Florida News Briefs - Florida Podcast
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The Seminole Tribe of Florida has reached agreements with five pari-mutuel facilities to help market sports betting. The gambling deal, which was negotiated by Gov. Ron DeSantis (de-SAN-tis) last spring and approved by lawmakers during a May special session, allows the tribe to operate online sports betting available to people throughout the state. The tribe has reached agreements with five facilities, including the Palm Beach Kennel Club, Hialeah Park Casino, and Tampa Bay Downs. The new Florida law will allow gamblers to place sports bets on smartphones or other online devices, with the bets run through servers on Seminole Tribe property. Pari-mutuels that enter contracts with the tribe will market sports betting at their facilities, and will receive a percentage of the profits.
The U.S. Department of Education has filed an administrative complaint against the Florida Department of Education. The complaint, filed Thursday, asked that the state education department be found in violation of federal law, given Florida's ban on COVID-19-related mask mandates. The complaint also objects to the state's hold on federal funds that were issued to replace state funding withheld by the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis (de-SAN-tis) and the Florida education department have withheld state money from salaries of school board members whose districts have defied DeSantis' mask ban. The state has gone after school boards that have adopted stricter mask policies, and docked the pay of school board members. Districts in eight counties have been docked funding: Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach.
A stray dog caused an eight-vehicle collision on a Florida highway early Friday. The overnight wreck left three people with minor injuries, and shut down all westbound traffic on the I-10 in Jefferson County, Florida Highway Patrol said. The accident began when a sedan hit a dog, rendering the car QUOTE "inoperable" in the middle of the highway, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. A second sedan crashed into that vehicle, then a semi-tractor smashed into both cars and a concrete barrier wall. Debris reportedly scattered across the highway and impacted six other vehicles. A Florida Highway Patrol sergeant said the stray dog was killed in the crash. He did not know its breed.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (de-SAN-tis) made good on plans to call Florida lawmakers into a special session to defy President Biden’s anticipated vaccine requirement rule for large, private businesses. On Friday, DeSantis ordered lawmakers to meet on Nov. 15 for a possible week-long session. No bills have been proposed, but the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports the governor may move to prohibit local governments, schools and universities from instituting vaccines requirements, and would ask lawmakers to set aside state funds for law enforcement and regulatory agencies to investigate any complaints about Florida businesses that require vaccinations. The federal government's Office of Management and Budget is still reviewing the nationwide mandate, which stipulates that all private businesses with more than 100 employees must implement vaccination or weekly testing requirements. The rule has not yet gone into effect.
The Food and Drug Administration voted on Friday to recommend Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. The FDA cleared the use of child-sized doses, which contain just a third of the amount given to teens and adults. The FDA's vote paves the way for emergency use authorization, but the CDC will make a more detailed recommendation next week. A final decision is expected shortly after. If approved, nearly 28 million American children could be eligible for vaccinations beginning in November. Earlier this week, Moderna announced its vaccine was safe for children ages six to 11. Neither Moderna nor Johnson & Johnson shots have been approved for children or teens. Adolescents ages 12 to 17 have been eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine since its approval in May.
A "security incident" that shut down a Florida county's tax collection office was the result of hacking, Treasure Coast Newspapers reports. Little has been released about what type of breach occurred or whether taxpayers' confidential information was exposed. Officials initially blamed BlackByte for the attack before retracting their statement, TCPalm reports. BlackByte is a new type of ransomware, which is used to encrypt data, demanding payment in order to unlock it. The breach prompted the abrupt closure of the Martin County Tax Collector's Office more than a week ago, and the office is expected to re-open in a limited capacity on Monday. The Martin County Sheriff's Office announced it will suspend writing tickets to local residents for expired driver's licenses and license plates until the tax collector's issue is resolved.
Top brass at the University of Florida College of Medicine fast-tracked the hiring of Dr. Joseph Ladapo, knowing that Governor Ron DeSantis was eyeing him for the position of state surgeon general, according to emails obtained by the USA TODAY Network-Florida. They reportedly knew that Ladapo had the backing of U-F President Kent Fuchs, Provost Joe Glover, and U-F Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini — a GOP fundraiser and DeSantis supporter. The whirlwind courtship began in early September and lasted two weeks from start to finish, as the college’s deans vetted Ladapo, found a place for him in the college's division of internal medicine, and sent him the job application link, Tallahassee Democrat reports.
