Florida
Don’t mock Florida’s state bird
Here we go again. Interests in Tallahassee and beyond are arming themselves to dethrone our noble state bird, the mockingbird. When it happened three years ago, I did my best to fight the effort with a column on these pages. Now the danger seems more imminent, so I am pressed into action to make the argument again.
On one flank there are those who are lined up behind the pink flamingo. Images of this fabulous bird are ubiquitous in Florida (I’ve got three plastic ones in my garden) and needs no higher profile.
On another are fans of the scrub jay, a delightful little beauty, whose habitat is again and again threatened by Florida development.
Then there is Rodney Barreto, chairperson of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who should know better. Here is his argument: “The state bird of Florida is the (northern) mockingbird. However, five other states have the mockingbird as the state bird. I’ve got to believe we can find a bird that is different than five other states.”
Barreto leaves out the most pertinent fact: Florida picked the mockingbird first! Almost a century ago! The other states copied us. Why? Because the mockingbird is one of the most amazing creatures on the face of the Earth!!! (Yes, those exclamation points indicate that I am shouting.)
When it comes to official birds, I am not just a casual player. In 2019 I led a move to declare the brown pelican as the official bird of the city of St. Petersburg. The image of the pelican is everywhere in St. Pete, but it took the mayor and the City Council to vote on an official designation.
Compared to the pelican, the mockingbird looks plain. Because it is small and gray in color, it is mischaracterized as “boring.” It’s a slander that demands retraction.
The mockingbird, sometimes called the northern mockingbird, is no carpetbagger to Florida. Its territory expands across the state and beyond. It is actually a pretty bird, not ostentatious like the parrot or the roseate spoonbill. Its formal name is “Mimus polyglottos,” and you can see in those Latin words a wonderful translation: “the mime in many languages.”
Mockingbirds can not only imitate the songs of countless other birds. They have been known to mimic sounds made by cats, dogs and even human beings. This singing skill makes the mockingbird a mellifluous and versatile songbird, and a big hit at karaoke night in our oak tree.
Highly intelligent, great nesters, faithful to their mates, the mockingbird may also be ounce for ounce the greatest warrior on the planet.
Check out this note from Wikipedia: “The birds aggressively defend their nests against other birds and animals. When a predator is persistent, mockingbirds from neighboring territories may be summoned by distinct calls to join the defense. Other birds may gather to watch as the mockingbirds drive away the intruder. In addition to harassing domestic cats and dogs that they consider a threat, mockingbirds will at times target humans.”
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Years ago, while emptying the grass catcher on my lawn mower, I was startled by the flash of something near the bill of my cap. It’s not the size of the bird in the fight, I learned that day, it’s the size of the fight in the bird. I once gasped in amazement when it attacked a black snake, which slithered away.
Consider, for a moment, the influence of the mockingbird on American culture, from the gentle metaphorical meaning in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the traditional lullaby “Hush Little Baby,” turned into a great rhythm and blues tune by Inez and Charlie Foxx.
Florida crowned the mockingbird in 1927, followed by Texas, and then by Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. Why would we want to rescind a great action that we thought of first? Why give up the mockingbird to the other copycats?
As for the mockingbird having a good lobbyist, it did. And I know her name. If you visit me down on the southern tip of Pinellas County, on the pink streets of Pinellas Point, I will show you a picturesque little city park looking out toward the Skyway bridge, where the gulf flows into the bay.
The park is named for Katherine Bell Tippetts, perhaps the most influential and civic-minded woman in the early history of our city. In addition to describing her great charitable efforts, the historian Karl Grismer writes:
“In 1909 she organized the St. Petersburg Audubon Society and was its president for 33 years. Largely as a result of her work, bird sanctuaries were established in Pinellas County, the mockingbird was named as the official state bird of Florida, a Bird Day was proclaimed by the governor of Florida, and laws were passed to protect robins. She also fought for the establishment of the first Fish and Game Commission of Florida.” What a woman!
I always thought that at their best, conservatives were conservers of enduring traditions, especially those that value the work of the founders of noble efforts. The work a century ago of Ms. Tippetts should be preserved and honored, not desecrated in the interests of branding.
I remember a humid summer evening, just before sunset, the sky ablaze in hues of pink and orange. I found myself on my porch looking up into our oak tree. It has been a paradise for birds, and we never know what species will show up. Blue jays, woodpeckers, parrots and doves are frequent visitors.
On this particular evening, a magnificent osprey circled the tree and settle atop a nearby light pole. Suddenly, a single mockingbird appeared out of nowhere. It bobbed and weaved at the tail of the osprey, a much bigger bird, like an English frigate charging a galleon from the Spanish Armada, like an X-wing fighter attacking a huge imperial starship.
As the mockingbird persisted, the osprey looked annoyed, like it was trying to ignore the pesky defender of its nest. Quickly, in the face of continued attack, the osprey shifted its weight, even raising one of its talons from its perch. The little bird would not give up, until the big bird flew off to the safety of a distant wire.
Moral of the story: Never mess with a mockingbird, our bold and courageous state bird.
Roy Peter Clark is a contributing writer to the Tampa Bay Times. Contact him at rclark@poynter.org.
Florida
Florida ranks in list’s top 10 states for most adults living with their parents. Here’s why
Report finds Americans are optimistic about buying a home in 2024
After years of feeling priced out of the market, potential homebuyers are feeling optimistic again, according to a new report.
Scripps News
In 2020, the Pew Research Center conducted a study that found more than 50% of young adults in the U.S. were living with their parents for the first time since the Great Depression.
And that trend hasn’t slowed down, according to a newer study.
