Tag Archives: Florida

Via press release from the AARP: Recent statistics reveal concerning shifts in migration patterns, and since this data reflects 2023, it predates the peak of the property insurance crisis, the recent challenges posed by new homeowner association rules, the aftermath of two major hurricanes and the rising cost of housing in our state. In 2023, the Census reports, Florida’s net …

Media Matters reports: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is set to speak at a conference this weekend with Christiane Northrup, a health misinformer who has repeatedly promoted pro-Nazi and antisemitic material. The 2024 “Back to Basics Conference: Summit on Family, Food and Healthcare” will be held in Waltham, Massachusetts, on October 19. The event will also feature Mary Holland — …

The Florida Times-Union reports: Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said during an appearance on Times Radio in London that former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy would amount to creating “concentration camps” for holding undocumented immigrants. Trump’s campaign on Wednesday called Deegan’s comments “horrendously irresponsible” and a host a Republican elected officials criticized her after a clip of the interview was posted …

Florida Politics reports: An ad appealing to Republicans features words of the current GOP presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump. While he hasn’t shot a spot specifically for Amendment 3, the Mar-a-Lago resident said he will vote for the constitutional amendment in November. A spot entitled “Good” features a Truth Social post in which Trump commits to voting “Yes.” Then, …

Florida Politics reports: A Fort Myers TV station acquiesced and stopped playing pro-abortion rights ads after a Department of Health (DOH) lawyer threatened Florida TV stations with criminal prosecution. It’s a revelation in a new First Amendment lawsuit as the political committee supporting the Amendment 4 abortion rights initiative sued a pair of state officials Wednesday in federal court. Floridians …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Flesh-eating bacteria cases have surged in the last few weeks since Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton swept through, according to data from the Florida Department of Health. Vibrio vulnificusa, a naturally occurring but potentially fatal bacterial infection, thrives in warm floodwaters when hurricanes and tropical storms push brackish water along the coast and into rivers and …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest attempt to defeat the abortion rights ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, emerged in a report from the office of his elections chief, alleging a host of violations involving the campaign’s petition signature-gathering. The 348-page report comes from the office of Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, a Republican former state House …

Politico reports: Florida’s public universities are purging the list of general education courses they will offer next year to fall in line with a state law pushed for by Gov. Ron DeSantis targeting “woke ideologies” in higher education. The state’s involvement in a curriculum process — which has historically been left to universities — is riling academics and students who …

NBC News reports: Fresh off the one-two punch of Helene and Milton, hurricane victims in Florida — even those with insurance — face a challenging recovery. The insurance industry is categorizing the storms as two separate events, meaning anyone who did not or could not document damage from Helene could face even greater odds that their claim will be denied …

Newsweek reports: A boat bearing swastika symbols and Donald Trump flags was hosed down after trying to join a Trump boat parade in Jupiter, Florida. The boat was photographed attempting to take part in the parade on Sunday in the Republican presidential candidate’s home county of Palm Beach. The pictures show two bearded men wearing sunglasses and three other men …

Politico reports: Ron DeSantis skipped meeting with Joe Biden on Sunday, the second time in as many weeks that the Republican governor did not meet with the outgoing Democratic president while in Florida touring storm damage. Biden traveled to the state to survey the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which wreaked havoc on Florida earlier this week. Biden told reporters before …

The Daily Beast reports: Florida’s Democratic chairwoman posted footage alleging hurricane debris was deliberately being placed behind an area where the Florida governor was set to hold a press conference. DeSantis was visiting Treasure Island–a community that weathered both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton–when Nikki Fried posted footage of what appeared to be workers piling debris from the aftermath directly …

Salon reports: In a last-minute effort to kill a proposed ballot amendment that would restore abortion rights in Florida, state officials are accusing a group that gathered signatures to get the amendment on this year’s ballot fraud. Florida Deputy Secretary of State Brad McVay claimed in a 348-page report released on Friday night that Floridians Protecting Freedom paid out-of-state petition …

Florida Politics reports: More than 1.5 million remain without power almost three days after feeling the first effects of Hurricane Milton. Most major utility providers have now provided timelines for when service should come back online. Outages include more than 581,000 Duke Energy customers, almost 428,000 Florida Power & Light (FPL) accounts and more than 420,000 Tampa Electric Company (TECO) …

Reuters reports: The brutal wind and torrential rainfall of Hurricane Milton that killed 16 people in Florida this week were worsened by human-caused climate change, a team of international scientists said on Friday. Global warming made wind speeds around 10% stronger and rainfall greater by between 20% and 30%, according to an analysis by World Weather Attribution. Previous scientific analyses …

“People had their property. They have a right to do with what they want to do with it. And it is tough when you have two back-to-back storms. No question. “The reality is people work their whole lives and work hard to be able to live in environments that are really, really nice. “And they have a right to make …

USA Today reports: As of Friday morning, 2.2 million Floridians were still without power, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker. The west-central coast continues to be the hardest hit, with 483,225 residents in Hillsborough County and another 460,544 in Pinellas County still in the dark. In Pasco County, 113,745 power outages were reported. Further south, 152,471 residents in …

Florida Politics reports: Despite the massive onslaught of tornadoes from this late-season storm, DeSantis noted that it is “kind of normal” with each storm and “to be expected” that with “every hurricane we have a lot of tornadoes spun off,” as “things churn off with these weather systems.” And climate change or global warming? Nothing to do with it, said …

The Treasure Coast News reports: St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson didn’t have to go far to show residents an example of why they needed to stay indoors Wednesday afternoon. A suspected tornado ripped up a steel storage building right outside the sheriff’s headquarters in the 4700 block of Midway Road. Pearson posted a video on the office’s Facebook page, …

CNN reports: The eye of Hurricane Milton, which traveled overnight from near the Tampa Bay area east toward Orlando and Cape Canaveral, is now moving past the Florida peninsula and exiting the east coast, according to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam. But the storm – currently a Category 1 hurricane – is still slamming parts of the coast with onshore …