Pinellas County Environmental News

10/21/2026

👨‍💻 JOB OPPORTUNITY! 📈

Pinellas County Division of Environmental Management is hiring! 🌊

If you are passionate about protecting our coastal environment & enjoy a combination of data, field, and microscopy work, check out this exciting opportunity with the Water Quality Monitoring team!

Highly desirable skills include:

✅ Proficiency in R programming
✅ Experience with statistical analysis
✅ Experience with identification of microscopic marine and/or freshwater phytoplankton
✅ Experience with surface water quality monitoring, related equipment, and lab practices
✅ Working knowledge of ESRI Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
✅ Ability to drive and trailer boats, and USCG Safe Boat Operator Certification or equivalent
✅ Scuba certification

🌐 Visit: phh.tbe.taleo.net/phh04/ats/careers/v2/viewRequisition?org=PCG&cws=47&rid=21437 to learn more & apply today!

10/20/2026

👻 Spooky Species Spotlight! 👻

😱 What’s spooky about this plant, aside from its name, is that it’s declining throughout Florida, partly due to a look-alike, non-native hybrid eelgrass that threatens native populations.

Eelgrass (Vallisneria neotropicalis) is a native freshwater aquatic plant that plays an important role in carbon cycling, stabilizing soil, improving water quality and providing food and shelter for wildlife.

Fortunately, Lake Tarpon is one of the few water bodies in the area where native eelgrass populations have maintained their genetic integrity. 💪

Our Watershed Planning team recently collected nearly 100 eelgrass samples from Lake Tarpon and sent them to Montana State University for genetic analysis. The results confirmed that only native eelgrass was present, clearing the way for Lake Tarpon to serve as a donor site to help restore eelgrass populations elsewhere.

More on that to come! 🌱

📸: First photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

10/20/2026

Pinellas County Mosquito Control will begin aerial treatments for areas of St. Pete and Clearwater to reduce populations of mosquitoes capable of spreading dengue. 🚁

The helicopter will fly between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. It will have Lee County branding (as shown in the photo), fly low and spray a fine mist of Bti, a natural bacteria found in soil that targets only mosquito larvae and black flies. Bti is the active ingredient found in mosquito dunks and bits. It is EPA-tested and is not harmful to humans, pets or other pollinators.

As cases of dengue continue to increase, more areas need treatment to stop mosquitoes from spreading dengue. ❌🦟 These aerial larvae treatments are very similar to our truck larvae treatments, but the helicopters cover larger areas in a shorter amount of time and will allow the Bti to treat hard-to-reach areas that our trucks cannot access.

We are working to finalize the schedule for aerial treatments, but they may start later this week. To receive notifications of aerial larvae treatments planned in your area, you can register for Alert Pinellas at Pinellas.gov/Alert-Pinellas. 📲

Find the answer to many of your questions about aerial treatments, our other dengue-related mosquito control efforts and what you can do to protect yourself at Pinellas.gov/dengue-fever-what-you-need-to-know/.

10/19/2026

😎 Come join the fun! 😎 Update: Volunteer Registration is FULL!

Oyster River Ecology has other scheduled dates to build oyster rag pots or you can even schedule a special group event: https://oysterriverecology.org/get-involved

We'll be making oyster rag pots (ORPs) to support Oyster River Ecology's efforts in recruiting oysters to Old Tampa Bay. 🦪 This in turn strengthens our living shoreline project at Philippe Park! 🙌

Step one is to create the ORPs, and step two is to install them (at a later date). We'll need your help with both! Thank you in advance to the generous hearts that help to make Pinellas environmentally friendly for future generations! ✨

📅 Saturday, November 7th
⏰ 9:00am - 11:00am
📍 2525 Philippe Pkwy, Safety Harbor, FL 34695
🌐 Register at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/oyster-rag-pots

10/16/2026

👽 No, this isn’t an alien from a horror movie!

🌳 Banyan trees (Ficus benghalensis), are a type of non-native strangler fig. Strangler figs germinate on a different species of tree, and eventually take them over or “strangle” them.

Banyan trees produce aerial roots that grow vertically downward from their branches. The roots thicken and can spread around the host tree.

