EVERGLADES

But seriously: at this popular South Florida park, come for the large reptiles, but stay for the subtropical scenery, varied birdlife, and all-out airboat rides

Record-breaking Burmese python caught in Everglades (WFTV)NAPLES, Fla. — (AP) — A team of biologists recently hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, officials said. You could use a magnet, and in a similar way our male scout snakes are attracted to the biggest females around,” Bartoszek said. Bartoszek said removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disrupting the breeding cycle. Since the conservancy’s python program began in 2013, they’ve removed over 1,000 pythons from approximately 100 square miles (25,900 hectares) in southwest Florida. Over that stretch, necropsies have found dozens of white-tailed deer inside Burmese pythons.

Registration has opened for Florida's annual python hunting challenge. The competition is not for the faint of heart.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced registration had begun for the upcoming 2022 Florida Python Challenge.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed a controversial measure tied to Everglades restoration that, even after being watered down during the legislative session, continued to...

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted more than $1 billion earmarked for Everglades and water resource investments in the upcoming state budget at a news conference in Fort Myers Beach Wednesday morning.

Horses: What you need to know (NCD)SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. — A horse was rescued on Wednesday after falling into a South Florida pond located near the eastern edge of the Everglades. >> Read more trending newsThe mare, named Daisy, was stuck in a pond in the Southwest Ranches area of Broward County, located southwest of Fort Lauderdale. “We noticed the mare in the water was drowning,” Ricardo Alonzo, the owner of the mare, told WSVN-TV. It was a scary sight for Ricardo Alonzo when he arrived at his Southwest Ranches property and saw his mare, Daisy, stuck in a nearby pond. “We tried to throw ropes to get her, and we managed to get her to a corner,” Alonzo told WSVN.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A large dog fatally mauled a longtime volunteer at a Florida animal shelter, who was trying to help it acclimate to humans after it was found in the Everglades. Pam Robb, a 71-year-old retired high school teacher, died in Thursday’s attack at the 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida shelter near Fort Lauderdale, officials said. Robb’s wife, Angie Anobile, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Robb had been working with the female mixed-breed dog named Gladys at the shelter since the dog arrived about a month ago. She said the dog pulled Robb to the ground by the arm and attacked her. Read: Experts warn that the Russian-Ukraine conflict could impact prices in Central FloridaIn a Jan. 18 Facebook post, the shelter showed Gladys’ rescue.

Bye, bye record warmth, for now. Behind a cold front Saturday morning, high temperatures will cool back to the upper 60s and lower 70s Saturday.

A large dog fatally mauled a longtime volunteer at a Florida animal shelter who was trying to help it acclimate to humans after it was found in the Everglades.

Researchers have a new tool to track invasive pythons in the Everglades (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ever since Burmese pythons began appearing in South Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agents have tried to eradicate the invasive reptiles. The snakes, some measuring up to 18 feet long, have proven to be quite adept at eluding wildlife officers trying to manage their population. Read: Appeal argues firefighters should receive cancer diagnosis dollars retroactivelyNow, thanks to a research partnership between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Warren County Community College, there is a new tool under development. Together with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, researchers have begun using drones to track the snakes. Read: Volusia County greenlights $5.4 million for new juvenile assessment centerDr. Joe Cerreta, with Embry-Riddle University, said with increased reliability, the technology could be used to detect various types of wildlife in other locations.

Do you ever stop what you’re doing and think to yourself, “We live in SUCH a cool state”? Florida is massive -- and packs an incredible amount of natural beauty.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, alongside other local and state leaders, discussed the recent progress Florida has made in its Everglades restoration projects at a news conference in Palm Beach County Monday afternoon.

Alligator stops traffic: A 12-foot alligator caused a backup on Alligator Alley, which crosses the Everglades in South Florida. (Bob D'Angelo/Cox Media Group)It’s called Alligator Alley for a reason. >> Read more trending newsThe portion of Interstate 75 that crosses the Everglades in South Florida is teeming with alligators, and troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol had their hands full on Monday trying to coax a 12-footer from the road. Travel advisory: Troopers are trying to keep this 12 foot 🐊 from the Interstate 75 travel lanes @ mile marker 78 in Collier County on 🐊 Alley! Alligator Alley was opened to traffic on Feb. 11, 1968, according to the Naples Florida Weekly.

