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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
› The world's biggest publisher is suing a Florida school district
Penguin Random House has joined forces with an authors' group to sue a Florida school district after it banned a number of books. In a lawsuit filed in a Florida district court, Penguin – along with the nonprofit PEN America, several authors, and two parents – claimed that Escambia Country School District and School Board had violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments by removing or restricting books from school libraries.
› Drought conditions worsen across Tampa Bay
It has been a very dry start to 2023. In fact, it has been one of the Top 5 driest starts to a year across the Tampa Bay area. Currently, Tampa is more than 7.5 inches below average in the rainfall department since Jan. 1. Because of that, drought conditions have been increasing across the area. Last week a severe drought, which is a level 3 out of 4, covered all of the Tampa metro area and the Nature Coast. Now the latest update has expanded a severe drought to the south.
› Miami-Dade County aims to dismiss Affordable Housing Trust Fund board
Miami-Dade County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to dissolve the Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s board of trustees and its revolving loan fund. “The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board,” Commissioner Eileen Higgins told Miami Today, “has simply not been able to activate this important funding source to do what it is supposed to do – build affordable housing.” Commissioner Higgins introduced the proposed ordinance, which now goes to a public hearing June 12 before the Housing, Recreation, Culture & Community Development Committee.
› Pasco Sports Coast pursues new tournament game - beach volleyball
In hopes of adding one more venue and one more sport to Pasco’s tourism repertoire, this week the Tourist Development Council voted to spend $100,000 to create tournament-worthy beach volleyball sand courts at Sunwest Park. Providing beach volleyball courts with appropriate equipment is going to draw tournament players, a group that tends to be more affluent, said Adam Thomas, director of Pasco’s Experience Florida’s Sports Coast destination management organization.
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