Hurricane Michael tore a path through Panama City, Mexico Beach, and Port St. Joe, Florida in October 2018. The storm devastated the area and created a new pass along the St. Joseph Peninsula, just north of the entrance to T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. The Bay is a Florida Aquatic Preserve and supports vast meadows of seagrass and a rich assemblage of animals that live in these grass beds. Scientists from the Sea Lab at Dauphin Island are working to understand the ecological impact this new connection to the Gulf of Mexico may have on the Bay’s plant and animal life.