“I think the gator population has had enough harassment.”

Hunters are paid more to patrol the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in the hope they can prevent what happened at Everglades National Park.

Gator attacks South Florida woman Stock photo of an American alligator swimming in the Everglades. A suspected homeless woman was severely injured Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, during an alligator attack after she fell into a canal in St. Petersburg, Florida, canal. (Mark Kostich/Getty Images/iStockphoto)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A woman was severely injured Monday during an alligator attack after she fell into a canal in St. Petersburg, Florida. (The alligator) just reacted like an alligator would act, just spontaneously,” business owner Dale Mastry told the TV station. A St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman confirmed to WFLA that the woman had been resting on a seawall and was attacked after she fell into the canal just off of Fourth Street.

Why a new underground wall could help save the EvergladesHOMESTEAD, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis attended a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for an underground wall project to support Everglades restoration. WATCH: OUC asking water customers to start conserving water immediately: Here’s whyOfficials said the underground concrete wall is designed to help mitigate flooding and keep water in Everglades National Park. The project will also support increased flows of water south which are necessary for Everglades restoration, officials said. Officials said the wall will work with other Everglades restoration projects to send more water south and construction is set to finish in April 2022.

Gator attacks South Carolina terrier Stock photo of an American alligator swimming in the Everglades. A South Carolina man was forced to snatch his terrier, Hannah, from the mouth of an alligator near a pond in his Mount Pleasant neighborhood on Aug. 11, 2021. (Mark Kostich/Getty Images/iStockphoto)MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — A South Carolina man’s routine morning walk took a near-tragic turn when an alligator almost succeeded in snatching his terrier from her leash. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, three fatal alligator encounters have been recorded statewide since 2016, but gator-related injury reports have increased in recent years, especially in the spring and summer months, as more neighborhood developments encroach on alligator habitats, WSOC reported. Neither animal control nor Gator Getter Consultants were able to locate the alligator in the hours following the attack, WCIV reported.

We have a winner! And it wasn’t the python.

Two hundred and twenty-three Burmese pythons were removed from the Everglades during a contest in July, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The snake hunt is on again.

For all of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appalling political stances — from making it harder to vote by mail to picking a fight with the cruise industry over “vaccine passports” — he’s consistently been on the right side of one issue: protecting the Everglades.

As you sit in traffic on one of Miami’s busy expressways, Miami-Dade County and the state are fighting over who gets to control your toll money. That three-year battle already has cost Miami-Dade’s former toll entity $1 million in legal fees — and could cost the county even more.

Governor Ron DeSantis kicks off the 2021 Python Challenge in the Everglades.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is making a ‘major’ environmental announcement Thursday morning, according to the governor’s office.

Drew Curtis Sikes, 37, faces attempted murder and firearms charges after authorities say he opened fire on park rangers Sunday inside Everglades National Park. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A Florida man who opened fire with an AK-47 rifle on officers inside Everglades National Park is facing federal charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday. The FBI affidavit says the wife had visible marks and scrapes on her face. The FBI affidavit also says Sikes was charged earlier this month with a domestic violence charge of aggravated assault with a firearm involving his wife. The FBI affidavit says Sikes' wife told rangers he had held her in captivity for days and that he was going to kill her.

Ron DeSantis was in South Florida Tuesday to provide an update on the years-long efforts to restore the Everglades and clean up the state’s dirty waterways. DeSantis, along with other environmental state leaders, spoke about Florida’s water quality projects near the Miccosukee Indian Village in Miami-Dade County. Crews were working to remove roadbed from the old Tamiami Trail to help improve water flow. The governor said Florida’s leadership and coordinated efforts made it easier to ask the federal agencies for assistance to see projects through. As DeSantis touted Florida’s success under Frazier, he announced Florida’s top environmental scientist had accepted a role as dean of the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida.

