Mayors of three South Florida counties have sent an unusual request to the agency responsible for keeping communities from flooding: Please raise our taxes.

For the first time ever, endangered Atlantic pillar coral have spawned through lab-induced techniques. The scientific breakthrough occurred this week in a research laboratory at The Florida Aquarium’s Center for Conservation in Apollo Beach as part of Project Coral. Scientists believe the historic breakthrough could ultimately help save corals in the Florida Reef Tract from extinction.

Recognizing that the Florida Keys are increasingly at risk due to climate change and the volume of people going there, federal environmental regulators Tuesday unveiled major new proposals to protect marine life and corals that would limit fishing, restrict what cruise ships can dump at sea and regulate the boats on which many people live near shore.

In addition to causing serious damage to many communities in the Carolinas, Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017) and Florence (2018) were responsible for considerable destruction to the beaches in several communities throughout South Carolina that rely on local, regional and national tourism. The Army Corps of Engineers, via its Federal Emergency Funding Account, invested close to $86 million for beach renourishment projects to repair the damage.

Federal funds announced by FEMA will help repair damage by two recent hurricanes in Nassau County as well as along Jacksonville’s beaches.

Protecting and preserving the world's oceans, waves and beaches has been the hallmark mission statement for the 82 international chapters of the Surfrider Foundation.

The $250,000 of funding approved by the city commission will go towards the first phase of the project – planning and design.

Nearly 90 percent of all sea turtle nesting in the United States occurs on Florida beaches. Every summer, thousands of threatened and endangered sea turtles emerge from the water at night to lay their eggs in the sand. Two months later, hatchlings make their perilous journey to the water. If they survive to adulthood, females continue this ancient tradition and return to the same beach to nest.

As part of a pot of hurricane recovery money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development topping a billion dollars, Florida set aside $75 million to buy out flood-damaged homes, with $10 million earmarked for the Keys alone.

Florida's coral reefs are experiencing a multi-year outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease. Here is a description of the problem, what NOAA and partners are doing in response to the problem, and how you can help.

South Carolina is grappling with the symptoms of climate change, but its efforts to tackle the causes have been slower.

Workers in the hospitality and leisure industries are paid the lowest average wages compared to any other industry in the nation.

USGS scientists look to the past to learn about the future of Florida mangroves

Victoria Cassar and Ian Wilson-Navarro create art that sparks conversations about nature and how to protect it. The couple uses different mediums — sculpture for Cassar and photography for Wilson-Navarro — that complement each other’s work. The pair live in Tavernier and use their home base in the Keys to create art that spreads awareness and moves people.

The gliders' deployment in Hurricane Florence found that subsurface temperatures were about 25 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the ocean modeling predicted without their input. Another glider helped define the Gulf Stream.

With hurricane season upon us, the entire east coast of the United States is again holding its breath, particularly southeastern states like those of us in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, announces that construction mobilization will begin tomorrow for the $17.9 million Surfside beach renourishment project, part of the Miami-Dade County Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Protection Project.

With the town of Pawleys Island, South Carolina on track to start a beach renourishment project in October, the need to secure future funding to maintain the beach is more important than ever, according to the town administrator.

Oysters are normally associated with backyard roasts, but this seafood delicacy provides much more than a treat for the taste buds. Oysters play a vital role in the Lowcountry’s ecosystem.

U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, D-Charleston, on Thursday introduced a bill seeking to ban offshore drilling and seismic testing in the Atlantic and Pacific. His opposition to the practice was a centerpiece issue in his congressional campaign.

Members of the Florida congressional delegation are working together to push for updating and reauthorizing the “Coral Reef Conservation Act” which expired 15 years ago.

Dr. Beach says the stinky seaweed could cost Florida points in annual beach rankings.

Florida Governor DeSantis announces in Englewood that the new Red Tide Task Force will complement the Blue Green Algae Task Force and the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, which is the partnership between the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute within FWC and Mote Marine Laboratory.

