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Tuesday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Immigration overhaul bill may reform Florida farm working conditions
Working conditions for Florida’s undocumented farmworkers could drastically improve under recently proposed immigration reform legislation that would put them on a long-awaited path to citizenship while also providing labor protections. Nationwide, foreign-born workers make up 75 percent of the agricultural workforce, and about half of all farmworkers are undocumented immigrants. In Florida, the majority of farmworkers are immigrants who hail from South and Central America, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Senate weighs legal immunity against COVID lawsuits
A measure that would shield businesses from COVID-related lawsuits could make it before the Florida Senate later this week. Earlier this month, the House approved liability protections for most businesses and was to later take up another bill specific to health care providers. The version coming before the Senate combines both into a single bill, and would put pressure on the House to follow suit. [Source: WINK]
Actually, not a ton of people are moving to Florida
1.38%, or 297,851 people: That’s how much Florida’s population is expected to have grown annually by April, according to the state’s November 2020 Demographic Estimating Conference, per The Wall Street Journal. The state is expected to have added close to 298,000 residents since April 2020. [Source: Marker]
New Florida invasive species: A 10-foot-long river monster
A fearsome new invasive predator has emerged in the Sunshine State: the arapaima, a monster fish that can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. A dead one recently washed ashore in Cape Coral’s Jaycee Park along the Caloosahatchee River, which runs from Lake Okeechobee west to the Gulf of Mexico. [Source: WTVJ]
Florida’s economy shows signs of improvement, economist says
The unemployment rate for January was revised downward by a full percentage point. Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment is now 4.8 percent for January 2021, up 1.5 percent from the same time last year. For perspective, the U.S. unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in January. [Source: WJXT]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Florida's pandemic response gets a second look from the national media
After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly pondering in the Sunshine State: Was Gov. Ron DeSantis' pandemic response right for Florida?
› Jacksonville leads nation in rising housing market value during pandemic
As the number of new homes under construction on the First Coast surges, a new report sheds light on the pandemic's impact on housing values in the local metro area.
› Florida remains prime destination for Spring Break and beyond
Cruising is also starting to come back post-COVID
› Scientists find new invasive mosquito species in Florida
Scientists have identified a new species of mosquito in Florida. I's called Aedes scapularis.
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