click to enlarge Photo via AdobeGov. Ron DeSantis would get more than he requested for Everglades restoration and water projects in the coming year under an initial Senate budget proposal that also would set up a grant program to address sea-level rise.In addition, the Senate is proposing an increase in money for the state’s springs, a reduction to the Florida Forever conservation program and an effort to help the citrus industry market orange juice.The Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday rolled out a $6.1 billion spending plan that includes $786 million for Everglades restoration and water projects, which would be $161 million more than DeSantis requested.The proposal would put up $29 million to start a local government grant program to combat the impacts of rising sea levels and flooding.DeSantis has also suggested the state could use money it expects to get from the new American Rescue Plan Act federal stimulus package to help with sea-level resiliency efforts.But Senate subcommittee Chairman Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said the Senate proposal doesn’t factor in the one-time infusion of federal money.The Senate released a series of initial budget proposals Wednesday as a first step in a process that ultimately will lead to House and Senate leaders negotiating a spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. House appropriations panels are expected to release initial budget plans Thursday.The Senate proposal includes $17.7 million for citrus protection and research, with another $12.5 million to help the citrus industry take advantage of an increase in people buying orange juice during the COVID-19 pandemic.“We got a bump on orange juice consumption because of COVID,” Albritton said. “But the way that the industry views that is that that won't stick around forever. So, what we have to do is, we have to invest resources, invest funds to make sure that orange juice and citrus products with their Vitamin C and their disease fighting capabilities, they are front of mind for the consumer.”The Senate proposal also includes $75 million to restore the state’s natural springs, up $25 million from the current year; $70 million for water storage before it enters Lake Okeechobee from the north; $50 million for beach restoration efforts; $30 million for state park improvements; $21.7 million for the continued fight against harmful blue-green algae and red tide; and $348 million for loan programs involving drinking and wastewater.Another $56.6 million would be used for land-acquisition programs, including $50 million for the Florida Forever program, which received $100 million in the current fiscal year.Another $1.2 million would go into the Apalachicola Bay oyster restoration efforts.

I had my mother with me and she said, 'Well, get out and get it.' Crum also added that it was pregnant with 100 eggs. It’s believed the snake traveled north from the Everglades, which is currently dealing with the non-native snakes.Burmese pythons are credited with killing an abundance of local Florida wildlife. One of the largest species in the world, Burmese pythons have almost zero natural predators and eat just about anything, including birds, mammals and even alligators, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It is believed the snakes became prevalent in Florida after being released or escaping from people who had them as pets.Last October, a record-breaking 8-foot, 9-inch Burmese python was captured in the Everglades.

But one South Florida python hunter has been experimenting with what some have dubbed “chicken of the Glades” — making meals, snacks and even sweets that could give the holidays that distinctive South Florida flavor. Siewe, a self-described herper — reptile and amphibian enthusiasts — moved from Indiana to South Florida to become a python hunter last year. The giant snakes are everywhere in South Florida, devouring mammals in the Everglades and disrupting the natural balance of predator and prey. In addition to the District’s paid python hunters, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also runs a python elimination program by employing contractors. Allowing the consumption of python meat might encourage more people to get involved in catching them, Kalil said.

But her favorite way to eat python is to pressure cook it for 10 or 15 minutes, sauté it with onions and garlic, and add it to pasta and sauce. Some of the Everglades pythons registered more than 100 times that. It always does this time of year, they stop moving around as much because of the cold.”Among those nine pythons Kalil says she’ll make jerky out of five or six. Even today she won’t eat pythons more than 7.5 feet long because she thinks there’s a bigger mercury danger in snakes that size. To make jerky, Kalil marinates the python meat in mojo sauce overnight and then puts in the dehydrator for 12 to 15 hours.

Less than a year after two state agencies decided to combine forces and remove invasive snakes from the Everglades, contractors caught a record number of Burmese pythons. The News-Press reported that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Southwest Florida Water Management District removed nearly 2,000 invasive pythons in the first eight months of 2020, surpassing 2019 totals. As of mid-October, the teams removed nearly 4,000 snakes bringing the total snakes removed since the program’s inception in 2017 to 6,278. Invasive Burmese pythons pose a great risk for small mammal populations in the Everglades. Female Burmese pythons can carry between 50-100 eggs.

