Brevard County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to request a public meeting with state environmental regulators over Blue Origin’s controversial plan to discharge industrial wastewater into the Indian River Lagoon.

Saying the case has “significant implications for home construction and the economy,” home builders and the septic-system industry this week backed the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in its appeal of a federal judge’s decision that required additional steps to protect manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon.

Any long-time residents of the Sunshine State are likely all too familiar with sinkholes. But this section of the state sees them more than anywhere else.

A federal judge Monday ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to take a series of steps aimed at protecting manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon, including requiring it to go through a federal permitting process and temporarily preventing new septic tanks in the area.

Pointing to ongoing threats to manatees, a U.S. district judge Friday said the state has violated the federal Endangered Species Act in its regulation of wastewater discharges into the Indian River Lagoon.

A bill aimed at preventing a return of efforts to build golf courses, pickleball courts and resorts in state parks is ready to go to the full Florida House.

If you're planning to visit Wekiwa Springs State Park this summer, you may have visited the state's website and seen that regular day passes are fully booked from late May through August. But it turns out, there are open spots available within that window.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference in West Palm Beach.

Four years after the Florida Coral Rescue Center opened in Orlando, researchers said they are seeing great progress in their efforts to save the state’s coral reefs from possible extinction.

The city of Sanford has been looking into how to get rid of a contaminant in its water supply for years.

The state is giving Flagler County an additional $18 million for dune restoration.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced future plans for improving and restoring Florida’s waterways, including the Everglades.

Before Hurricanes Ian and Nicole hit Central Florida, state researchers had declared 426 miles of Florida beach as critically eroded.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will hold a news conference at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne.

SpaceX is looking for approval on a new plan to support its historic missions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference in Oldsmar.

Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference in Naples.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holds a news conference in Spring Hill.

Titusville issued a boil water alert after E. coli was detected in each wellfield sample point.

Authorities say a shark bit a Florida man who was swimming near a fishing line 40 yards from the shore.

The more than seven million gallons of sewage Titusville spilled into the environment just before Christmas last year could wind up costing the city more than a half-million dollars.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection discovered 24 "possible violations" after a massive fish kill in January at a Winter Springs pond.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

(Courtesy of Florida Department of Environmental Protection via AP)ORLANDO, Fla. – We are in for a warm afternoon Friday across Central Florida. Expect high temperatures in the low 80s in the Orlando area, with mostly sunny skies and no chance of rain. The next chance for rain in Central Florida is late next week. Orlando has a rain deficit of 2.53 inches in 2021. Don’t forget to set your clock ahead an hour before you go to bed Saturday night as we “spring forward” into daylight saving time.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Algae blooms are turning parts of the Indian River Lagoon green again in Brevard County. Brevard County Public Information Officer Don Walker said for the last couple weeks the weather conditions have helped and the county has not received reports of any major fish kills. On Sept. 11, county officials warned of a possible fish kill like the ones seen in 2016 and 2018 due to the wet weather in recent weeks. Brevard County voters approved a half-cent sales tax in 2011 to generate more than $400 million for restoration of the lagoon. Ron DeSantis signed bills designed to address environmental issues ranging from sea level rise to blue-green algae blooms.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Using money from a settlement, Florida is adding 74 new electric car charging stations along the state’s major highways. From that, $8.5 million will be used to create the 74 charging stations along Interstate 75 and Intestate 95, spanning about 1,200 miles. We are now ready to award over $8.5 million in contracts to build 74 additional fast electric charging stations belongs to Florida has major highways and evacuation routes,” DeSantis said. There are plans in the future to add additional charging stations using that same settlement money. Valenstein called the move “another step forward for the environment here in Florida.”With the charging stations already slated to be built along the Turnpike by the Florida Department of Transportation, there will soon be about 100 charging stations statewide.

Florida State Parks announced that every state park will close Monday due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will close the parks. Florida State Parks tweeted about the closure Sunday, asking for understanding. We look forward to welcoming you to our award winning parks as soon as possible,” the department said in a statement. As of Sunday, there were more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Florida, resulting in 13 deaths.