Word: florida
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...these forests of the sea. Vessel groundings, coastal construction, pollution and climate change have all severely affected and continue to have a detrimental impact on sea life around the world, with more and more coral threatened with extinction. In 2006, the staghorn and elkhorn corals, prevalent along South Florida waters, were listed as threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act (Staghorn coral is present in the Breakers reef, but it is not believed to have been damaged this time around...
Last week, heftier federally regulated fines were enacted for vessels that damage coral reefs. Florida's Department of Environmental Protection is investigating an 80-foot dive boat called the Nekton that ran aground and caused the reef damage in Broward County, sending a crew out on Tuesday for an assessment. "We have a lot of broken corals there that need to be removed," said Chantal Collier, manager of the state's Coral Reef Conservation Program. Meanwhile, the non-profit volunteer group Palm Beach County Reef Rescue on Tuesday announced a $2,500 reward for any information leading to the culprits...
...people who caused damage might never be found. "In this case, it's a big ocean and something passed through without anyone noticing what happened," says Erin McDevitt, a habitat coordinator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and one of four divers who assessed the underwater damage off Palm Beach on Tuesday. Unless someone comes forward, finding the culprit is extremely difficult. "It's a needle in a haystack...
...pocket money because the translators have to be paid. We've had an investigator in Bosnia working with us for three years. He has to be paid. Every time we fly to Washington, the only place you can look at this evidence, every time we fly to Florida to fly to Cuba and so forth. It's a very, very expensive case...
...rights supporters scored another major victory in court Tuesday, when a state judge in Miami tossed out a statute that had for more than 30 years barred gay people in Florida from adopting children. The decision came after a week packed full of dueling expert testimony over whether any evidence supports the state's contention that children are put at risk when raised by gay parents. The answer, said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy S. Lederman, is not at all: "The Department's position is that homosexuality is immoral. Yet, homosexuals may be lawful foster parents in Florida and care...