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – A Florida school named after Everglades State Park experienced a small portion of what the wetlands has to offer when a small alligator appeared on the school’s playground. The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies found the alligator Wednesday at Everglades Elementary School, according to a department Facebook post. A couple more pics of “Everglades” the alligator on the playground… Pictured are SRO D/S Tim “HiggyDunDee” Higgins, D/S Greis and D/S Chavez. Posted by Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, November 5, 2020The school’s mascot is an alligator clad in orange, which is a bit different then the 4-foot-6-inch alligator the deputies captured. Click here to subscribe to ClickOrlando.com’s Strange Florida newsletter, delivered every Friday.

A Burmese python measuring nearly 19 feet long was found in the Florida Everglades, and the massive catch was caught on camera. From the moment they saw this python, Ryan Ausburn and Kevin Pavlidis knew she was something special. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that thing is massive,’” python hunter Pavlidis said. They were hunting the invasive species in the Florida Everglades when they spotted a Burmese python they suspected would break records. Florida Fish and Wildlife says the snake was 18-feet, 9-inches, beating the previous Florida record by 5 inches.

click image Photo courtesy FWC/FacebookLast week, an 18.9-foot-long Burmese python was captured in the Everglades, setting a new state record.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the record Thursday afternoon on social media. “Members of our Python Action Team and the South Florida Water Management District Python Elimination Program captured an 18-foot, 9-inch Burmese python. That’s a new record!” wrote the FWC in a Facebook post . One of the largest species in the world, Burmese pythons have almost zero natural predators and eat just about anything, including birds, mammals and even alligators, says the FWC. It is believed the snakes got to the Florida wild after being released or escaping from people who held them as pets.The FWC pays hunters who capture and humanely kill Burmese pythons.

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.

Five thousand Burmese pythons have been removed from the Everglades, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto said experience counts when finding and removing Burmese pythons. Each invasive python eliminated represents hundreds of native Florida wildlife saved. DeSantis continued leadership, Florida is doing more than it ever has to remove pythons from the Everglades and protect this ecosystem for generations to come.The FWC said the public can report sightings at 888-483-4681. This can have a negative impact on Floridas native wildlife and habitat, according to the FWC.

A wildlife trapper known as the Python Cowboy caught a 17-foot python in the Florida Everglades, and he’s got the photos to prove it. Last week, Mike Kimmel went out to a secluded island where he spotted alligator droppings. He came upon what he said looked like an extra large python that made his heart pound. He said he will also receive a payment from Florida’s Python Action Team, which pays people to remove the invasive species. Now, wildlife officials estimate there might be as many as 100,000 pythons living in the Everglades.

Florida Republicans have tentatively embraced climate change even though it puts them at odds with President Donald Trump. In Washington, congressional members of the Sunshine State GOP have acknowledged climate change in efforts to address impacts of a warming world, including harmful algae blooms and sea level rise. President Trump is out of step on climate change with the general public and as well as with many in his own party, she said. They are going straight from adamant climate denial to investment in fortification, completely skipping the whole climate change negation that needs to be emphasized, he said. Curbelo supported climate change initiatives in Washington and introduced legislation for a carbon emissions tax.

Florida Republicans have tentatively embraced climate change even though it puts them at odds with President Donald Trump. In Washington, congressional members of the Sunshine State GOP have acknowledged climate change in efforts to address impacts of a warming world, including harmful algae blooms and sea level rise. President Trump is out of step on climate change with the general public and as well as with many in his own party, she said. They are going straight from adamant climate denial to investment in fortification, completely skipping the whole climate change negation that needs to be emphasized, he said. Curbelo supported climate change initiatives in Washington and introduced legislation for a carbon emissions tax.

Florida Republicans have tentatively embraced climate change even though it puts them at odds with President Donald Trump. In Washington, congressional members of the Sunshine State GOP have acknowledged climate change in efforts to address impacts of a warming world, including harmful algae blooms and sea level rise. President Trump is out of step on climate change with the general public and as well as with many in his own party, she said. They are going straight from adamant climate denial to investment in fortification, completely skipping the whole climate change negation that needs to be emphasized, he said. Curbelo supported climate change initiatives in Washington and introduced legislation for a carbon emissions tax.

