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Florida business owners allegedly scattered 1,500 mothballs on beach to scare off endangered birds

Nypost · · 811 words · By Fox News
Criminal Justice/Legal Proceedings Environmental Protection vs. Business Interests
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What to know about Criminal Justice/Legal Proceedings

Florida business owners allegedly scattered 1,500 mothballs on beach to scare off endangered birds See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 14
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Florida business owners allegedly scattered 1,500 mothballs on beach to scare off endangered birds See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Two Florida business owners have been charged with third-degree felonies after allegedly spreading about 1,500 “toxic” mothballs across a beach in hopes of keeping an “imperiled” bird species from nesting there.

Common ground

If convicted, they could each face up to five years in prison, fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years of probation.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/09/us-news/florida-business-owners-allegedly-dumped-m…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8
schedule Pending 4
info Single Source 2
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Claim 1: “beachgoers noticed mothballs on the white, sugary sand on St. Pete Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that mothballs were discovered by beachgoers on St. Pete Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, specifically behind the Plaza Beach Hotel.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the Atlantic Ocean …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bank,_New_Jersey
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mothballs[1] are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant, sometimes used when storing clothing and other materials susceptible to damage from silverfish, mold or moth larvae (especially clothe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothball
+ 2 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “They also were charged with the “attempted take of a state-listed imperiled species by harassment,” a misdemeanor”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the evidence for claim 9 was listed as empty, the evidence for claim 4 mentions the disruption of nesting for threatened black skimmers. However, the specific phrasing of the 'attempted take of a state-listed imperiled species' charge is not explicitly corroborated across multiple provided sources in the evidence blocks.
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Claim 3: “That work led them to Christopher Monroe, owner and manager of Chris’s Beachside Bar, and Robert Czyszczon, owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (Fox News, iHeart, and others) identify the suspects as Christopher Monroe (Chris's Beachside Bar) and Robert Czyszczon (Plaza Beach Hotel).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fyre Festival was a failed luxury music festival organized by American businessman Billy McFarland and American rapper Ja Rule. It was originally created to promote the company's Fyre app for booking …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fyre_Festival
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Below is a list of all the episodes from Baywatch (1989–2001). Will Rogers State Beach served as the predominant beach location for Baywatch, although some scenes were filmed at Long Beach, California…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Baywatch_episodes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers kill or injure multiple individuals simultaneously using a firearm. Mass shootings have been documented using a variety of methods, in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_filmed_mass_shootings
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “Two Florida business owners have been charged with third-degree felonies after allegedly spreading about 1,500 “toxic” mothballs across a beach”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Flipboard, iHeart, and other web search results) confirm that two Florida business owners were charged with third-degree felonies for spreading approximately 1,500 toxic mothballs on a beach.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — East Florida (Spanish: Florida Oriental) was a colony of Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Florida
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Florida ( FLORR-id-ə; Spanish: [floˈɾiða] ) is a state in the Southeastern and South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Two Egg is a small unincorporated community in Jackson County, Florida, United States. More precisely, it is a few miles northeast of Marianna and not far from the Chattahoochee River, which partly fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Egg,_Florida
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “Cellphone tower data showed Monroe’s phone was at the same location as Czyszczon’s phone on both nights when the mothballs appeared on the beach”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (WUSF, and other web search results) confirm that cellphone tower data placed both Monroe and Czyszczon at the location on the nights the mothballs appeared.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Cellphone tower data showed Monroe’s phone was at the same location as Czyszczon’s phone on both nights when the mothballs appeared on the beach, FWC officials said. None of the birds were harmed from…
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/08/09/video-florida-bus…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — FWC obtained warrants for Czyszczon’s cell phone information, which showed them his location was on the beach on both nights the mothballs were placed. They also found texts that led them to Monroe, m…
https://www.wusf.org/environment/2026-07-31/two-charged-with…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — FWC officials later reported that incriminating text messages and cellphone tower data also pointed to bar owner and manager Christopher Monroe, whose phone appeared in the same locations as Czyszczon…
https://greatergood.com/blogs/news/cw-mothballs-at-st-pete-b…
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Claim 6: “They plucked about 1,000 of the small, white orbs from the sand behind the Plaza Beach Hotel. Then 500 more appeared overnight.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (iHeart, and other web search results) specify that about 1,000 mothballs were first found and then another 500 appeared overnight behind the Plaza Beach Hotel.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a resort hotel complex on Lake Michigan in the far-north neighborhood community of Edgewater in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Benjamin H. Marshall and Charles E. Fox. Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgewater_Beach_Hotel
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island, the town is separated from West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoastal Waterw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Beach,_Florida
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts. Designed by architect Alan Lapidus, it operated from May 14, 1984, until Septem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Plaza_Hotel_and_Casino
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “About 6,800 black skimmers live in Florida.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 8: “The smelly balls containing pesticides dotted an area where endangered shorebirds known as black skimmers were “attempting to establish a nesting colony,””
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the mothballs were placed to disrupt the nesting of threatened/endangered black skimmers.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Two business owners were charged on Wednesday with tossing hundreds of mothballs onto St. Pete Beach in April. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the men were trying to disrupt…
https://www.wusf.org/environment/2026-07-31/two-charged-with…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Florida is home to about 6,800 black skimmers, and officials estimate that several hundred live on Pinellas County beaches. Because skimmers nest directly on sand, they are especially vulnerable to di…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/florida-business-owners…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant, sometimes used when storing clothing and other materials susceptible to damage from silverfish, mold or moth larvae (especially clothes m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothball
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Claim 9: “Monroe and Czyszczon were charged with illegal dumping, a third-degree felony, according to Pinellas County court records.”
CORROBORATED
Although the specific 'evidence' section for claim 8 was empty, the evidence provided for claim 0 and claim 5 explicitly states they were charged with illegal dumping, a third-degree felony in Florida.
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Claim 10: “If convicted, they could each face up to five years in prison, fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years of probation.”
CORROBORATED
One web search result specifically links these penalties to the mothball case, and other general legal search results confirm that a third-degree felony in Florida carries these specific penalties (5 years prison, 5 years probation, $5,000 fine).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Impossible (Spanish: Lo imposible) is a 2012 English-language Spanish biographical disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez. It is based on the experience of M…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impossible_(2012_film)
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 11: “The pesticide in mothballs can harm people and wildlife that come into contact with their vapors, according to an educational publication by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “FWC officials estimate that several hundred live on the beaches of Pinellas County.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 13: “hurricane season, which ends on Nov. 30”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 14: “Czyszczon spent about $60 buying “a large quantity” of mothballs at a Walmart the day before they first appeared on the beach”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for claim 6 consists of general information about the name 'Robert' and a staffing company, but contains no mention of a Walmart purchase or the $60 amount.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It was one of the most popular male names in medieval Europe, likely due to its frequent usage amongst royalty and nobility. To this day, Robert remains one of the most frequently given male names. Ro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 26, 2026 · This name has been borne by two kings of the Franks, two dukes of Normandy, and three kings of Scotland, including Robert the Bruce who restored the independence of Scotland from Englan…
https://www.behindthename.com/name/robert
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Robert Half is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. Robert Half project attorneys do not constitute a law firm among themselves. From office managers to customer service professio…
https://www.roberthalf.com/us/en
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.