78º

WEATHER ALERT

EVERGLADES

Controlled fires in Florida Everglades being set to eliminate ‘monster’ invasive plant

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Fire crews with the National Park Service have been igniting controlled fires in the Florida Everglades to control an invasive vine that’s been wreaking havoc on the native ecosystem. The plant, called Lygodium Microphyllum - and also known as Old World Climbing Fern - is a stealthy and invasive plant that was likely introduced as decorative vegetation that made its way into the Everglades in 1999. While many may think of the invasive Burmese python as a great threat to wildlife, scientists like Dr. Ellen Lake with the USDA Invasive Plant Research Lab in Davie say Lygodium could be more dangerous. (WPLG)Michael Gue, prescribed fire specialist with the National Park Service, said the vine can be easily spotted from a helicopter. “We’ve seen in Florida, in general, an increase in Lygodium so of course the Park Service is concerned,” said National Park Service botanist Hillary Cooley.

10-foot python removed from under car hood in Dania Beach

DANIA BEACH, Fla. – Authorities say a 10-foot Burmese python was removed from under the hood of a car in Dania Beach. “Our officers responded and safely captured and removed the approximately 10-foot invasive snake,” the tweet said. The FWC asks the public to report sightings of Burmese pythons or other invasive species by calling their hotline at 888-Ive-Got1. In an effort to rid the Sunshine State of the invasive species, the agency has several programs that allow public participation in Burmese python removal and management efforts. Click here to learn more about pythons, removal efforts and how they are affecting Florida.

Fort Lauderdale duo breaks record with 18.9-foot python caught in Everglades

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Two Burmese python hunters from Fort Lauderdale broke a Florida record with an 18.9-foot female phyton. “Every single python that we take out is one less consuming our native wildlife, and that is what’s it’s all about," Pavlidis said. “The second I turned, my heart dropped out of my chest.”The python was in the water. Officials with the FWC and SFWMD said the python was the largest hunters had ever caught and removed from the Everglades. The FWC and SFWMD reported hunters with the elimination program have removed more than 5,000 pythons from the Everglades ecosystem.

Small plane lands upside down in the Everglades

WEST BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. A single-engine Cessna 172 made an emergency landing early Thursday afternoon in the Everglades, authorities confirmed. A student and instructor from Wayman Aviation out of North Perry Airport were in the plane that was in the midst of a training flight. A Cessna 172 took off from North Perry Airport around 10:30 this morning. Its final stop was a little less than 10 miles southeast of Mile Marker 35 on Alligator Alley in West Broward. The plane remains in the Everglades as the FAA investigates the incident and the National Transportation Safety Board has also been notified.

Parents unhappy with school options assemble learning 'pods'

Confronting the likelihood of more distance learning, families across the country are turning to private tutors and "learning pods" to ensure their children receive some in-person instruction. The race to set up learning pods threatens to vastly deepen inequities in access to education. In some cases, parents are paying thousands of dollars each to include their children in pods, promising teachers $40 to $100 an hour or more. A Facebook group on learning pods attracted more than 30,000 members within three weeks of being formed and launched numerous offshoots in states and cities. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has called learning pods luxuries that are not an option for low-income parents.

Woman charged as accomplice in abusing corpse of missing Broward man

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A suspected accomplice to a man accused of abusing the corpse of a missing person faced a Broward judge over video conference Thursday morning. Detectives say Sullivan was keeping Babbits body in a deep freezer in the Oakland Park storage unit. A year after the incident, Gregg faces charges of abuse of a dead body and tampering with evidence. The judge doubled the standard bond on Greggs charges of abusing corpse and evidence tampering. She also faced $1,000 bond of possession of methamphetamine, raising her bond to $41,000 in total.

Forest Service: Everglades fire is controlled burn

WEST BROWARD, Fla. – A brush fire burning by Alligator Alley about two miles west of the Miami-Dade and Broward counties line is not an accidental fire, according to the Florida Forest Service, but a prescribed and controlled burn. The Forest Service was burning underbrush Thursday afternoon in the Everglades, taking advantage of cooler temperatures as a way to clear out materials that could prove to be fire hazards in the future. Sky 10 was over the long line of flames, about 3,000 acres, west of US 27 at the County Line and South of Interstate 75. The burn was generating large amounts of smoke. The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department tweeted that anyone with respiratory issues is encouraged to stay indoors.

Florida 2020 Python Bowl to offer prizes for eradicating invasive snakes

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Forget the Super Bowl, a different kind of slithering competition is set to bring big prizes to the Sunshine State with the Florida Python Challenge. The contest, which is open to hunters of all skill levels, is a partnership between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee and a number of public and private agencies. The Florida 2020 Python Bowl kicks off Friday, Jan. 10, with competitors being tasked to remove Burmese pythons from specific areas of the Everglades. For those who still don’t understand what’s so dangerous about the Everglades python invasion, Bergeron puts it simply. “In Florida, especially South Florida, the Everglades is our drinking water.”Entry rules and hunting tools for the Florida Python Challenge can be FOUND HERE.

‘Bowl’ game to give pro and rookie snake catchers chance to compete for bragging rights, prizes

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – For a small fee and a 30-minute quiz, South Floridians can actively participate in a “bowl” game that kicks off just before the Super Bowl heads to Miami. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hosted media Thursday for a pre-game scrimmage for the Florida Python Challenge 2020 “Python Bowl,” which will give professional and rookie snake catchers the chance to compete to see who can catch the most and biggest snakes starting Jan. 10. Also joining DeSantis and FWC officials were members from the South Florida Water Management District and the Frost Museum of Science. Additionally, Miami Super Bowl LIV Host Committee members were on hand as this year’s challenge ties into Super Bowl LIV and the committee’s Oceans to Everglades initiative. Snake catchers are competing for prizes across several categories and there is a special class dedicated to members who served in the armed forces.

17-foot Burmese python is the 2nd largest snake snared by FWC

A Burmese python recently captured in the Big Cypress National Preserve by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is the second largest snake ever removed by the agency. The state wildlife agency tweeted images showing Python Action Team Member Kevin Reich posing with the massive python, which measures a staggering 17 feet and 9 inches long. Thanks to leadership from @GovRonDeSantis, our #Python Action Team is on a roll! This is the second largest #snake they have caught! Full story: https://t.co/xK721HvD8Z pic.twitter.com/Y9yEAzBIet MyFWC (@MyFWC) August 26, 2019Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

Scientists release small insects to rid South Florida of Brazilian peppertree

DAVIE, Fla. - The Brazilian peppertree is a non-native plant now found in Florida that's already invaded some 75,000 acres of land across the Everglades. It's a small but powerful solution to a problem that has been plaguing South Florida for decades. Scientists from across the state gathered Tuesday at Tree Tops Park in Davie to release nearly 1,000 South American insects, known as thrips, into the wild. Their goal is to eliminate the invasive Brazilian peppertree plant that is threatening South Florida's native ecosystem. "The insects are very safe to release into the environment because they will only eat the Brazilian peppertree.