Florida Republicans have tentatively embraced climate change even though it puts them at odds with President Donald Trump. President Trump is out of step on climate change with the general public and as well as with many in his own party, she said. While climate change is getting their attention, the response has been more about hardening infrastructure rather than shutting down carbon emissions, Capece said. They are going straight from adamant climate denial to investment in fortification, completely skipping the whole climate change negation that needs to be emphasized, he said. Curbelo supported climate change initiatives in Washington and introduced legislation for a carbon emissions tax.

With dry conditions, gators leave and raccoons arrive to steal eggs, putting the survival of wading birds at risk. Now the race is on to save their nesting season. Time is running out to save Rescue Strand, an Everglades oasis where South Floridas largest wading bird colony is imperiled by desiccation. Wading birds were once nearly wiped out, but theyre backFloridas wading birds were nearly annihilated in the late 1800s as plumers took out entire rookeries to sell the feathers for hats and other adornment. In addition to the wading birds, saving the peat is essential, Sklar said.

***The U.S. prohibited the import of Burmese pythons in 2012, but by then it was too late by decades. At 16 feet, 11 inches, it was a monster, the biggest serpent Wildman Crum had ever encountered. The South Florida Water Management District pays a $50 bounty for pythons up to four feet, plus $25 for each additional foot thereafter. The last snake Crum caught during Januarys 2020 Python Bowl, where more than 750 hunters from across 20 states caught 80 pythons in one week, puked up a wood stork. ***The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission declared open season on Burms in 2017.

***The U.S. prohibited the import of Burmese pythons in 2012, but by then it was too late by decades. At 16 feet, 11 inches, it was a monster, the biggest serpent Wildman Crum had ever encountered. The South Florida Water Management District pays a $50 bounty for pythons up to four feet, plus $25 for each additional foot thereafter. The last snake Crum caught during Januarys 2020 Python Bowl, where more than 750 hunters from across 20 states caught 80 pythons in one week, puked up a wood stork. ***The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission declared open season on Burms in 2017.

Crums nickname is Wildman. Wildman chases after the gargantuan invaders with nothing but his bare hands and bare feet. Im the baddest-ass python hunter in the world, son! declares the Myakka City resident in self-impersonation, repeating a war cry becoming famous with growing Discovery Channel audiences. ***My legs are wrapped around the snake and hes still trying to get away but Im anchored on him. The South Florida Water Management District pays a $50 bounty for pythons up to four feet, plus $25 for each additional foot thereafter. ***The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission declared open season on Burms in 2017.

Crums nickname is Wildman. Wildman chases after the gargantuan invaders with nothing but his bare hands and bare feet. Im the baddest-ass python hunter in the world, son! declares the Myakka City resident in self-impersonation, repeating a war cry becoming famous with growing Discovery Channel audiences. ***My legs are wrapped around the snake and hes still trying to get away but Im anchored on him. The South Florida Water Management District pays a $50 bounty for pythons up to four feet, plus $25 for each additional foot thereafter. ***The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission declared open season on Burms in 2017.

Watching one animal eat another can be a gruesome sight, but not so much when the prey is an invasive snake wreaking havoc on the Florida Everglades’ delicate ecosystem. 🐊 This invasive Burmese python was no match for our mighty, native American alligator! “I love the fact that Florida’s native species is destroying the invasive species,” another woman wrote. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regularly hosts events that allow participants to venture into the Everglades to remove the invasive species in exchange for cash prizes. Burmese pythons can be humanely killed without a permit year round with the property owner’s permission.

In coordination with the upcoming Super Bowl, a 10-day competition called the Python Bowl was held in Miami to remove invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades, and to raise awareness of the threat they hold over Everglades restoration.Over 750 participants wrangled 80 snakes, and 550 participated in hands-on, optional safe-capture training. They can even take part in ongoing trainings to learn more about how to identify and capture Burmese pythons in the wild.Sightings of invasive species can also be reported by calling by phone at 888-IVE-GOT1 (888-483-4681), or visiting IveGot1.orgConsider supporting local journalism. Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Central Florida. Unlike many newspapers, ours is free and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community. Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Orlandos true free press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida is moving forward on a deal that would keep a piece of land in the Everglades from being used for oil production. Part of the land has been subject to years of litigation over the right to drill an exploratory oil well in the Everglades. The agreement gives the state 75 days to buy the land for $16.5 million, with the money coming from the Department of Environmental Protection or the South Florida Water Management District. “Legally they had, you know, the rights to do this on the land,” DeSantis said. “This land is part of our water supply.”Money for the land would come from Comprehensive Everglades Restoration funds or from other sources, including the Florida Forever program, Valenstein said.

