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Manatee deaths linked to red tide residue

By TIMES WIRES
Published April 23, 2007

FORT MYERS

Deadly Red Tide toxins can linger on sea grass for weeks after the algae fade from surrounding waters, scientists now think. Red Tide-tainted sea grass has been linked to the deaths of 27 manatees whose bodies were found in Lee County waters in late March and early April, said Leanne Flewelling, a scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

TAMPA

Man accused of gator possession

A man was arrested Sunday night after Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found a dead alligator at his Temple Crest home. Benjamin Thedoris Hodges, 35, of 3905 E. Bird St., told investigators he caught the alligator in the Hillsborough River and planned to eat it, an arrest report said. Tampa police contacted Fish and Wildlife after catching Hodges "killing/butchering an alligator," the report said. State laws prohibit killing, possessing or capturing alligators without authorization from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Possessing an alligator is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Hodges was at Orient Road Jail Sunday night. His bond was set at $2,000.

FORT LAUDERDALE

Air crash victims were from Florida

All five people killed in the crash of a small plane off Fort Lauderdale were Florida residents, federal authorities said. A Piper Aztec disappeared from radar Saturday during a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Andros Island in the Bahamas. The plane was registered to Glen Quackenbush of Plantation. The Coast Guard identified his passengers as Troy Taylor, Michael Gross, Michael Levofsky and Mark Santa, all of Broward County. Less than 12 hours before Saturday's crash, a small plane crashed in the Keys after hitting a cable tethering a blimp used to watch for drug smuggling flights.

[Last modified April 23, 2007, 01:10:02]