Friday, May 31, 2019

Adam Wolf 5A-Identifying Local Opportunities


Opportunity 1
Alligator breaks window, crawls into Florida kitchen
This story was concise as explains how an 11-foot alligator entered through a low window into someone’s kitchen in Clearwater, Florida.  The owner called the police and the gator was safely removed without injury.  There were also no injuries to any humans during this incident.  The problem in this story is a dangerous creature entered a house and the owner was in fear.  It is near impossible to handle an 11-foot alligator without the proper tools or knowledge.  Any body living in Florida could potentially have this problem.  However, alligator encounters more often occur outside such as in pools.  It is unusual for an alligator to break inside, yet this can happen to anybody living in Florida.

Opportunity 2
Sargassum seaweed: The good, the bad and the ugly
Sargassum is a type of algae that floats in the oceans.  When wind and current conditions combine, the seaweed washes ashore and creates many problems.  First, when Sargasso weed rots on a hot beach, it begins to smell.  The reduced the number of tourists who come to the beach.  In addition, fishermen are unable to fish because of the seaweed.  Both tourism and fishing are major economic sectors in my town.  This seaweed problem has a direct negative affect on our economy.  This problem affects anybody who uses beaches along the Atlantic coast of Florida. 

Opportunity 3
Hurricanes may pack more storm surge, rainfall and wind due to climate change
In the past three years, Florida has experienced three strong hurricanes: Matthew, Irma, and Michael.  Meteorologists are studying weather patterns and the trend of stronger storms is supported by the data.  They argue hurricane intensification will continue, bring more rain and wind than ever before.  The problem deals with preparation.  Residents don’t know what to expect and how to ensure safety in stronger storms.  Storm surge is hard to estimate ahead of the storm.  Meteorologists don’t know much worse future hurricanes will be.  This hurricane issue and preparation problems affect all residents in the eastern and southeastern United States. 


Opportunity 4
Martin County’s 3rd Wawa store, gas station gets OK; it would be the 8th on Treasure Coast
County commissioners approved plans to build another Wawa in Martin County.  Once building permits are obtained, officials expect construction to be completed quickly.  Other Wawa’s already built along the Treasure Coast has experienced great success.  The problem is getting the permits.  The article says actual construction may not start for a while because building permits may take up to a year.  This problem affects all people who plan to use this Wawa for its goods and services. 

Opportunity 5
Sheriff’s Office investigates dog cruelty at St. Lucie County Home
After receiving an anonymous top, deputies went to a home and rescued at least 15 dogs.  This case is still an ongoing animal cruelty investigation.  The residence also has cats, pigs, and chickens.  Officials say living conditions were poor for the animals.  People who have this problem of not treating their pets correctly are usually individuals who can’t afford to take care of the animals.  Often, a pet has babies and the situation quickly gets out of hand.  The homeowner doesn’t have the necessary funds to pay for a healthy, safe environment. 

3 comments:

  1. Hi Adam,

    I would say that the problem in number five could be more than someone just not knowing how to take care of his or her pets. The owners could be hoarders which would result in neglecting the well-being of the animals because they cannot even take care of themselves. I’ve seen many rescues like this on Instagram. Or they could suffer from some other sort of mental illness. It’s hard to say because the article doesn’t offer much as to why the animals were taken away because its still under investigation.

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  2. Adam,

    I totally agree with opportunity number three. Every Floridian has been effected or experienced turmoil from a hurricane. Hurricane season is a huge part of every person who lives in florida. Personally my family was effected by hurricane in the summer of 2018. We were hit my an 8 ft storm serge and had to re construct the bottom floor of my home. This was a big change in our lives but thankfully no one was hurt. This being said anything to help people prepare for hurricanes will definitely have my attention and be successful.

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  3. Hey Adam,
    I like how you talked about the seaweed problem because it affects the beaches in town where I come from as well. I also think it would be very challenging to come up with a solution for that, since the problem is so continuous and dispersed over such a large area. I wonder if its increase could be tied to fertilizer runoff from the industrial agriculture in Florida.

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