Florida climate crisis: Tree risk and lizard wars

The articles below show how Florida's climate crisis poses threats to natural and built environments.

Rising temperatures and sea levels threaten Miami's native trees, leading to rethinking urban forest planning. An ongoing turf war between lizards has unforeseen impacts on mosquito behavior, with potential public health implications. Sinking buildings in the Miami area have led to monitoring systems.

Take a look at the coverage.

Kenneth Feeley, UM biology professor and Director of the Gifford Arboretum Department of Biology, measures a tree on campus. His research found that more than half of Miami’s trees will be stressed by rising temperatures. By Ashley Miznazi

NO. 1: ABOUT HALF OF MIAMI’S NATIVE TREES AT RISK FROM RISING TEMPS. WHAT SHOULD WE PLANT NOW?

“Unfortunately many trees will be lost and that’s a consequence of modern climate change” | Published December 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ashley Miznazi

Mario Verciani, CEO of SmartCore Systems, displays a sensor same as the ones installed at the Bay House Miami Residences in Edgewater, by his company that provides structural health monitoring (SHM) services to buildings including condominiums, in Miami, on Tuesday February 11, 2025. By Pedro Portal

NO. 2: STURDY, SINKING, SHAKY? MIAMI COMPANY OFFERS AN EARLY WARNING SENSOR SYSTEM FOR CONDOS

‘We have monitoring in place, and our structure has not moved. We have real time data.’ | Published February 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby

Peter’s rock agamas have spread across Florida, in some places pushing aside native species like the brown anole. That shift in the reptile population could potentially have ripple effects on mosquitoes and the spread of diseases . By Alex Grimsley

NO. 3: HOW A TURF WAR BETWEEN LIZARDS IN FLORIDA IMPACTS MOSQUITOES AND MAYBE YOUR HEALTH

Researchers are looking at the role a tiny lizard plays in protecting us from mosquito-borne diseases | Published March 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby

Despite a ‘rain bomb’ that flooded this home in the Edgewood neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale in April 2023, property values there have largely rebounded in the months since. By Matias J. Ocner

NO. 4: CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMING FOR FLORIDA’S REAL ESTATE. WHY DON’T PRICES REFLECT IT?

So far, property values have remained remarkably resilient to flood risks – more resilient than many of the actual homes. | Published May 6, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.