Florida
Underwater ‘doorbell’ helps scientists catch coral-eating fish in Florida
Marine scientists in Florida working to help reverse a calamitous decades-long decline in coral reefs caught fishy “porch pirates” in the act with an innovative underwater doorbell-style surveillance camera.
The footage showed that three corallivorous species – redband parrotfish, foureye butterflyfish and stoplight parrotfish – were responsible for eating more than 97% of coral laid as bait by the researchers at an offshore reef near Miami.
The findings, they say, can help inform coral reef repopulation efforts following a 90% decline in Florida’s coral cover since the 1970s following unprecedented bleaching events caused by the climate emergency, particularly record ocean heat over the last two summers.
“Intense fish predation on newly outplanted corals has emerged as a major restoration bottleneck. The main goal was to address our lack of knowledge of the fish species that target corals after outplanting,” said Diego Lirman, a global leader in coral restoration research. He is a project leader and associate professor at the University of Miami’s (UM) Rosenstiel school of marine, atmospheric and earth science.
“Identifying the fish species responsible for coral predation would allow practitioners to avoid reef sites or areas within sites with high abundances of those species and, similarly, select the right coral species for the right outplanting site,” Lirman said.
“The coral-baited underwater cameras provide insight into corallivore behavior and preferences and allow documentation of predation at various sites rapidly and without incurring the cost of outplanting.”
Lirman’s team, funded by a grant from the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, designed and built a number of recording devices using GoPro cameras in waterproof housing attached to a PVC frame, and with lead weights for stability. After shaky preliminary results, divers secured later models to the seabed at Paradise Reef, close to Key Biscayne in Miami-Dade county, using masonry nails and cable ties.
The so-called C-Bruvs (coral-baited remote underwater video system) were set to record time-lapse video, and footage was collected at 24- and 48-hour periods after deployment and weekly thereafter for the duration of the six-week project.
Lirman said the team overcame initial setbacks including overheating external batteries and leaks causing flooding in the camera housing, while the research was also not immune to petty porch pirate-style pilfery familiar to homeowners above ground who have recorded thefts on their doorstep.
“One of the C-Bruvs with a surface buoy attached was stolen from the reef,” he said.
Overall, however, the researchers considered their experiment a success. After analysis of the imagery, they determined redband parrotfish, which are prolific in the Caribbean and waters off Florida, were the most voracious predators, accounting for 56.3% of bites on the nine coral species put out in fragments as bait.
Next came foureye butterflyfish with 36.9%, and stoplight parrotfish with 4%. The three species, Lirman said: “showed clear preferences” for two or three particular types of coral, which received more than 65% of all bites recorded.
UM marine scientist and research master’s graduate Erin Weisman presented the findings to the Reef Florida symposium of conservation leaders at Miami’s Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in November.
“By identifying, for the first time, the main fish predators as well as their preferred diet, reef restoration practitioners can select sites and species that would minimize predation impacts and maximize restoration success before large-scale, costly outplanting is implemented,” Lirman said.
Future similar research, he added, could introduce elements of artificial intelligence.
“Analyses of the videos were extremely time-consuming, requiring a constant rewinding and stopping of the footage to record and annotate coral/fish interactions,” he said.
“It will be beneficial to explore AI software that can be trained to identify fish and their behaviors to automate the analysis process.”
Florida
Florida high school football team pulls off miraculous touchdown to help win state championship
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A Florida high school state football championship finished with a phenomenal ending for one team and absolute heartbreak for the other on Saturday night.
Lake Mary High School was down six points with seven seconds left in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A title game against Vero Beach. Noah Grubbs dropped back to pass and rolled to his right. He gained momentum and fired the ball, which was tipped and caught short of the goal line.
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A Lake Mary quarterback looks to throw in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship, Dec. 13, 2025, at Pitbull Stadium in Miami. (Crystal Vander Weit/TCPALM/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
As Vero Beach defenders tried to keep receiver Barrett Schultz out of the end zone, Schultz’s teammate Tavarius Brundidge Jr. came around and took the ball out of Schultz’s hands. Brundidge ran the ball into the end zone to complete the wild and chaotic play.
The touchdown tied the game, and Lake Mary would kick the extra point to win, 28-27.
