Sun staff writer/photographer covering the environment, tourism and Cortez.

Woman completes ‘round the island swim

Cindy Lane - January 10, 2022

HOLMES BEACH – It may be a first. Julie Madison, 34, swam around Anna Maria Island on Dec. 30, traveling 16.8 miles in 67-degree water...

Florida loses record number of manatees in 2021

Cindy Lane - January 10, 2022

More than 1,100 manatees died in 2021, a record high since the turn of the century, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...

More leaks appear at Piney Point

Cindy Lane - January 9, 2022

PALMETTO – Three more leaks from an unknown source have emerged in one of the gypsum stacks holding contaminated water at the closed Piney...

Sing along with the Christmas Bird Count

Cindy Lane - January 3, 2022

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – On the eighth day of Christmas, the Audubon Society counted 12 palm warblers, 11 (plus eight) northern mockingbirds, 10 red-bellied...

Piney Point deep well permit approved

Cindy Lane - December 18, 2021

PALMETTO – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued a permit for Manatee County to build a 3,300-foot-deep well to permanently store...