Environment reporter, Tampa Bay Times Instagram 📸 MaxChesneshttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3mkptofnyfk2xFor years, a company used a gas known to cause cancer to clean medical tools at a plant in Tampa Bay But the business and regulators who oversaw it didn’t curb emissions for years Now, people who lived close to the site have cancer, and they're suing: https://www.tampabay.com/investigations/2026/04/30/tampa-bay-toxic-gas-temple-terrace-cancer-risk/30 Apr 2026 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkptofnyfk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3m643xjh7ik2uThe Trump administration wants to open up the eastern Gulf to oil drilling, pushing closer to Florida shores. The pushback is swift, with Gov. DeSantis urging the feds to reconsider thttps://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/11/20/oil-drilling-florida-gulf/21 Nov 2025 01:10 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m643xjh7ik2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3m5yjvrawj22iEarlier this summer, Floridians felt blindsided by a rushed proposal to trade away 600 acres of pristine wilderness preserve in St. Johns Now, a Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill for more transparency around possible sales of conservation lands https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/11/18/guana-river-florida-land-swap-transparency-bill-kim-kendall/19 Nov 2025 15:09 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5yjvrawj22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3m2u2tagi2s2bNEW: I’ve interviewed more than a dozen longtime Florida conservation experts, including former regulators who combined have worked under 5 governors All shared concerns with me about the state’s recent purchase of a 4-acre property for $83 million. More: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/10/10/sham-floridas-longtime-conservation-experts-question-pricey-4-acre-destin-purchase/10 Oct 2025 16:13 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2u2tagi2s2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3m25wy4afbk2aDr. Jane Goodall was not just a force of nature. She was a fearless and unrelenting champion of it. I had the honor of interviewing Jane in 2023 and 2024. Our conversations were optimistic and future-focused. They always centered on one thing: hope. https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/10/01/jane-goodall-death-died-tampa-bay-times/01 Oct 2025 21:05 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m25wy4afbk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3m23bjb2w4k2pNEW: Despite concerns from conservationists and Republican officials, FL leaders just voted to approve a fast-tracked deal to pay a campaign donor $83 million for his companies’ 4 acres of Destin land “Let’s just say I have concerns,” said CFO Ingoglia https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/09/30/desantis-florida-destin-land-purchase-donor-ingoglia/30 Sep 2025 19:36 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3m23bjb2w4k2phttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lzt4lqx23c2b🚨 In today’s Tampa Bay Times: The Florida Cabinet votes Tuesday to buy 4 acres of Destin land for a steep price tag: $83M The land •is not on the state’s conservation priority list •is owned by a large campaign donor Read more here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/09/26/florida-land-deal-destin-okaloosa-desantis-donor/27 Sep 2025 13:47 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzt4lqx23c2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lxzr3kctyk2nFlorida’s wildlife agency gave a license to a company to capture a manta ray — a federally designated threatened species — for Sea World in Abu Dhabi. After a video of its capture went viral, a bipartisan collation of lawmakers is calling for a change: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/09/02/giant-manta-ray-capture-florida-seaworld-abu-dhabi/04 Sep 2025 18:19 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxzr3kctyk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lwjkczxxkc2pState water managers are considering selling the 40-acre Chassahowitzka River campground, a popular destination for Floridians who want access to winding the spring-fed river https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/08/15/chassahowitzka-river-campground-close-could-be-sold/16 Aug 2025 14:10 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwjkczxxkc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lw7gjb5mkk2yA pair of Florida panther kittens — sisters born just a few months ago — were both hit and killed in Naples That brings the statewide panther death total this year to 12. All but one have been caused by car strikes @tampabaytimes.bsky.social https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/08/12/florida-panther-kittens-killed-naples-collier/12 Aug 2025 13:35 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lw7gjb5mkk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lvvurv64ds27A man shot and killed a bear in his yard. Under a new Florida self-defense law, he won’t face charges. https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/08/08/florida-black-bear-death-okaloosa-panhandle-self-defense-law/08 Aug 2025 18:24 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvvurv64ds27https://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3luflwbnpsc2sIn just four hours of marine debris cleanup in Tampa Bay: •50+ abandoned crab traps •Thousands of pounds of plastic •Hundreds of feet of ropes and fishing line20 Jul 2025 13:38 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3luflwbnpsc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3ltmft6wedc23In 2016, Florida’s Big Cypress became the nation’s first “dark sky” preserve, a key designation to help endangered nocturnal species But the leading group that classified the park now says artificial light from Alligator Alcatraz “directly threatens” that https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/07/09/alligator-alcatraz-light-pollution-florida-everglades-big-cypress/10 Jul 2025 13:12 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltmft6wedc23https://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lsbzuhjos22k82-year-old Clyde Butcher, world-renowned photographer who last year earned a presidential medal for his life’s work documenting the Florida Everglades, joined protests yesterday against the state’s proposed “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center23 Jun 2025 16:46 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsbzuhjos22khttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lr6k7sl7ls2nPoaching, sweeping habitat loss and dwindling wetlands have plummeted the population of one of Florida’s most beloved flowers Now, U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposes bolstering ghost orchid protections by adding it to the endangered species list https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/06/06/florida-ghost-orchids-swamp-flowers-endangered-species-act/09 Jun 2025 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr6k7sl7ls2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lps7ndsopc2eBREAKING: DeSantis signs bill prohibiting golf, hotels on Florida state parks https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/05/22/desantis-florida-state-parks-jonathan-dickinson-hotels/22 May 2025 22:57 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lps7ndsopc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3loqwxdt3n22aThis week marked the 30th story in our series about the DeSantis’ administration’s plans last year to develop state parks with hotels and golf courses All of those stories are now in one place 👇 https://www.tampabay.com/topics/state-parks/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAacv20tP0QvD7st6mULXWR1mb4tVjdjNW_bapo6ciS4bZcWG9S1K-QYc13k-aQ_aem_e8AOcA9l_uez6RuExOdb_A09 May 2025 17:23 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3loqwxdt3n22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lo4rcoolcs2tBREAKING: The Legislature just delivered a decisive victory to Floridians who treasure their state parks, passing a bill to ban golf courses and hotels in parks The bill heads to the desk of the governor, whose admin’s plans prompted protests last summer https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/05/01/desantis-state-park-bill-golf-pickleball-jonathan-dickinson/01 May 2025 16:49 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo4rcoolcs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3llrdezpbpk2xFlorida’s natural history is etched by hurricanes pushing wildlife from one place to the next I wrote about the most recent example: these land tortoises survived miles of open water in Hurricane Helene’s storm surge They’re now thriving on a new island: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/04/01/hurricane-helene-fort-de-soto-gopher-tortoises/01 Apr 2025 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3llrdezpbpk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3lkt4mdcngs2kState water managers are proposing to trade away 700 acres of North Florida state forest land to a peanut farming operation. More here @tampabaytimes.bsky.social https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/03/19/twin-rivers-state-forest-land-swap-ellaville-tract-peanut-farm/20 Mar 2025 16:29 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkt4mdcngs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/maxchesnes.bsky.social/post/3ljzp6vy2lk2wThe City of Tampa was slated to get a $1.6 million grant to plant more trees in low-income areas to combat extreme heat Calling it DEI, the Trump admin is canceling the money: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2025/03/10/tampa-trees-grant-trump-dei-cuts/10 Mar 2025 13:52 +0000at://did:plc:xptdsxo7l7px6xjuxlzzrh3i/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljzp6vy2lk2w