Jupiter Island Friends and Neighbors,
We are already off to a busy August! Just this week, Tropical Storm Harold made landfall along the Texas coast. After months of record-breaking high heat, we must continue to watch every storm and stay prepared to evacuate or take other precautions when a hurricane forms along the coast.
FLORIDA ON ALERT
According to Miami TV news channel 10, WPLG, Florida is “on alert for increasing tropical [storm] threat next week.” The news outlet says, “A broad area of spin and storminess pivoting across Central America into the northwestern Caribbean [Friday] is forecast to slowly come together by this weekend near the Yucatán Channel and emerge over the eastern Gulf of Mexico early next week. The National Hurricane Center expects a tropical depression or storm to form in the coming days and move toward Florida from next Tuesday to Thursday. While for now models don’t show a strong system approaching Florida, the unique setup in late August is one that could allow the system to overachieve and quickly strengthen more than currently advertised.” Please continue to check the local news for more updates in the days ahead. We know from experience that we must prepare for the worst even as we hope for the best along Florida’s east coast.
LOCAL CORAL REEFS
During Hurricane Season we are even more thankful for our local coral reef system off the coast of Jupiter Island that gives us some barrier against the full force of a major storm. It should also be pointed out that our local Coral Cove Park was just named one of the top 20 places to snorkel in Florida by a tourist website, in large part because of our beautiful coral reefs.
BLEACHING OF THE REEFS
The reefs continue to be a vital part of the Florida waters, however they have recently been affected by coral bleaching. The last reef bleaching lasted for three years and many are pushing for solutions to help prevent long-lasting damage from this event. Local lawmakers are now sending a letter to NOAA to help protect the reefs and put into effect legislation that was pushed last year.
HEART OF TURTLE NESTING SEASON
August is the heart of Turtle Nesting season in Florida, according to the Florida State Parks office under the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. Turtle nesting can also be directly affected by a major storm making landfall on Florida’s southern coast or the Keys because sea turtles rely on the availability of sand to build their nest, which can be dramatically deteriorated by the force of a hurricane.
Thank you for your continued support. As the summer comes to a close and many more residents return to the Island in September, we plan to send a more robust update on Town Commission votes and actions in our future emails.
Sincerely,
Jupiter Island Forever Leaders