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A Lake Mary player in the FHSAA Class 7A state championship, Dec. 13, 2025, makes a catch at Pitbull Stadium in Miami. (Crystal Vander Weit/TCPALM/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I was just hoping and praying like everyone else that he was going to come down with the football and Barrett did,” Lake Mary head coach Scott Perry said, via TC Palm. “… We were just going to keep fighting and fighting until the final whistle.”
Vero Beach tried to run out the clock the best they could. The team decided to take a safety with 12 seconds left, and gave the ball back to Lake Mary.
A Vero Beach player is stunned after the FHSAA Class 7A state championship, Dec. 13, 2025, at Pitbull Stadium in Miami. (Crystal Vander Weit/TCPALM/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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It was the first state championship for Lake Mary in its history.
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Gisele Bündchen and her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, soaked up the sun during a jet skiing date in Florida.
The model and the MMA athlete appeared in good spirits while on the water near their home in Surfside on Saturday.
They both stayed close to each other and sported life vests.
Bündchen, 35, appeared to be wearing a white one-piece bathing suit underneath her vest.
She accessorized with sunglasses and styled her hair in a ponytail.
As for Valente, he sported black swim trunks.
The couple, who have been romantically linked since 2023, enjoyed some quality time together after welcoming a son together in February.
While Bündchen and Valente have shied away from revealing too much about their infant, they recently took him out on a boat ride in September.
At the time, the former Victoria’s Secret model was seen cradling her son while her beau took the wheel.
Valente then adorably held onto their 10-month-old, as Bündchen watched in awe.
The health guru also shared a rare glimpse of her son alongside her 16-year-old son, Benjamin, in October.
The teenager adorably held onto his little brother while playing the piano.
Bündchen shares Benjamin and her daughter Vivian, 13, with her ex-husband, Tom Brady.
The exes were wed from 2009 to 2022.
The former NFL star also shares an 18-year-old son, Jack, with his ex Bridget Moynahan.
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) football state championships continued last night down in Miami at Pitbull Stadium as the Raines Vikings upset the Northwestern Bulls for the the Class 3A state championship, provind the most exciting game of the week thus far. Another rematch from last year’s finals pits the American Heritage Patriots versus the Jones Tigers for the Class 4A state championship this afternoon. We preview the sixth of seven FHSAA state championship games as teams begin being crowned as champions of their classifications.
How to Watch American Heritage vs. Jones in Florida 4A state championship game
Date: Saturday, Dec. 13
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Location: Pitbull Stadium in Miami, Fla.
TV Channel: NFHS Network
American Heritage Players to Watch
QB Leon Strawder: Strawder is making his second consecutive appearance in a state championship game, this time with a different team, however. The senior has thrown for 2,052 yards and 19 touchdowns.
WR Jamar Denson: Of the star-studded wide receiving corps for American Heritage, its Denson who has been Mr. Reliable thus far this season. Throughout the course of the season, Denson has hauled in 69 passes for 991 yards and 15 touchdowns.
WR Jeffar Jean-Noel: The Georgia Tech commit has been the second option behind Denson on offense, with Jean-Noel catching 57 passes for 795 yards and six touchdowns.
LB Dylan Bennett: Anchoring the front seven of the Patriots’ defense is the senior linebacker, who currently leads the team with 61 total tackles, 17 them going for a loss and five sacks.
Jones Players to Watch
QB Dereon Coleman: The Miami signee is as calm as they come in the pocket as the senior quarterback has thrown for 2,749 yards, 28 touchdowns and only three picks this Florida high school football season.
WR Larry Miles: Coleman’s favorite target to throw to is the Nebraska signee as the senior looks to end his high school career with a state crown. Miles has caught 88 passes for 1,111 and 10 touchdowns.
OL Xavier Payne: The 6-foot-7, 275-pound Colorado offensive tackle signee will have the job of making sure Coleman stands upright throughout the afternoon against American Heritage’s pass rush.
EDGE Frederick Ards: The 2027 four-star EDGE rusher for the Tigers has been superb, racking up 73 tackles, 13 for loss and 11 sacks.
Where to Watch the Florida Class 4A state championship on livestream:
You can watch the American Heritage Patriots take on the Jones Tigers starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on NFHS Network.
For Florida high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sunshine State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Florida.
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