(Reuters) - The state of Florida has reached a deal with a private real estate firm to buy a large swath of environmentally sensitive wetlands in the heart of the Everglades to spare the tract from oil drilling, the governor announced on Wednesday. FILE PHOTO - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis talks to the media during a news conference as Hurricane Dorian approaches the state, at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, U.S. August 29, 2019. He recently proposed $625 million annually in state funding for Everglades restoration and related water quality projects. Among the Everglades most notable creatures under federal protection are the Florida panther, the American crocodile, the American alligator and the West Indian manatee. John Kanter, president of the real estate firm, told the Wall Street Journal his company had planned to pursue oil exploration with the highest degree of safety.

TALLAHASSEE Florida is moving forward on a deal that would keep a piece of land in the Everglades from being used for oil production. Part of the land has been subject to years of litigation over the right to drill an exploratory oil well in the Everglades. The agreement gives the state 75 days to buy the land for $16.5 million, with the money coming from the Department of Environmental Protection or the South Florida Water Management District. Legally they had, you know, the rights to do this on the land, DeSantis said. This land is part of our water supply.Money for the land would come from Comprehensive Everglades Restoration funds or from other sources, including the Florida Forever program, Valenstein said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A team of researchers at the University of Central Florida is developing a new camera to find invasive pythons lurking in Florida’s natural habitats. UCF scientists teamed up with the non-profit Interuniversity Microelectronics Center, IMEC, an international research and development company, to create the camera. In short, the camera can detect pythons better than the naked eye. Thermal imaging, typically used to detect animals in the wild, doesn’t work because snakes are cold blooded. Graf said pythons are a threat to the Everglades and native Florida species such as rabbits and squirrels.

It's scaly, it's invasive and it comes in at nearly 18 feet long. The Florida Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday announced that one of its trappers had snared a 17 foot, 9 inch Burmese python somewhere in the Sunshine State. The FWC's post didn't list a location, but the snakes are known to slither in the Everglades. Because the reptiles can throw off the balance of the ecosystem, it's legal to kill and capture them on private property without a permit. In this case, Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors member Kevin Reich snagged the second-largest snake in the program's history.

But hundreds of miles away, the state is locked in a legal battle about another type of snake: anacondas. Owners and dealers of anacondas asked a Leon County circuit judge last week to issue a preliminary injunction against a new state rule that largely bans anacondas in Florida. An attorney for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission filed an 11-page document Wednesday disputing the plaintiffs legal positions. The rule affects possession and sale of three types of anacondas: the yellow anaconda, the Beni anaconda and DeSchauensees anaconda, according to the commission. A 2010 state law targeted the possession and sale of green anaconda and pythons.

click to enlargeEvent Details Flora: The Art Show @ The Falcon 819 E. Washington St. Thornton Park Orlando, FL When: Sat., July 20, 5:30 p.m. and July 21-Aug. 30 Price: free Art MapIt seems the creepy-crawly fauna in Florida gators, boa constrictors and whatever else is lurking in the Everglades get all the attention. But for this group of Orlando artists, its all about the vegetable, not the animal. The flower-themed group art showopens at the Falcon this Saturday, with a diverse array of local artists showcasing work inspired by Floridas native plants at the arts-friendly Thornton Park bar. The show features a couple dozen creatives, among them Brendan OConnor, Ashley Hallenbeck, Olivia Polk and Christian Stanley.5:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20, through Aug. 30 | The Falcon, 819 E. Washington St. | facebook.com/thefalconbar | free

Heavy downpours left the Eastern Seaboard drenched on Wednesday -- with more rain on the way from Hurricane Joaquin; Florida airboaters are on the losing end of a fight with the National Park Service to continue enjoying their hobby in the Everglades

Florida airboaters are on the losing end of a fight with the National Park Service to continue enjoying their hobby in the Everglades. David Begnaud has more on why the airboaters want to stay and why conservationists want them gone.