A Florida appeals court Wednesday said a group of parents likely do not have legal standing to challenge an executive order by Governor Ron DeSantis about school mask mandates, and indicated it disagrees with a circuit judge who backed the parents in the case, Tallahassee Democrat reports. The 1st District Court of Appeal issued a five-page document that explained a decision last month to place a stay on a ruling by Tallahassee-based Circuit Judge John Cooper. That ruling, which drew widespread attention, said DeSantis overstepped his legal authority in the July 30th executive order seeking to block mask requirements. The stay has put Cooper’s ruling on hold while an appeal by the DeSantis administration moves forward. The document Wednesday, while not a final decision, indicated the Tallahassee-based appeals court agrees with the DeSantis administration on key issues.
Florida has filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the Biden Administration from carrying out a measure to require COVID-19 vaccinations for federal employees and contractors. Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody made the announcement at a news conference in Lakeland Thursday morning. Moody said her office filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, seeking to enjoin the policy scheduled to take effect December 8th, the Lakeland Ledger reports. Thursday’s announcement is the latest salvo in DeSantis’ ongoing battle with President Joe Biden's administration over federal vaccine requirements. The governor and other speakers at the event described the mandate for federal contractors as “heavy-handed” and an overreach by the federal government.
A former New York police officer, who for decades has delayed facing justice over allegations that he repeatedly raped and molested his daughter's 12-year-old friend, was arrested in Florida on charges related to the case, USA Today reports. Law enforcement officials arrested Leonard Forte, who is now 80, at his home in Labelle, Florida, on October 18th. Forte, a former Suffolk County District Attorney's Office detective, faces two felony charges in Florida on accusations of using the I-D of another person without consent and the use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. The arrest warrant was based on a probable cause affidavit submitted by a Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agent, who was assigned to assist the Vermont Attorney General's Office on the pending criminal prosecution of Forte.
The space industry, a cutting-edge field rife with romanticized goals of exploration, has an ancient problem: sexism and harassment, Florida Today reports. A group of former and current Blue Origin employees published an essay last month calling out sexism at Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company. Dozens have joined a Facebook group dedicated to offering support in dealing with inappropriate behavior on the job, leading some to make their stories public. According to experts and whistleblowers, the idealistic nature of space exploration and sharp focus on QUOTE "the mission" UNQUOTE adds to a dangerous dynamic in which women, already a minority in the high-tech workplace, might be willing to put up with unacceptable behaviors to achieve success. If left unresolved, insiders are concerned this culture could someday extend to astronauts on assignment or deep space colonization efforts.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers have arrested a 20-year-old man and charged him with two counts of D-U-I manslaughter, two counts of vehicular homicide, and one count of D-U-I with property damage in connection with the June 18th deaths of two young women. Billy George Tomci was also given a ticket because one of the victims, a teenager, was not wearing a seat belt, Ocala Star-Banner reports. Tomci was picked up at his job by troopers on Wednesday morning, and was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he posted bond and was set for release on Thursday. QUOTE "Justice must be served here. I'm relieved he has been charged," said Scott Buttermore, whose 16-year-old daughter, Rachel, was one of the two killed in the wreck.
Publix Pharmacy has installed drug-disposal kiosks in select pharmacies in five states, including Florida, for customers to dispose of leftover or expired prescription medications, the Lakeland Ledger reports. Publix is the latest among pharmacy retailers and health care providers to encourage consumers to properly dispose of medicines to prevent misuse or abuse, as well as to reduce the environmental impact. There are 105 kiosks available at Publix Pharmacy locations in Florida. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, using a take-back program is the best way to dispose of unused or expired prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines.
Florida chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis is cooking up a plan to bring one of California’s iconic restaurant chains to the Sunshine State, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. The popular burger chain is out of sorts with a number of local ordinances in California requiring indoor diners to show either proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test result. Patronis, who owns and operates Panama City’s Captain Anderson Restaurant and Waterfront Market, wrote the president of In-N-Out Burger, Lynsi Snyder, this month. He explained how he believes Florida shares In-N-Out Burger's opposition to vaccine mandates and offered to help Snyder explore relocating In-N-Out Burger to Florida. Snyder has yet to respond to Patronis’ overtures, but Patronis has taken his campaign to Facebook, where he posted excerpts of his pitch to Snyder.
