The other day I had an appointment first thing in the morning. Upon my return, tiny sprinkles were starting to blow in the wind against me. A heavy rainfall is expected later, but the moist air felt good on my face. I captured a few photos of the cloudy sky to share today. Although we have blue skies the majority of the time in Florida, it's not always true in the rainy season.


Summer in Florida is HOT AND HUMID!
Now - Crazy Florida News!!
Y'all,
there is no round of golf worth getting struck by lightning. Remember
what happened in Caddyshack? This photo was taken on July 23rd in Venice,
Florida. Eventually a course ranger had to bring them back to the
clubhouse. Always be safe! Photo Credit: Kathy P McSteen
Now I am reporting on the evil people do to make more money. Two men thought nesting birds drove customers away. The answer was to try to drive the birds away with toxic mothballs. It boggles the mind that they thought adding toxic chemicals to a sandy beach was acceptable. I hope they get jail time as well as hefty fines:
The "Mothball Mystery" has led to two arrests.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Robert Czyszczon, owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel, and Christopher Monroe, owner of Chris' Beachside Bar, were arrested Wednesday following an investigation into hundreds of toxic mothballs that were scattered across St. Pete Beach earlier this year. Investigators allege the mothballs were placed on the beach to deter protected black skimmer birds from nesting there.
FWC says surveillance footage, Walmart purchase records, and other evidence—including text messages obtained during the investigation—helped connect the two men to the case.
They are facing charges that include felony commercial littering and attempting to take or harass a state-threatened species.
If these allegations are true, what a bunch of losers. Protected wildlife deserves better than this, and trying to solve a problem by spreading toxic chemicals on a public beach is unbelievably unbelievable.
Black Skimmers: Each summer, Black Skimmer colonies return to nest along Florida’s
beaches, including St. Pete Beach. Though they come back every year,
their nesting locations often shift dramatically from season to season.
From May through September, these unique seabirds lay 3–5 eggs in
shallow scrapes in the sand. The eggs hatch after 21–25 days, and both
parents share the duties of incubating and feeding their chicks.
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| Photo via St Pete Beach.org |

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