This little-known state forest in South Florida is home to several Everglades species and has hiking, biking, and horseback riding options for visitors.

With $25,000 of prizes in play including a $10,000 grand prize, the effort targets invasive Burmese pythons, seeking to protect traditional Floridian wildlife from the slithering scourges introduced to the state as pets in the 1980s only to develop a foothold in South Florida after Hurricane Andrew’s historic destruction in 1992.

Hunters Vie for $25,000 in Prizes to Protect Florida's Ecosystem The 2025 Florida Python Challenge™ officially began today, with hundreds of registered participants already scouring the Everglades in a crucial effort to remove invasive Burmese pythons.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the American flamingo is one of the largest species of flamingo and averages some 5 feet tall. A survey conducted in 2024, spotted around 100 American flamingos in the wild around the Sunshine State.

Detainees are said to go days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and they are only able to speak by phone to lawyers and loved ones.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called a lawsuit filed against him by his democratic colleagues frivolous and ridiculous.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski criticized the remote location of the detention site called "Alligator Alcatraz" and the rhetoric surrounding it.

Florida Python Challenge begins July 11, bringing hunters to the Everglades to remove invasive Burmese pythons that threaten native wildlife in south Florida's ecosystem.