The public defender for the man accused in the September 5th killing of a North Lakeland family is trying again to squash a state subpoena for her client's medical records, arguing that new evidence shows investigators already took vials of the suspect's blood, the Lakeland Ledger reports. Authorities say Bryan Riley was wounded in a shootout with law enforcement the morning four members of a family were killed. He received treatment at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center shortly afterward. On September 28th, four days after the state said it intended to seek the death penalty in Riley’s case, a judge denied the defense’s request to void the subpoena for Riley’s medical records from Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
A California man has been charged with threatening the life of Florida First District U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz in a January 9th phone call. 58-year-old Eugene Huelsman, of the Thousand Oaks community near Los Angeles, was taken into custody last week in his home state, Northwest Florida Daily News. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance to face the charges at 11 a.m. Friday in U.S. District Court in Pensacola. Court documents filed in the case say Huelsman called Gaetz's office from out of state and spoke words QUOTE "containing a true threat to injure the person of another." UNQUOTE
Alex Rodriguez, the former QUOTE "ghost" UNQUOTE candidate who pleaded guilty in August in an election-fraud criminal case, has been levied a $20,000 fine, the Daytona Beach News Journal reports. The Florida Commission on Ethics announced Wednesday it approved a settlement agreement with Alexis Pedro Rodriguez for accepting money QUOTE "from an individual based on the understanding he would change his party affiliation, qualify to run" UNQUOTE in the 2020 Senate District 37 race. 55-year-old Rodriguez, of Delray Beach, also faces public censure and reprimand for the violation, the ethics commission announced.
Collier County, Florida is still on pace to see record tourism this year. And Southwest Florida International Airport is seeing record passenger numbers, Naples Daily News reports. Tourism remained strong through September, as the tide turned on the spike of COVID cases tied to the Delta variant. While the county saw an impact from the surge for a few weeks, the latest monthly visitor statistics show the negative publicity didn't do enough damage to reverse the positive trends. As of September, visitation, bookings, and spending all remained higher than at the same time in 2019 — a banner year for tourism in Collier. This year, the largest number of visitors in Collier has come from other parts of the state, with the pandemic still fueling more road trips — and trips closer to home.
Destin Attorney Greg Crosslin has filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health alleging Ascension Sacred Heart is mistreating employees across Northwest Florida by threatening to fire them if they don't get vaccinated against COVID-19. Crosslin said Monday that the QUOTE "11 or 12" UNQUOTE clients he has retained include doctors, nurses, and administrative staff. All of them have been told that they must present proof of vaccination by November 12th or face termination, Northwest Florida Daily News reports. Ascension announced its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for associates on July 27th. Crosslin also proposed that Ascension Sacred Heart hold off on enforcing its vaccination order until after a legislative special session is held in November to discuss vaccines and the enforcement of vaccine mandates.
Fifteen states have enacted legislation to make daylight saving time year-round. Florida has been on the side of keeping longer daylight hours permanent since 2018, when U.S. Senator Marco Rubio introduced the bill, called the “Sunshine Protection Act", the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. The Florida Legislature almost unanimously voted for it, but it still hasn't happened. That's because the law requires congressional approval to take effect. The bill, a rare bipartisan effort, has been reintroduced several times, including this year, and is growing in Congress and around the country. Until the bill is approved at the federal level, we'll have to continue to change our clocks and our sleep patterns twice a year.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which shut down in 2017 after a 146-year run of entertainment around the world, could be making a comeback, the Herald-Tribune reports. Officials from Ellenton-based Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus operation, said during a recent panel discussion for venue operators that a new version of the circus without animals is expected to make its debut in 2023. Many observers believe that animal rights protests targeting Ringling Bros. contributed to a decline in ticket sales that led the company to cease operations. Nicole Zimmerman, a Feld spokeswoman, said the company is QUOTE “still in the planning phase for the relaunch of the Greatest Show on Earth” UNQUOTE and an official announcement about the return of the circus is expected sometime in 2022.
