Murder of transgender man draws national publicity

The murder of a transgender man in Winter Haven marks what some are considering the 15th violent killing of a gender non-conforming or transgender individual this year and has drawn national publicity. The Ledger has reported the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and media outlets have been slammed by advocacy groups for intentionally misgendering Camdyn Rider after his murder on July 21.

Yet amid this tragedy and a surge in anti-LGBT legislation in Florida, one museum is working to preserve its community’s history for the next generation.

Coral bleaching spreads northward

Coral bleaching that has spread across the Keys amid an ocean heat wave is reaching its way to boulder coral colonies in Miami aged hundreds of years old. University of Miami divers saw temperatures well above normal for this part of the season and researchers are preparing to test lab-bred heat-resistant coral.

408 thousand unenrolled in FL Medicaid

After removals were put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, this spring all states were required to resume annual Medicaid eligibility reviews, but paperwork problems and procedural issues are the driving force behind a surge of people losing Medicaid healthcare coverage. An analysis by The Associated Press shows that about 3.7 million people have been dropped from Medicaid over the past three months. Florida has removed 408 thousand people from its Medicaid rolls; only Texas has unenrolled more people than Florida.

Record turtle nesting season

A Florida sea turtle research and conservation center this season surpassed its own nesting record of 20 thousand in 2019. The Loggerhead Marine Life Center counted just under 22 thousand leatherback, loggerhead, and green turtle nests along a nine-and-a-half-mile stretch of Juno Beach. All of the common Florida species are threatened or endangered. Researchers attribute these high numbers to successful conservation efforts.

Information from the Florida Public Media, News Service of Florida, and Associated Press was used in this report.

The Scoop: Tampa Bay & Florida headlines by WMNF

The Scoop producer Corey Beltran
WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Sean Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane, Ta’Leah Van Sistine, Colleen Cole, Taylor Lovejoy
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy, Justin Seecharan, Novia Levy, Camilla Carrero, Kayla Allen

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
https://archive.org/details/jamendo-001084/02.mp3
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com / WMNF