Although banyan trees are not native to Florida, we do have a native strangler fig known as the golden fig (Ficus aurea). While strangler figs can eventually kill their host, they can also provide valuable resources to wildlife! Their fruit serves as a food source to various organisms, which in turn helps disperse their seeds and continue their life cycle.

🔎 This banyan tree can be found in downtown St. Petersburg!

10/15/2026

☀ Let there be light! ☀

Plants need sunlight to thrive, but that is not always possible in our landscapes thanks to trees and other structures. Too much shade can cause turf to die off or weaken.

Here are some tips for maintaining healthy turf in a shaded environment:
🪚 Trim tree branches to allow sunlight onto the turf below
🚷 Increase mowing height and reduce foot traffic to prevent turf from becoming stressed
❌ Reduce irrigation and fertilization as shaded turf exerts less energy
🌱 If all else fails, replace your current turf with a mulch bed or more shade-tolerant species. The CitraBlue cultivar of St. Augustinegrass is the best, but dwarf cultivars like Captiva, Delmar, and Seville are also good options.

🔎 For more information, visit:
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP072

10/13/2026

🙌 Volunteer Opportunity! 🙌

Join us as we partner with Oyster River Ecology to install oyster rag pots (ORPs) at Philippe Park! This project will help restore 5 acres of oyster reef in Old Tampa Bay.

📅 Saturday, November 14th
⏰ Noon - 2:30 p.m.
📍 2525 Philippe Pkwy, Safety Harbor, FL 34695
🌐 Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-ever-oyster-rag-pot-installation-event-in-safety-harbor-tickets-2002981721247

For more information on ORPs, please visit: https://youtu.be/5NF2-YhwQdc?si=0aIM81LoIxcF2YEo

Join us installing oyster rag pots at Philippe Park! This is the first of many events out here as we restore oyster reefs over 5 acres!

10/12/2026

❌ Turn your sprinkler control box from AUTO to OFF!

If your landscape irrigation is set on an automatic timer, it may still run during or after a rainstorm. Irrigating when your lawn is already sufficiently wet not only wastes water and money, but it can cause weeds to grow, pests to infiltrate, and roots to rot. Utilizing rain gauges or rain sensors is a great way to prevent these issues.

📏 Rain gauges track how many inches of rain your lawn has received so that you will know when to turn off your irrigation. Some rain gauges, called automatic weather stations, will even track metrics such as temperature and humidity!

🌧️ Rain sensors, or rain shut-off-devices, will automatically shut off your irrigation system once it detects an adequate amount of rain on your landscape. Florida law even states that new irrigation systems must be installed with a rain sensor, which helps both homeowners and the water supply!

🔎 For more information, visit:
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/irrigation/rain-sensors-and-gauges

10/09/2026

😤 Breathe Deep - It's Friday! 😤

Did you know that dragonflies don't have lungs?! 🤯 They breathe through small air tubes called tracheae which connect to tiny holes in the sides of their body called spiracles! 💨 Dragonflies pump their abdomen to push air in and out of their bodies! If you look closely, you can see this lovely lady taking a breather while resting on railroad vine outside our Public Works office! 💚

10/07/2026

🌙 Nocturnal Wildlife 101 🌙

Ever wonder who is visiting your backyard at night? 🦉 Are you okay if it is owls and bats?!? Our nocturnal friends are just as important for our ecosystems as their daytime avian counterparts. 🤩

In an upcoming class, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ educator, Melissa West, will shed some light on these nocturnal creatures and the benefits of their late night activities. 🦇 You can also learn how to create your own nighttime wildlife paradise and how your garden can contribute to a healthy ecosystem. 🌱

✨Two classes this month!!✨

📅Monday, October 19th,
⏰2:00pm-3:00pm
📍Dunedin Public Library, 223 Douglas Avenue, Dunedin, FL 34699
🎫Class is free. No pre-registration required.
OR
📅Thursday, October 29th,
⏰11:00am-12:00pm
📍Sunken Gardens, 1825 4th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704, held in the Garden Room.
🎫 Class is free with Gardens admission or membership. No pre-registration required.