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Thursday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› Controversial union measure backed in Florida House
Amid heavy opposition from Democrats and organized labor, the Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that would place new requirements on membership in public unions. The House voted 63-52 to approve the measure (HB 1), sponsored by Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa. The bill includes a series of requirements dealing with issues such as workers signing authorization forms if they want to join unions.
› Auto insurance rates in Orlando increase as much as 10%
Most Florida drivers are paying at least $200 more for auto insurance this year — a 10% jump over last year, according to a company that tracks rates. Auto insurance rates are rapidly increasing in the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne metro areas — a whopping 77% since 2011, according to The Zebra’s 2020 State of Auto Insurance report.
› Green light on horizon for more downtown Miami parks
It’s been a housing boom, following the Great Recession, that’s seen Miami’s downtown become home to nearly 100,000 residents and more than 100 residential towers. As more buildings go up and more people decide to live in the dense, vibrant neighborhoods of downtown and Brickell, residents’ call for more parks and open spaces could become all the more acute.
› From tiny downtown parking lot, St. Pete church blessed with millions
As millions of dollars in downtown development pushed west, Christ United Methodist Church, struggling financially, decided to capitalize on the voracious appetite for land. The radical move to sell the congregation’s parking lot — once considered for an urban garden — has netted a multimillion-dollar fund to put the church on a path to stability.
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