Florida's Latest News

DeSantis Awards Nearly $15.5 in Infrastructure Improvements and Community Projects to North Florida

Gov. DeSantis announced nearly $15.5 in infrastructure improvements and community development projects to twenty-two small and rural communities in North Florida while speaking at a press conference in Lake City in Columbia County today.

The funding is part of the Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the Community Planning Technical Assistance (CPTA) Grant programs.

Some CDPG funding includes.

• City of Lake City ($211,000) - Repave a portion of Northwest Georgia Avenue from Early Street to Wilson Street.
• Columbia County ($65,000) - Economic development strategic plan updates.
• City of Avon Park ($2,100,000) - Sanitary sewer lift station and sewer line replacement.

Tampa City Council approves definitive Rays stadium deal

Tampa’s City Council definitively approved the Tampa Bay Rays’ $2.3 billion baseball stadium proposal Thursday, little more than three months after council members nearly rejected the plan.

The vote was 4-3, with all council members voting as they did on the team’s nonbinding proposal in May. Bill Carlson, Alan Clendenin, Luis Viera and Naya Young voted in favor, while Lynn Hurtak, Guido Maniscalco and Charlie Miranda voted against the deal.

Much else was different this time around.

“I’ve had a bunch of people ask me, why did you change your mind?” Carlson, who went from skeptic to supporter, said Thursday. “I didn’t change my mind, the deal changed.”

Friday will determine if the Hillsborough County Commission delivers four more affirmative votes.

Orange County issues alert for mosquito-borne West Nile virus

Orange County Mosquito Control issued a mosquito-borne illness advisory Thursday after several sentinel chickens in the area tested positive for West Nile virus.

The chickens are part of the county’s early-warning system for such illnesses. Kept in coops throughout the region, the birds are routinely tested for viruses.

West Nile is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. So far this summer, according to the county, no human cases have been reported in Central Florida. Each year about 2,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The main thing is to just avoid getting bitten, if you can,” said Steve Harrison, manager at Orange County Mosquito Control. To protect yourself from their bites, the CDC advises using insect repellent and wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants outdoors. 

Florida affordability crisis hits voters on all levels as election looms

Florida’s affordability problems are top talking points for candidates up and down the ballot from both parties – with property insurance and taxes the chief targets.

But the state’s cost of living woes run much deeper. For many Floridians, home ownership costs aren’t an immediate concern since they’re already priced out of the housing market.

“Housing affordability is just the tip of the iceberg, especially for those in the lower ends of the income bracket and for families struggling near minimum wage,” said Sam Staley, a professor of applied economics and urban policy at Florida State University and director of its DeVoe L. Moore Center, a public policy research institute.

“Even with two earners, there’s a real problem,” he added.

U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon, the surprise primary winner who identifies at least in part as a Democratic Socialist, is heading toward November campaigning on universal childcare, Medicare for all, paid family and sick leave and a $25-an-hour federal minimum wage.