castor and other local leaders unveiled the plan at a news conference Wednesday morning at Armature Works, across the river from the proposed site.

› Much-touted UF campus plan for downtown West Palm Beach dies, leaving huge disappointment [Gainesville Sun]
There will be no University of Florida graduate school campus in downtown West Palm Beach. The state's flagship university this summer quietly ended plans for the Global Technology and Innovation Campus, quashing a venture that backers said would have elevated Palm Beach County's educational offerings and supercharged its growing finance and tech industries. "This is probably the greatest economic development loss that I've seen in my 30-plus years of doing this," said Kelly Smallridge, president of the Business Development Board.

› Seminole County moves to launch registry of those who abuse animals [Orlando Sentinel]
After recent cases of people arrested for mistreating animals — including an Altamonte Springs woman charged last month with neglecting and starving scores of dogs and cats — Seminole commissioners on Tuesday agreed to move forward with launching an abuse registry on the county’s website. The registry would list online the names of individuals who have been criminally convicted within the past two decades of animal abuse.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› Miami Wilds batted back to December as legal issues swirl [Miami Today]
Miami Wilds reared its tumultuous head at last week’s Miami-Dade County Commission meeting when Commissioner Kionne McGhee offered a surprise motion that the county provide a status report on the decades-long water park effort. Ultimately, the commission passed the motion after 16-plus minutes of confusion and uncertainty about the litigation-ridden plans to build the park on county-owned land next to Zoo Miami. The item was not on the agenda.

› Seminole schools yank 31 books based on complaints from other counties [Orlando Sentinel]
Seminole County Public Schools removed 31 books from their high school libraries last month, not because a Seminole parent complained about the novels but because another Florida school district had yanked them based on objections from someone in their county. The Seminole district said it pulled the books from shelves based on state guidance advising schools to “check any books that have been removed or restricted due to a challenge in other districts.” The state advice added that those volumes should be “carefully considered” before being stacked on school library shelves.

› SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch of asteroid mission and double sonic boom landings Thursday [Florida Today]
SpaceX teams at Kennedy Space Center are gearing up for a Thursday morning launch attempt of a triple-core Falcon Heavy rocket packed with NASA's Psyche spacecraft, though weather conditions are projected to be less than ideal for liftoff. Meanwhile, at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, after standing down on Monday, SpaceX is set to try again Friday night to launch its latest Falcon 9 Starlink mission.

› ZooTampa scores record-setting attendance year [Business Observer]
ZooTampa at Lowry Park says it was one of Florida's most-attended cultural attractions by again breaking its own record, welcoming 1,171,319 guests in fiscal year 2023, which ended on Sept. 30. It was the third consecutive year of record attendance, the zoo says. The zoo says it also expanded its leadership in wildlife preservation by sending staff to various countries to participate in field conservation and education projects.