The initial autopsy of Brian Laundrie's remains did not uncover a cause of his death, though a more intensive examination will be done, a Laundrie family lawyer said Monday. The inconclusive results came on the same day Florida police admitted that officers mistook Brian Laundrie for his mother during the week he disappeared from his family's home, the Herald-Tribune reports. Laundrie's remains were found last week in a Florida wilderness park after a month-long search. He was the sole person of interest in the murder of his former fiancé Gabby Petito after the pair went on a cross-country road trip to national parks. Petito's body was found on September 19th near a campground in Wyoming.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo explained on social media Tuesday that he can't QUOTE "communicate clearly" UNQUOTE when QUOTE "half of my face is covered." UNQUOTE Ladapo posted a statement on his Twitter feed that he was saddened by state Senator Tina Polsky's cancer diagnosis, and had tried to find a way to accommodate her concerns without wearing a mask when he met with her recently ahead of confirmation hearings, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Also on Tuesday, Reverend Dr. R.B. Holmes Jr., a Black Republican minister who's head of a statewide effort to get people of color vaccinated against COVID-19, spoke at a press conference and urged civil rights leaders and others to denounce Governor Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Ladapo, and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.
Jurors heard the first round of testimony in the murder trial of a convicted killer who authorities said shot and killed an Orlando police officer in cold blood during an attempted arrest. The live-streamed trial, with witnesses and other court officials, got underway after weeks of jury selection, hearings, and opening statements on Monday, Florida Today reports. Markeith Loyd is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of Lieutenant Debra Clayton. Police had previously sought Loyd in the killing of his ex-girlfriend in December 2016. Loyd said that he had attempted to turn himself in to authorities twice. Loyd was convicted in that case in 2019 and is currently serving life without parole.
Hertz plans to electrify its rental fleet in a big way, the News-Press reports. On Monday, Hertz Global Holdings, parent of The Hertz Corp., announced plans to offer the largest electric vehicle rental fleet in North America — and one of the largest in the world. In a news release, the Estero-based company said it will initially order 100,000 Teslas by the end of 2022, with plans to add thousands of its own charging stations across its global network to support them. News of Hertz's big investment comes just a few months after the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with a mission to QUOTE "chart a dynamic, new course for travel, mobility and the auto industry." UNQUOTE
Some good news on the cost of gas in Florida: Prices stabilized over the weekend after rising again by 13 cents last week, the triple-A Auto Club Group said Monday in its weekly briefing. The state average is now $3.31 a gallon — a new 2021 high and QUOTE "the most expensive daily average price since October 2014," according to Triple- A. But the relatively quiet gasoline futures market suggests retail pump prices could settle down this week, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. The gasoline futures market deals in QUOTE "contracts that lock in future delivery of a commodity or security at a price set today," according to Investopedia.
As Congress mulls multibillion-dollar hikes in spending on clean water, members from Florida are renewing a bid to grow the share of that money reaching their state, the Florida Times-Union reports. The Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act of 2021 would update rules for distributing money that were first drafted in 1987, when Florida had almost 10 million fewer people. The legislation, filed last week in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, is meant to shake up a financing system called the Clean Water State Revolving Fund that sent $54 million to Florida this year, but sent more to smaller states like Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
A memorial that is unique to not only Okaloosa County, Florida, but the nation, will begin making the county-owned Veterans Park a major destination for locals and visitors alike on Veterans Day, Northwest Florida Daily News reports. At 2 p.m. on Veterans Day, November 11th, eight bronze, life-size statues of women who made significant military service contributions during conflicts throughout U.S. history will be unveiled at the 17 point 5-acre park. The eight women vets represented by the statues range from a woman who served in the Revolutionary War to one who served in the war in Afghanistan.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Monday that he plans to QUOTE "take a look" UNQUOTE at the guidance on COVID-19 booster shots before deciding whether to get one, the Herald Tribune reports. While DeSantis deflected answering whether he will get a booster shot during the visit to a manufacturing facility in Venice, he did seem aware of some of the guidance coming out on boosters from the C-D-C. QUOTE "I know they're talking about mixing and matching different stuff so we'll see," DeSantis said. The CDC is recommending that everyone 18 or older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more the two months ago receive a booster shot. For those who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, a booster only is recommended for elderly individuals, adults who live in long-term care facilities, adults with underlying medical conditions or adults who work or live in high-risk settings.
The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran Monday, warning that withholding federal funds from districts that enacted mask mandates would make the state out of compliance with federal law, The Tallahassee Democrat reports. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis OK'd docking school board members' pay in counties that require kids to wear masks, but the federal government stepped in to replace that money. Then the state withheld that money, too. Now, the Education Department's letter says that if the state keeps doing this, it's QUOTE "prepared to initiate enforcement action to stop these impermissible state actions." UNQUOTE
