It remains unclear why hundreds of dead fish floated to the surface of Lake Apopka two weeks ago, state wildlife officials say.

Testing remains ongoing. No evidence points to an algal bloom or low dissolved oxygen levels in the water as the likely cause, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which reports it also received 31 reports of fish kills on the lakle between Jan. 31 and Feb. 11.

Cold temperatures can also trigger fish kills, especially if water temperatures drop suddenly or last for an extended period of time, the agency says. Other common causes include disease, herbicide, and spills of sewage or petroleum.

Orange County resident Andy Braddock calls Lake Apopka, Florida’s fourth-largest lake, his “happy place.” Braddock says he spends lots of time fishing on the lake and captured video of the fish kill after recently discovering the event while boating.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been searching for tar balls that began showing up on South Florida beaches this past weekend, but so far the source of the black muck remains a mystery.

The agency has been investigating reports of tar balls from Port Everglades to Palm Beach along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Some beaches in South Florida closed Saturday when tar balls washed ashore, but they've since reopened.

What are tar balls?

Tar balls are small, dark pieces of oil which can stick to the feet of beachgoers, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

They often come from oil spills, but the source can also be “natural seeps” in which oil slowly escapes from petroleum reserves beneath the ocean floor, according to NOAA. That was a possible source of tar balls that washed onto the shore in the Huntington Beach area of California in March 2024, officials said.

After a bipartisan uproar last year about a proposal dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” the Florida Senate on Tuesday began moving forward with a bill that would prevent building such things as golf courses, pickleball courts and hotel-style lodges in state parks.

The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the bill (SB 80), sponsored by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.

“Our state parks are so unique, and we want to make sure that they are there for the enjoyment and the conservation of our natural resources in our state of Florida,” Harrell said.

The uproar came last year after the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a news release about the “Great Outdoors Initiative” and later used social media posts to briefly outline plans for nine parks.

Perhaps the biggest target of opponents was a proposal to add three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County, which is in Harrell’s district. Other parts of the initiative that drew heavy criticism included proposals to construct lodges with up to 350 rooms at Anastasia State Park in St. Johns County and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Walton County.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration paused the proposal after the uproar, but Harrell and Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, filed bills to try to block the possibility of such development in the future. The bills are filed for the legislative session that will start March 4.

While you were braving Florida's chilly weather a few weeks ago, a group of sea turtles were being warmed up at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

The nonprofit announced that it released four Kemp's ridley sea turtles off the state's east coast on Jan. 29 after treating them for several weeks.

The turtles were part of a group of 12 that came from New England, where they'd been "cold stunned."

RELATED: Florida Aquarium is treating cold-stunned turtles rescued off St. Augustine

Kerry McNally, research scientist and rehabilitation manager at the aquarium, said that's when cold-blooded animals become "basically hypothermic" after experiencing unusually frigid temperatures.

"That causes them to stop eating, stop moving; they're prone to secondary infections," she explained.

Kemp's ridley turtles are the "smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species," according to the National Park Service.