Florida's Latest News

DeSantis: Not time to let guard down, despite relatively mild impacts from Elsa

At an 8 a.m. briefing Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis was breathing a sigh of relief that the effects of Tropical Storm Elsa hadn’t been worse.

“We looked at 72 hours ago, I think the impacts have been less than what we thought would be reasonable,” DeSantis said.

But while the storm’s impacts appear to be relatively minor, the governor cautioned that the worst danger may still lie ahead.

“You know, we typically have seen fatalities after a storm passes,” said DeSantis.

Florida takes significant step in unanimous approval of Florida Wildlife Corridor Act

Packed between Florida’s two coasts are some of the most abundant ecosystems in the U.S., overflowing with wildlife that opts for being hidden from plain sight. The Florida Wildlife Corridor is roughly 18 million acres of natural wonder. 

On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act into law. This is considered a pivotal moment in efforts to preserve migration paths for animals such as the Florida panther and many others. The goal is to keep them from becoming inbred and isolated. 

The bill was passed by an uncommon 115-0 vote in the House and a 40-0 vote in the Senate. In addition, a budget including ways to pay for the bill was passed. Lawmakers involved doubled funding to $100 million for Florida Forever, which preserves all environmentally sensitive lands.

Pfizer to seek OK for 3rd vaccine dose; shots still protect

Pfizer is about to seek U.S. authorization for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, saying Thursday that another shot within 12 months could dramatically boost immunity and maybe help ward off the latest worrisome coronavirus mutant.

Research from multiple countries shows the Pfizer shot and other widely used COVID-19 vaccines offer strong protection against the highly contagious delta variant, which is spreading rapidly around the world and now accounts for most new U.S. infections.

Two doses of most vaccines are critical to develop high levels of virus-fighting antibodies against all versions of the coronavirus, not just the delta variant — and most of the world still is desperate to get those initial protective doses as the pandemic continues to rage.

Miami-Dade Commission adds spending guardrails to $135M FTX Arena naming rights deal

Miami-Dade Commissioners have quietly approved an additional layer of oversight to how money will be spent from a $135 million deal to rebrand the home of the Miami Heat as the FTX Arena.

Commissioners unanimously and without comment Tuesday OK’d a resolution by René García directing Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration to “annually review, audit, analyze, and report to the Board on the use of all funds disbursed” from the county’s cut of an agreement to rename the Heat arena.

The deal, sponsored by Keon Hardemon, marked the first arrangement under which a United States sports arena is to bear the name of a cryptocurrency exchange. Through 2040, it’s expected to yield the county $90 million.