Did the Sarasota Sheriff's Office use students for active shooter drills at Pine View?
Yes.
Students participated in active shooting drills at Pine View School this week.
Roughly a dozen students participated in the drills, which took place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 15 and 16, a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said.
The agency recruited teen members of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office Explorer Program, which allows young people to assist with agency activities as part of a community service and career development initiative. Pine View students also were invited to participate in the drill.
The exercises were conducted in partnership with Pine View School and are part of the agency’s routine active shooter preparedness efforts. The Sheriff’s Office regularly holds such drills to train law-enforcement officers and improve agency response.
Florida is among 40 states that require active shooter drills, as of 2024.
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Is the Suncoast firefly population going extinct?
No.
Fireflies have faced threats of habitat loss and light pollution, but they aren’t going extinct.
Instead, they are adapting to other regions with more suitable environments. Fireflies light up to attract mates, so they are drawn to darker places with less light pollution.
Fireflies are present in Sarasota County, but you might not see them as frequently as other parts of the state due to the level of human development in the area.
Though fireflies as a whole aren’t going extinct, human activity can have major consequences for the insect. One species — the Florida intertidal firefly — that calls the Sunshine State its home is endangered due to light pollution and habitat loss.
Other factors affecting firefly populations include pesticide use, climate change, and water pollution, especially where firefly larvae are aquatic.
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This story was originally published by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom delivering investigative journalism to Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
