The Point

The Point, April 21, 2025: WUFT Special Report: The Price of Paradise

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published April 21, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Today WUFT News launches The Price of Paradise, a special report on ecotourism. Travel and tourism have become the fastest-growing sector in the global economy, and many travelers seek out "ecotourism" for a more authentic, nature-based vacation. But what happens when ecotourism becomes overtourism? Our report explores the limits of ecotourism through the lens of Costa Rica, where locals are being priced out; farmers are feeling left out; and even animals in tourists' favorite jungles are feeling the squeeze. What are the solutions, and what can Florida learn?

The stories near you

Jacob Clore (left) and Lynne Salzburg, both competitors in the Eco Chase Challenge, volunteer at Santa Fe College Saturday morning to collect donations for Saints Food Share and the Repurpose Project, respectively. “If each of us made small changes, it would really add up to a huge impact,” Salzburg says. (Olivia Evans/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: Conservation competition helps promote sustainability in the Alachua County area. "Goose Chase is an app that houses the Eco Chase Challenge, a three-month conservation competition created by the Alachua County Department of Solid Waste and Resource Recovery. Fifty teams, varying in size, complete tasks that teach them how to become more aware about preserving the environment around them."

• Florida Storms: An extreme drought appears on Florida's monitoring map; what's the outlook? "The dry season is ramping up, and the ground is feeling it, especially in South Florida, where some areas are now under an extreme drought. Comparing the analysis from last week to this most recent one, every category except the last has seen an increase of at least 2 percent in coverage."

• WUFT News: Gainesville residents come together to clean up community. "Keep Alachua County Beautiful, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful, organized the event as part of a broader nationwide green movement. The annual event aims to keep Gainesville clean while also building community and fellowship."

• WUFT News: Easter in Gainesville: Local churches provide community for students away from home. "Easter Sunday is on the weekend before exams take place. So, some students do not have the opportunity to go home for the holiday, fly back, and then go home, once again, for summer. This is the case for Jazmin Vainer who is an international student from Argentina."

• WUFT News: From classroom to gallery: Santa Fe College students shine in annual art show. "The Santa Fe College Annual Student Art Show featured pieces selected from students across the fall and spring semesters. The juried show highlights student work from visual arts classes, including everything from ceramics to photography."

• WCJB: ‘What about hard copy mail?‘: Residents drop thousands of letters at Congresswoman Kat Cammack’s office. "Darlena Cunha, an activist, says she’s been trying to reach the congresswoman for months to no avail, so she, along with other concerned residents, decided to write thousands of letters on multiple political topics and personally hand-deliver them to Cammack’s district office."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Friends of the Library Spring Book Sale slated for April 26-30. "While prices for some books will be slightly higher than the usual 25 cents to the $1 range, Tuesday will still be the traditional half-price day and Wednesday all items will be 10 cents."

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Around the state

Over 2,000 people gathered on Florida State University’s Langford Green Friday evening for a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of Thursday’s campus shooting. (Sara-James Ranta/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: After FSU shootings, false information spread rampantly. "It was the latest challenge for news organizations – already facing a crisis of credibility – rushing to report accurately when details are sparse, and for consumers who want information quickly and turn to social media when a major event is unfolding."

• WUFT News: As FSU mourns, survivors recall terror, togetherness, hope at campus vigil. "With each passing row, the crowd of over 2,000 shared tissues, leaned on one another’s shoulders and confided in embraces. Sniffles and whispers wove between periods of utter silence."

• Florida Phoenix: Federal judge extends block on Florida immigration law that led to arrest of a U.S. citizen. "A Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s arrest of Lopez-Gomez on Wednesday prompted national attention following Florida Phoenix’s reports that he was set to remain in jail because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed a 48-hour hold on him — even after a Leon County judge determined there had been no probable cause for the arrest."

• The Florida Roundup: Rep. Andrade accuses Florida AG Uthmeier of money laundering, wire fraud amid Hope Florida probe. "Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, told host Tom Hudson on 'The Florida Roundup' that he believes Attorney General James Uthmeier and Hope Florida Foundation attorney Jeff Aaron committed criminal fraud and money laundering."

• Central Florida Public Media: New plans for restoring Florida springs are almost ready. "New Basin Management Action Plans, or BMAPs, are taking shape to help freshwater springs plagued by pollution in the Sunshine State. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday wrapped up a series of public meetings the agency has held over recent months, to discuss required updates to the BMAPs ahead of a July deadline."

• WLRN-Miami: Miami-Dade breached settlement protecting undocumented immigrants from being handed over to ICE. "A little-known 2021 settlement agreement between the county and immigrant groups was meant to shield some undocumented immigrants in county jails from being handed over to federal immigration authorities if they were victims or witnesses of a crime, exceptions explicitly allowed by state law. The county runs the jails system."

• Central Florida Public Media: Norovirus outbreaks rise as summer cruise travel expected to hit record high. Is your cruise safe? "A record 19 million Americans are expected to take a cruise this year, according to AAA. It’ll be the third year in a row with an increase. Meanwhile, norovirus outbreaks have also steadily increased, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program."