MANDATORY BIOMETRICS AT U.S. CUSTOMS
In October 2025, US authorities confirmed the implementation of mandatory photo ID and fingerprinting for all travelers entering the country, including Canadians arriving by land. As confirmed by the Canadian Snowbird Association, this long-awaited measure officially came into effect on December 26, 2025. During the first few months of implementation, this could result in longer wait times at customs.
10 MILLION CORALS FACING PORT EVERGLADES EXPANSION PROJECT
Scientists have discovered that nearly 10 million living corals thrive in the Port Everglades channel. Despite the constant passage of cruise ships and cargo ships, these staghorn corals have survived and even grown, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Shedd Aquarium, even though they are considered extinct in the rest of Florida.
However, the Port Everglades Navigation Improvements Project, a major federal plan, proposes to widen and deepen the shipping lanes to accommodate larger vessels carrying raw materials, oil, coal, and grain. Andy Strelcheck, NOAA’s Southeast Regional Fishery Administrator, warns: “The project would have the greatest impact on coral reefs ever authorized in U.S. history.” The work involves heavy machinery and explosions to break up rock on the seabed, which also disturbs marine wildlife.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which is managing the project, promises to relocate the most mature corals and replant them nearby after the work is completed, which is scheduled to begin in three years.
AGENDA FOR THE FIRST MEETING OF MIAMI’S NEW MAYOR
On January 8, the first meeting of the Miami City Commission was held, chaired by its new mayor, Eileen Higgins. The topics on the agenda are varied. The Commission will examine the possibility of aligning the mayoral election with even-numbered years, as with other state and federal elections, whereas they are currently held in odd-numbered years, such as 2025.
Another topic is the construction of a museum in Virginia Key Beach Historical Park, which has been postponed for twenty years. This museum is intended to pay tribute to the African-American community, as Virginia Key Beach was the first beach where black residents of the county were allowed to swim during segregation.
Finally, the new city council wants to revisit the city’s sale of part of Watson Island at the end of 2025, approved by the previous administration, to the BH3 Merrimac construction group for only $29 million. Also valued at $200 million, the parcel is on Watson Island, home to Jungle Island and the Miami Children’s Museum.
ONGOING DEPOLLUTION PROJECT
By the end of the first quarter of 2026, the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River pollution control project will have built a diversion of polluted water from agricultural and urban areas and treated it before it reaches the estuary.
This new system, which will have cost $52 million, will prevent the entry of nearly 15 tons of phosphorus and more than 34 tons of nitrogen each year, two nutrients responsible for algae blooms and major ecological degradation. The diverted and treated freshwater could also be redirected to Lake Okeechobee during low-level periods.
