Question
We've been noticing a rank smell outside our front door.  I accused my husband of cleaning the trash cans out there it smelled so bad.  After further examination I've noticed red sprouts of some kind causing this odor.  They look like fingers curving up out of the ground.  I don't know if it's a fungus or mushroom of some sort. I kicked one and it broke off and left my shoe with the same bad odor.  I was wondering if you knew what they were and the best way to get rid of them.  We have a toddler and a dog that play in the yard so I need a safe way to eliminate them.  Thank you very much for your time!  We live in Norhteast Florida if it helps!

Answer
I think I found it. I found a picture of different fungi, and one looks like little red fingers.
Go to this site, and look at the first picture on the third row.
If that is it, it is a fungus so it will respond to a fungicide.

http://dank34.drizzle.com/images/MushroomsCollected/index.html

I couldn't find the name of it, or what causes it.
Sometimes fungus comes from a piece of decaying wood, left maybe by the contractors, and soil put on top of it, or from a decaying root.
If it is from something burried under the soil, you will need to dig it out, and them put fungicide on the ground, If it is just growing in the soil, thoroughly saturating the soil with the fungicide solution would be what is needed..
I use baking soda disolved in water to prevent black spot and powdery mildew. This works better for me than the chemical fungicides.
When I used to use chemicals, the best fungicide I found was Funginex. I think Fertilome puts it out.
You would need to remove the ones you can see now, and apply a fungicide to prevent new ones cropping up.

I have never seen a fungus like that one before, and there was no name or other information on that website. None of the other gungus sites I found had a picture of one that looked like that, so the best I can do is just advise you of how to treat fungus in general.
You might take one up and show it to a nurseryman in your area, or the County Agricultural Extension agent. they could possibly identify it for you.
Sorry I couldn't help more.
Charlotte