So far, 32 panthers have died, mostly getting hit by vehicles on increasingly busy roads in their stronghold in southwest Florida. 

Traci Deen is president of the environmental group Conservation Florida. She says what little habitat the cats have left is becoming increasing squeezed by new developments and roads to funnel traffic to them. 

“The population in Florida is somewhere between 130 maybe to 230. So losing 32 panthers in one year is a tremendous loss to the Florida panther population,” she said. “It could represent, you know, over 10 percent of those population in our states. It’s devastating.” 

Deen said protecting natural lands along their migratory routes is the best way to ensure that panthers can thrive in the future.

“If we want our state animal to not only survive but thrive now and into the future, land conservation has to be a huge part of that solution,” she said, “and we need all Floridians to get involved and let it be known that this matters and support land conservation across the state.” 

Deen says creating highway underpasses that allow animals like the panther to safely migrate along wildlife corridors is another way to help preserve the species far into the future. 

She said panthers need 200 to 400 square miles to roam, but every single day 1,000 new Floridians move to the state. One way to protect them is to help preserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor: an 18 million-acre network of green spaces that panthers call home. Ten million acres are protected, but eight million acres of this corridor are still at risk for development.

Last week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced today that the remains of a juvenile male Florida panther had been found in Glades County. It’s thought that the panther was killed by a vehicle collision.

“This little panther’s tragic death illustrates the dire need for wildlife officials and state lawmakers to save this species before it’s too late,” said Jason Totoiu at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Development keeps eating away at the little bit of habitat left in southwest Florida, and it’s remarkable this panther made it this far north. It appears this animal tried hard to find safe passage through a narrow strand of habitat only to be hit by a car.

“We can’t keep hoping that panthers run the gauntlet north to get to safer ground. We need the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to act on its long-stated vision and work with Florida officials to move panthers north of the Caloosahatchee River. State lawmakers need to establish dedicated funding for wildlife crossings that are strategically placed to facilitate movement. Many states have done this already, and Florida needs to follow suit.”

The Florida State Seminoles are going through a transitioning period after a 2-10 season in which offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, wide receivers coach Ron Dugans, and linebackers coach Randy Shannon parted ways with the program.

The winter window of the 2024 NCAA Transfer Portal is open and there have been numerous roster shifts across the country, in particular within the FSU locker room.

The ‘Noles currently have 22 players in the portal, with the latest addition being quarterback Dylan McNamara. The move marks the second quarterback to announce their plans to transfer on Tuesday after an unexpected announcement that Luke Kromenhoek plans to depart the program.

READ MORE: Salary Terms, Contract Details Revealed For New FSU Defensive Line Coach Terrance Knighton

McNamara worked with the scout team his entire career at Florida State after joining the Seminoles in 2022. He redshirted his first season and will have two years of eligibility left as he tests the waters of other programs looking for someone new under center.

McNamara came in as a 2-star prospect out of Barron Collier High in Naples, FL. He accounted for nearly 3,400 yards of total offense, passing for 3,184 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for 199 yards and six touchdowns at the prep level.

The 6-foot-2, 222-pound quarterback is the eighth walk-on from FSU’s roster to enter the portal since the conclusion of the season, joining redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Grant, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Carson Pielock, redshirt sophomore defensive end Dante Anderson, redshirt senior defensive end Malakai Menzer, redshirt freshman defensive end Xaver Perkins, true freshman tight end Nick Roebas-Bass, and redshirt freshman defensive back Jayden Bradford.

Florida State is projected to return one scholarship quarterback for the 2025 season; redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn

The Seminoles signed four-star Kevin Sperry during the Early Signing Period.

On the first day of the winter portal window, FSU reportedly set up a visit with Boston College quarterback transfer Boston College and is looking to do the same with Liberty quarterback transfer Kaidon Salter.

READ MORE: Florida State Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek Leaving Seminoles, Entering NCAA Transfer Portal

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Between 1988 and 1990, the Broward county sheriff’s office (BSO) in Florida manufactured and sold crack cocaine as part of a controversial sting operation to arrest people for purchasing the illegal drug. Many of those who are arrested for purchasing the BSO-made drugs were given lengthy prison sentences. The Florida supreme court declared the operation unlawful in 1993, but many people still have criminal charges or convictions on their records.

Now, the Broward county state attorney, Harold F Pryor, seeks to bring justice to those affected by the operation. Last week Pryor, the first Black state attorney in Broward and the first Black man to be elected state attorney in Florida, announced plans to vacate as many as 2,600 convictions linked to the drug sting operation.

“The methods used by law enforcement and society to combat drug dealing in our community have evolved since that era,” Pryor said in a statement. “These records may be a dim memory or an unfortunate part of history to many, but they have had a long-lasting and severe impact on the lives of the people who were arrested – as well as their families and the wider community.”

Before the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 Act, which reduced the statutory penalties for crack cocaine offenses, five grams of crack cocaine possession resulted in a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years, and 28 grams of the drug resulted in a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

Some buyers, who were disproportionately from vulnerable communities, faced enhanced charges for purchasing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school – receiving mandatory prison sentences of at least three years.

“They had detention deputies posing as dealers … These poor people who were addicts were buying it,” the defense lawyer Ed Hoeg, who represented Leon Williams, the man whose appeal led to the supreme court ruling, said to the Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale.

There is no indication, the Broward county state attorneys office said in a statement, that many of the cases were ever formally vacated, which means that people who were swept up in the scheme may still be living with repercussions for the charges.

Pryor sent a letter to the current Broward county sheriff, Gregory Tony, notifying him of his intentions. “These matters were well before our tenures,” Pryor wrote. “However, I am of the opinion that the State has an ethical duty and obligation to correct this injustice before destruction [of old records] is initiated.” Pryor has said that Tony supports the plan.

Due to the number of people affected by the sting, the state attorney’s office is estimating it will take a considerable amount of time to review the paper files and determine people’s eligibility to seal or expunge their records.

In the statement announcing his plan, Pryor said, “It is never too late to do the right thing.”