The Florida Roundup | WLRN

Federal and state officials are trying to strike a balance between conservation and public access to South Florida waters. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed Thursday to back tighter fishing limits in Biscayne National Park, where fish populations have dwindled. The commission is also considering a new plan that would restrict access to popular reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Several scientists are researching ways to restore the corals that have been decimated by disease and pollution. On the South Florida Roundup, host Tom Hudson talked about the issue with WLRN’s environmental reporter Jenny Staletovich and WLRN’s Keys reporter Nancy Klingener. Here's an excerpt of their conversation: TOM HUDSON: How is this playing out not just with folks in the Keys but with the hospitality industry? NANCY KLINGENER: They said, right from the get go, our intent is not to keep out the local boaters who understand how to navigate these waters. We just

New sea level rise projections for South Florida show an alarming trend: higher waters are coming faster than previously expected. According to the Southeast Florida Climate Compact , seas could rise between one foot and two-and-a-half feet by 2060 – two to five inches more than 2015 projections .

Around this time last year, the political sphere zeroed in on Broward County, which was dealing with a crucial recount in a couple of statewide races. The office has recently dealt with another blunder , according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. More than 50,000 voters received a “final notice” mailer that threatened to designate them inactive voters. The county’s elections supervisor Peter Antonacci later apologized for the mailer and said no one’s status will change. On the South Florida Roundup, host Tom Hudson spoke with WLRN’s Broward County reporter Caitie Switalski and the Sun Sentinel’s Larry Barszewski about the state of elections in Broward. Here's an excerpt of their conversation: TOM HUDSON: This latest incident just added to the long list of challenges that Broward County Elections have had through the years — most notably a year ago with the recount. That led, of course, to Brenda Snipes' departure. She had been the elections supervisor. Peter Antonacci then came in,

Repairs to aging Broward schools have taken awhile, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In 2014, Broward County voters approved a $800 million bond referendum for renovation work. The Sentinel found that five years later, work was completed at eight of 233 schools. On the South Florida Roundup, host Tom Hudson spoke with Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel education reporter, and Steve Hillberg, an engineer who serves on the Broward Schools bond oversight committee. Here’s an excerpt of their conversation: TOM HUDSON: How are the decisions being made about where to start these projectts, let alone try to push toward finishing them? SCOTT TRAVIS: They started out by putting all of the contracts out pretty much close together, and they would put them all out in design. And some architects would have more trouble than others getting the work done, meeting the codes, meeting the district standards. The ones that were the quickest were the ones that got to construction first. And there wasn

The Homestead detention center for migrant children is expected to close at the end of this month. The private prison company that runs the facility will not have its federal contract renewed when it expires Nov. 30.