Stephanie Byrne

We’re almost to the peak of hurricane season. As National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted, 2021 is another active season. We’ve already had 12 named storms in the Atlantic, with another possible system over the Yucatan Peninsula. We took a look Monday at how climate change plays a role in our hurricane seasons. Experts say, […]

Florida’s beauty also comes with hurricanes and red tide, but after Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana, the red tide seems to be dispersing from our coast. You may recall, after Hurricane Irma hit Southwest Florida, the red tide and blue-green algae came soon right after. “It’s part of life around here,” said Rep. Adam Botana […]

Sugar farmers say the plan for Everglades restoration violates federal law. Growers are demanding change, but others fear legal action could delay restoration progress. Three groups representing sugar farmers in Florida are suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over water supply concerns. Florida sunshine and water aren’t just positive for tourism alone. “We’re all […]

What used to be a citrus grove will one day be a massive reservoir. The goal is to keep water cleaner and with less blue-green algae. Between too much water in the wet season and not enough in the dry season, Southwest Florida is no stranger to water woes. The C-43 Reservoir project is happening […]

An FGCU professor is using his expertise to track the virus. He’s studying wastewater before it’s recycled and what he found could give us a clue of where we are in our fight against COVID-19. Scott Michael is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at FGCU. He monitored COVID-19 found in wastewater from […]

Florida Gulf Coast University announced Noah Valenstein, J.D., as the first presidential fellow in water policy for The Water School. This appointment comes after Valenstein served as Florida’s chief resiliency officer and nearly four years as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. His new role at FGCU began Aug. 7. “To be able […]

When it comes to water quality, the focus is typically on Lake Okeechobee releases, septic tanks, and fertilizer use. However, as the state’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force covered Monday, stormwater runoff plays a big role too. We’re all familiar with standing water on some of our roadways, back yards, and even parking lots after seasonal […]

Pro angler Scott Martin has called the shore of Lake Okeechobee home since he was a kid. “I remember some of my first trips out here on the lake when I was just maybe five or six years old with my dad,” Martin said. Martin knows just how big a role the lake plays in […]

With the latest UN report on climate change, scientists, once again, say we must act now in response to human-caused climate change. We spoke to experts about what this recent report means for Southwest Florida. We asked Ali Zaidi, a deputy White House national climate advisor, about what the latest infrastructure bill could do. “Things […]

Red tide is lingering off of Florida’s Gulf Coast and agencies like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have a toolbox of ways to stay on top of it. From the air and to the shore, FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute monitors the red tide blooms plaguing Florida’s coastal communities. “So having a […]