Bethany Barnes

Irákleion, Shenyang

Investigative Reporter at Tampa Bay Times

Deputy investigative editor @TB_Times. Contributor @LMattersNews. Past: @Oregonian, Vegas papers. [email protected]

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Articles

Florida waters are getting more polluted. Here’s what the Times found.

1 week ago | tampabay.com | Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes |Shreya Vuttaluru

After hundreds of manatees starved in the Indian River Lagoon, the Tampa Bay Times decided to trace the crisis to its roots. That meant examining water quality across Florida. Manatees’ main food source — seagrass — was wiped out following decades of pollution in the Lagoon. Miles of once-lush seagrass beds transformed into underwater deserts. Manatees washed up dead and emaciated.
Florida waters are getting more polluted. Here’s what the Times found.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes |Shreya Vuttaluru

After hundreds of manatees starved in the Indian River Lagoon, the Tampa Bay Times decided to trace the crisis to its roots. That meant examining water quality across Florida. Manatees’ main food source — seagrass — was wiped out following decades of pollution in the Lagoon. Miles of once-lush seagrass beds transformed into underwater deserts. Manatees washed up dead and emaciated.
Which polluted Florida waters are getting worse? Find out here

2 weeks ago | tampabay.com | Shreya Vuttaluru |Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes

The Tampa Bay Times spent more than a year examining water quality across Florida. Nearly 1 in 4 waterways are contaminated by high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, or other issues that point to imbalances of the chemicals, the Times found. The pollutants fuel devastating algae blooms that kill seagrass that manatees and many other animals rely on to survive. Related: Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.
Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.

2 weeks ago | orlandosentinel.com | Zachary Sampson |Shreya Vuttaluru |Bethany Barnes

Perched on a spit of land, two biologists peered into slate blue water. Below them, manatees floated like clouds, raising whiskery snouts to let out long, loud breaths. The Indian River Lagoon looked like an ideal symbol of Florida. But by that afternoon in late January 2021, the scientists knew they stood at the edge of catastrophe. For decades, the beloved animals had survived winter by retreating to this pocket of the Lagoon near Cocoa, where discharges from a power plant kept them warm.
Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.

2 weeks ago | sun-sentinel.com | Zachary Sampson |Shreya Vuttaluru |Bethany Barnes

Perched on a spit of land, two biologists peered into slate blue water. Below them, manatees floated like clouds, raising whiskery snouts to let out long, loud breaths. The Indian River Lagoon looked like an ideal symbol of Florida. But by that afternoon in late January 2021, the scientists knew they stood at the edge of catastrophe. For decades, the beloved animals had survived winter by retreating to this pocket of the Lagoon near Cocoa, where discharges from a power plant kept them warm.
Florida must act quickly to stop water pollution, federal lawmakers urge

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes |Shreya Vuttaluru

18 hours agoA third of Americans still breathe unhealthy air after decades of improvements—which the Trump administration wants to roll back. These particles can also cross the placenta, where they can reduce an infant’s lung function before birth. A pre-polluted baby is also more likely to arrive prematurely, …
Florida must act quickly to stop water pollution, federal lawmakers urge

2 weeks ago | tampabay.com | Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes |Shreya Vuttaluru

Federal lawmakers are calling for Florida leaders to take swift action to control water pollution after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed that a mass die-off of starving manatees in the Indian River Lagoon was the result of a broader crisis. “Clean water is essential to our way of life; manatees are the canary in the coal mine to larger health problems,” U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, a Fort Pierce Republican whose district includes the southern Lagoon, said in a statement.
Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.

3 weeks ago | tampabay.com | Zachary Sampson |Shreya Vuttaluru |Bethany Barnes

Perched on a spit of land, two biologists peered into slate blue water. Below them, manatees floated like clouds, raising whiskery snouts to let out long, loud breaths. The Indian River Lagoon looked like an ideal symbol of Florida. But by that afternoon in late January 2021, the scientists knew they stood at the edge of catastrophe. For decades, the beloved animals had survived winter by retreating to this pocket of the Lagoon near Cocoa, where discharges from a power plant kept them warm.
Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.

3 weeks ago | project.tampabay.com | Zachary Sampson |Shreya Vuttaluru |Bethany Barnes

Perched on a spit of land, two biologists peered into slate blue water. Below them, manatees floated like clouds, raising whiskery snouts to let out long, loud breaths. The Indian River Lagoon looked like an ideal symbol of Florida. But by that afternoon in late January 2021, the scientists knew they stood at the edge of catastrophe. For decades, the beloved animals had survived winter by retreating to this pocket of the Lagoon near Cocoa, where discharges from a power plant kept them warm.
After St. Petersburg crane collapse, legislators propose changing Florida law

Jan 23, 2025 | tampabay.com | Zachary Sampson |Bethany Barnes

Months after a construction crane fell during Hurricane Milton, pulverizing an office building in downtown St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay lawmakers are proposing a change to how officials regulate cranes during storms. Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Lindsay Cross, both St. Petersburg Democrats, say they have filed bills that would strike a preemption blocking cities and counties from crafting local safety rules around cranes.