ICYMI

BY ALEX GALBRAITH AND NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

Storm uncovers cultural finds, video of allegedly injured SeaWorld dolphin goes viral, and other news you may have missed last week.

» Native American remains, Spanish coins unearthed by erosion from Hurricane Nicole

Hurricane Nicole caused widespread erosion across the east coast of Florida this week, endangering homes and washing out roads with massive storm surge. Those same forces unearthed several archeological finds around Florida. Human remains believed to be Native Americans were uncovered on Chastain Beach in Martin County. Investigators believe the bones might be centuries old and have handed the site over to local universities for further inquiry. The sheriff’s office said that the find consisted of a skull and several leg bones.

A less grisly find was unearthed by metal detector-using hobbyists in Bonsteel Park in Brevard County. Two would-be treasure hunters uncovered a coin that they believe came from a Spanish ship. Spanish fleets carrying gold and silver sunk off the coast in 1715 and 1733. While many of the ships in these two disasters have been found, eight ships are still missing. Treasure hunters have fiended after a big score since 1961 when salvagers found thousands of coins north of Fort Pierce. Atlantic Coast hurricanes scour the beaches and bring new opportunities for diehard detectors, searching over areas that would have been far below the top level of sand (or even out at sea) prior to the storm’s arrival. The single coin is estimated by the unnamed hunter to be worth around $400.

» Viral TikTok of seemingly injured dolphin at SeaWorld Orlando causes outrage

A TikTok that seems to show a dolphin bleeding at SeaWorld Orlando after being attacked by other dolphins is going viral. The video, posted by user @the.man.child, shows an injured dolphin resting on the side of the tank where Dolphin Adventures is performed. The poster claims the dolphin was attacked by other dolphins at the park and trainers can be heard calling off the show in the clip’s audio. “A dolphin pod at SeaWorld Orlando today repeatedly attacked one of the dolphins in the pod, while the trainers were trying to do the show, causing the dolphin to start bleeding,” the poster wrote.

Animal rights organization PETA has used the clip to renew its call for the end of animal shows at the park. “It never should have happened again, and how many more times must the dysfunction, cruelty, and profound animal suffering at SeaWorld be exposed?” PETA wrote. “Left alone in their ocean homes, dolphins maintain dynamic relationships with large social networks, choose their own mates, and swim freely, but SeaWorld crams approximately 140 of these highly intelligent marine mammals into just seven small tanks and then expresses surprise when they lash out, again and again.”

» Republican Ben Sasse confirmed as University of Florida president over protests

U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse was confirmed last week as the incoming president of the University of Florida, as several members of the state university system’s Board of Governors defended Sasse amid student and faculty opposition. Members of the board, which oversees the state’s network of 12 universities, unanimously approved a five-year compensation contract for Sasse that includes a $1 million base salary. Sasse would be paid an additional $1 million for serving a full five-year term as president and also is eligible for an annual performance bonus of 15 percent after May 30, 2024. In addition, Sasse would be eligible for annual salary increases starting in mid-2024 if he meets certain performance goals set by the university.

The Nebraska Republican, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, repeated a pledge to the board that he will not engage in partisan politics while he leads the state’s flagship university. Sasse also told the board that he intends to compete with other universities in recruiting faculty and other talent to UF. But Sasse has faced heavy opposition from students who protested his selection by UF trustees as the sole finalist for the job last month. The university’s faculty senate also passed a resolution expressing no confidence in the search that led to Sasse’ selection. Sasse suggested that some of the heartburn about his candidacy was sensationalized. “There is always going to be, in a time as disrupted as ours, a sort of sensationalist tendency to take whatever an angriest moment is and pretend that it’s a representative moment. Those are not the representative moments,” Sasse said.