Despite rising seas and increasing storm threats, South Carolina residents have built more than 1,200 homes since 2010 in areas of the coast that are forecast to flood more often in coming decades, a new study says.

A University of Miami study released last week found that smoke from African fires burning wild or to clear land has more usable phosphorus in it than Saharan dust — long thought a potential culprit in over-nourishing far away marine ecosystems and South American flora.

Environmental stressors like warming water temperatures are contributing to massive coral death, scientists say. But a recent study with three decades of data collected from Looe Key Reef is revealing another serious problem — land-based nutrient runoff.

The State Ports Authority is scaling back expectations for containerized cargo growth for its 2020 fiscal year at the Port of Charleston as tariff concerns continue to impact global trade.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has announced it will be giving out almost $1.6 million in grant funding to help 24 coastal communities around the state prepare for sea level rise, including Jacksonville.

Fecal matter, killer algae, too much water, not enough water—Florida's hydrological disaster is killing its legendary inshore fishing

You come here to unwind. To watch waves lapping against the shore, as they will until the end of time. To see a giddy child at play, trying to outrun the tide.

For those in the drinking water and wastewater treatment space, the climbing temperatures in summer months can bring with them an obstacle that seems to get worse every year — harmful algal blooms. Illustrating this aggravation is the presence of a massive bloom now approaching Florida that is reportedly the largest in world history.

As surely as the seasons, the water will come, a silent surge that in 30 years could mean up to 55 days annually where South Florida streets become streams and storm grates bubble backwards, according to a new report released Wednesday.

South Carolina environmental officials have dealt a blow to one of the companies wanting federal approval to explore for oil and gas off the state’s coast in the face of widespread opposition.

When it comes to coastal development, a clash of interests is almost always expected.

MOUNT PLEASANT, South Carolina — New limits and regulations on short-term rentals, such as those listed with Airbnb and Vrbo, are on track to begin in August in South Carolina’s fourth-largest city.

The Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the cost-benefit ratio of a Pawleys Island beach renourishment project, raising concern among town officials that the project will be delayed another year.

Blue-green algae blooms have been growing more frequent, both in Florida and elsewhere in the United States. Mississippi just closed all 21 of its beaches because of a bloom.

The move to dredge the port again was prompted when harbor pilots began complaining that the super ships now sailing through an expanded Panama Canal were having trouble turning.

Indian River County is planning to repair beaches from just north of Tracking Station Park south to the Riomar Golf Course. The section was damaged by hurricanes Matthew and Irma. In this photo, taken Jan. 6, 2017, the county prepared to close Tracking Station Park for dune repairs.

Tybee Island, Georgia - Sunny day flooding, most evident locally on U.S. 80 near Fort Pulaski, is getting more frequent in coastal communities nationally as sea level rises, according to a report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday.

Florida’s water and environment won big in the 2019 budget recently passed by the state legislature and enacted by Governor Ron DeSantis.

A landmark 30-year study of ailing coral in the Florida Keys shows nutrient-supercharged water from as far north as Orlando is contributing to the death of an ancient ecosystem that evolved to thrive in a fertilizer-free environment.

In 2015, a nesting record of 289 nests was set, followed by a new record in 2016 when 325 sea turtle nests were found on Seashore beaches.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been taking water from Florida's polluted Lake Okeechobee and releasing it among other bodies of water in the state.

In what has become a deeply unwelcome summertime tradition, Floridians are once again finding their waterways befouled with blue-green algae.

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WSAV) – The beach on Tybee Island is in line for a historic face-lift.

Study is world's longest record of reactive nutrients, algae concentrations for coral reefs

The NBC2 Investigators found out exclusively that Southwest Florida leaders are putting aside political differences to work together on environmental issues.

Under Florida case law, a seller of a home must disclose to the buyer all known facts that materially affect the value of the property and that are not readily observable or known to the buyer.

