Environment

TALLAHASSEE — After years of legal battling, an administrative law judge Tuesday supported renewing a permit to allow piping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day to a North Florida bottling plant. Judge Francine Ffolkes rejected arguments raised by the Florida Springs Council and said the Suwannee River …

Since 1987, Watson C&D, a company that operates a construction landfill in Archer, hasn’t passed Alachua County inspections. In August, the latest violation included oil leaks on the ground from a fuel storage container, which can contaminate the groundwater, according to an inspection report. The inspections are completed every 24 …

Early in the new Ken Burns’ documentary “The American Buffalo,” a map depicting the national mammal’s native range dips down into Florida. While the state never had huge herds like out west, these free-roaming, majestic animals lived in Florida for many thousands of years before the species faced extinction in …

Federal wildlife officials will consider whether manatees should be classified as an endangered species, pointing to issues such as a loss of seagrass that serves as a key food source for the animals. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday issued a document that said the agency will conduct …

Standing tall between the I-75 corridor and a rapidly expanding suburb, an aged giant spreads its arms around a world of chirping squirrels, scuttering anoles and choral songbirds. And now, this giant holds a statewide title: It’s Florida’s new champion live oak tree, the largest of its species in the …

While climate change is a global challenge, Alachua County residents also have a role to play. About 70 people spent part of their weekend at a Gainesville church to talk about climate threats and responses, with recent extreme weather events like Hurricane Idalia fresh on their minds. Jacqueline Patterson, longtime …