Ahead of the mid-May Mother’s Day rush, trucking industry website Truckinfo.com analyzed data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Federal Reserve to find how many young adults would only have to step out of their bedroom to wish their mother a happy Mother’s Day.
The study revealed that the number of young adults who live with their parents has continued to increase. And Florida ranked in the top 10 states where the most young adults are still living at home.
Here’s where Florida ranked on this list and why.
What percentage of 25-34 year-olds live with parents?
“Both men and women between the ages of 25 and 34 are twice as likely to live with their parents than in 1967,” the study said.
“While there was a steady increase until the early 2010s, the figure has grown significantly in recent years.”
According to the study, around 32.1% of adults between the ages of 25 and 34 live at home with their parents. Florida’s state average is a little higher, at 34.8%, ranking the Sunshine State tenth in Truckinginfo.com’s list of states where the most young adults still live with their parents.
Which state has the largest percentage of adults still living with their parents?
New Jersey emerged as the state with the largest percentage of young adults living at home. California placed in second and Connecticut in third. Florida ranked at the bottom, in 10th place.
“Compared to the national average, adult children in coastal cities and the south are much more likely to live with their parents,” the study said.
“Conversely, states in the Midwest and Mountain West are more likely to live with their spouses than the rest of the country”
Here are the rankings, with the percentage of adults between 25 and 34 living with their parents in each state:
- New Jersey, 43.3%
- California, 38.6%
- Connecticut, 38.6%
- New Hampshire, 37.4%
- New York, 37.0%
- Delaware, 36.9%
- Maryland, 36.1%
- Rhode Island, 35.9%
- Mississippi, 35.8%
- Florida, 34.8%
The study also found that high housing costs have the biggest influence on why so many young adults are living at home for longer.
“Even for men gainfully employed, many struggle to afford a home. Since 1984, the home-price-to-income ratio in the U.S. has nearly doubled,” the study said. “Meaning homes are twice as expensive today than in 1984.”
Florida
Florida man drunkenly steals school bus, drives 4 hours to Miami: police
A Florida man allegedly stole a school bus while drunk and drove to Miami in a wild Saturday night outing, police said.
Land O’ Lakes resident Daniel Saez, 32, was charged with grand theft auto on Sunday, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) told the outlet that the suspect stole the bus, which belonged to Hillsborough County Public Schools, near Tampa on Saturday night.
Saez then drove the vehicle to Miami, which is roughly 280 miles from Tampa. It’s about a four-hour drive.
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The suspect was stopped in Sarasota, the FHP said. He told authorities that he was on his way back to Tampa from Miami to return the stolen bus.
Sarasota is approximately 60 miles south of Tampa.
The suspect allegedly admitted to stealing the bus and was reportedly both drunk and high when the crime took place.
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After being arrested, Saez was placed in a county jail.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to FHP for additional information but did not immediately hear back.
Florida
South Florida’s scorching temps make for a weekend record-breaker. Here’s what’s ahead.
A record-breaking heat wave has most of South Florida wilting — and wondering when it will end.
There’s no major cooldown ahead just yet, but temperatures will drop a touch on Monday, said George Rizzuto, a meteorologist at the Miami office of the National Weather Service.
Monday’s heat index will hit around 100 degrees, down from Sunday’s “feels-like” temps of 105 to 110 degrees.
“It will still be hot, but not as oppressively hot as it has been this weekend,” Rizzuto said. “For Tuesday and Wednesday you can expect indices in the upper 90s.”
Next Saturday, the heat index will rise back up to 100 degrees, according to the forecast.
“Not too much of a break in the heat,” Rizzuto said.
Hot and humid conditions continued Sunday, with temperatures hitting to the low- to mid-90s and the peak heat index ranging from 105 to 110 degrees.
Both Broward and Miami-Dade counties were under a heat advisory until 6 p.m. Sunday.
The maximum heat index forecast for Sunday afternoon was 105 degrees in Fort Lauderdale; 106 degrees in West Palm Beach; and 109 degrees in Miami and Homestead.
The heat index is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.
“If you’re spending any time outside (Sunday), it is imperative that you are hydrating nearly constantly and take breaks from the direct sun,” the National Weather Service warned on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Saturday’s blistering heat was a record-breaker.
“West Palm Beach set a new record with a temp of 97,” Rizzuto said. “Their old record was 94, set in 1922. It beat it by 3 degrees. Fort Lauderdale tied their maximum temperature record of 96. That was set back in 2008.”
The region’s nightly lows did not drop much below 80 degrees Friday night into Saturday morning, Rizzuto said.
So now we have new records for minimum lows.
The new record low for West Palm Beach is now 80 degrees. That beat an old record of 78 degrees set back in 2003.
Fort Lauderdale set a new record low of 80 degrees. The previous record low was 77 degrees, set in 2015.
Miami set a new minimum low of 81 degrees. The old record of 79 degrees was set back in 1935.
Strong to severe storms were possible Sunday afternoon, according to meteorologists in Miami.
“Primary hazards will be large hail and damaging wind gusts but a tornado or two can’t be ruled out,” the National Weather Service’s Miami office said in its Sunday advisory.
Showers and thunderstorms might roll into Broward’s eastern metro areas late afternoon Sunday and into the evening, Rizzuto said.
But Palm Beach County’s eastern metro areas and Lake Okeechobee region are at a higher risk for thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening.
“I can’t rule out a strong cell for Miami-Dade County and its eastern metro areas,” Rizzuto said.
An isolated tornado might also be in the cards, he added.
“We can’t rule out hail either,” Rizzuto said. “The hail risk is more maximized toward northern Palm Beach County and the Lake Okeechobee area. We have a low pressure system pushing toward the east. That could allow raindrops to stay frozen in the upper atmosphere. But sometimes the hail melts before it gets to the ground.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
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