Communities across Florida are already grappling with aging septic tanks, which leak into groundwater and are considered a leading cause of toxic algae blooms. As sea level rise is expected to worsen that situation, the state and cities are beginning to tackle the expensive task of converting septic systems to sewer or newer septic technologies.

Long before rising seas permanently swamp homes, millions of Americans living in coastal communities will likely face more frequent and disruptive high-tide flooding — and the effects will ripple through the local economy.

A landmark 30-year study of ailing coral in the Florida Keys shows nutrient-supercharged water from as far north as Orlando is contributing to the death of an ancient ecosystem that evolved to thrive in a fertilizer-free environment.

Sargassum has made a return on parts of Miami Beach and residents and city officials are looking for solutions to rid their beaches of the pesky seaweed. Sargassum often collects trash, pesky critters and emits a strong odor.

“It’s the federal government, but I do feel like we’ve been led down a primrose path. We’ve done everything we said we were going to do.’

CAPE ISLAND — Seven days a week, a team of interns and volunteers gear up in the pre-dawn darkness to launch for an eroding spit of island at the far reach of the coast.

“Our research shows when these plants become enriched like this, they can double their biomass in 10 days to two weeks,” he said. “It’s just like the blue-green algae coming from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie Estuary.

The bottlenose dolphins of the St. Johns River have a favored spot where they like to hang out, frolic, eat and socialize. It’s near the BEA Systems dry dock, east of Blount Island and just west of where the Intracoastal Waterway comes up from the south and meets the St. Johns.

The beach tax would last at least 50 years, the length of the Army Corps project.

Smokers probably do not intentionally set out to poison the local marine environment.

COCOA BEACH — Dawn Stevenson sees the brown, wool-like gunk lap up every summer. But in recent years, she's noticed more severe algae outbreaks hit her hometown beach.

There may be a deal in sight for the campground owners and Myrtle Beach, but the details have yet to be reviewed and approved by the city council.

A group of Pompano Beach residents staged a protest on Sunday against the rezoning of a parcel of land located at 1508 N. Ocean Blvd, which is on the corner of NE 16th Street and A1A, just next to North Ocean Park.

‍MOORE HAVEN Could algae, the fish-killing bane of Lake Okeechobee and Florida’s coastal waters, actually become a valuable state product? Think orange juice, except green, slimy and terrible tasting. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and private partners think there is a possibility.

SPRING LAKE, N.C. — The heating and air conditioning in Carrie Johnson’s home — damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 — still wasn’t fixed when Hurricane Florence flooded her house last September. Now, her home of over 50 years is gutted, the flooring and walls nothing more than bare wooden beams smelling faintly of river water.

Residents of Sunny Isles Beach are protective of the character of their city. They’ve seen its architectural makeup change at a rapid pace, the transformation most evident along Collins Avenue, where there’s a clear east vs. west divide.

It was a simple three-item agenda: 1. Call to Order 2. Beach Renourishment Project 3. Adjourn

Home buyouts in areas feeling the impacts of sea level rise are part of a larger coastal management policy known as "managed retreat", sometimes called "managed realignment".

In the summer on Jekyll Island, researchers drive slowly up and down the beach all night, the red-shaded headlights on their utility vehicles illuminating ghost crabs and shorebirds.

High nutrient levels in 2018 resulted in a nearly 9,000-kilometer belt of Sargassum, a seaweed critical to many marine animals but also a nuisance when it washes up on shorelines, new results reveal.

The natural beauty of Miami-Dade County has long been a boon to our residents, visitors and collective quality of life. Our beaches are a gift from nature, and we enjoy time spent there with our family and friends.

Ormond Beach area is ranked 218 of the 500 fastest growing markets for vacation rentals of single-family homes in the United States.

Florida’s first chief resilience officer, the person in charge of adapting the most vulnerable state in the nation to climate change, has an impressive resume. But it’s missing one thing — any obvious experience with climate change or resilience.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced the appointments of 11 researchers to a reinvigorated task force looking into combating red tide. The most recent red tide outbreak was the longest one in memory.