Five Things We Learned on Patch this Week

Florida Department of Environmental Protection scrapped its plan to allow recreational camping on Honeymoon Island late Friday. "The message was heard loud and clear," Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) said, moments after receiving a letter from DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard. "I'm very pleased."

Space shuttle fans from around the world descend on the Space Coast for the final mission of Atlantis.

It's now OK to water your lawn using reclaimed water. For the past few weeks, residents in Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shore, Sand Key and other northern Pinellas county communities were able to use reclaimed water only on a very limited basis.

The St. Petersburg Times reported the old fishing piers at the Sunshine Skyway are going to be made into artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. The piers, built in 1954, had been declared as unusable since 2008, reported the St. Petersburg Times.

July Fourth was America's 235th birthday, and Floridians celebrated the way they usually do – by flocking to the beaches for a full day of fun, sun and fireworks. Treasure Island was no different. Throughout the day, Treasure Island had live bands and dozens of food vendors selling their wares to residents, visitors and vacationers who packed local hotels.