SHARE:
Monday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Florida better prepared for recession, wealthier than many states, experts say
Florida is not only richer than many states when it comes to personal wealth, but is more resilient for the time an expected national recession sweeps the country. “Economically speaking, we have our flashlights, batteries, food and water,” Sean Snaith, an economist at the University of Central Florida, said Thursday upon the release of his quarterly state economic forecast “Compared to what Florida went through in the two previous recessions, the next recession will be more akin to a tropical depression.” More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel.
Florida taxpayers pick up bill for culture war lawsuits
Since Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis took office in 2019 and embarked on his culture wars, lawsuits from various communities have been stacking up. As DeSantis fights the lawsuits with what critics have described as a blank check from the state’s supermajority Republican legislature, the mounting legal costs have come heavily at the expense of Florida’s taxpayers. [Source: Guardian]
Florida not doing enough to keep children on Medicaid, health advocates warn
Health care advocates are sounding the alarm over how Florida is handling last month’s end of emergency Medicaid, which they warn could force thousands of eligible children to lose medical coverage because their parents don’t know they must reapply to the federal program. One reason they don’t know, according to advocates, is that Florida officials haven’t done enough to reach out to families and that some of its messaging is causing confusion. Some advocates are also asking why Florida isn’t taking advantage of a federal waiver that would ensure stable health coverage for their youngest and poorest children. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Boating accidents down, deaths up
Boating accidents in Florida decreased in 2022, but deaths from the accidents were up, according to a new report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The state recorded 735 boating accidents last year, 16 fewer than in 2021. However, accidents caused 65 deaths in 2022, an increase of five from 2021, according to the annual Boating Accident Statistical Report released Thursday. Lt. Col. Brian Smith, acting director of the commission’s Division of Law Enforcement, said in a statement that the “hope is we will see both of these statistics decrease next year.” [Source: News Service of Florida]
Florida school districts are losing superintendents. It’s tough out there.
As school board candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moms for Liberty gain a foothold across Florida, they’ve targeted superintendents as barriers to their agenda. Since November, the chief administrators in Broward, Brevard, Flagler, Collier, Sarasota, Escambia and Duval counties have been fired or pushed to leave. The interim leader in Brevard was quickly pushed out, too. And in Hernando County, Superintendent John Stratton survived a no-confidence vote this past week as the two right-leaning members of his board couldn’t convince a third colleague to back them up. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Florida, but scrubs Sunday's second mission
SpaceX kicked off Sunday with the first of two Falcon 9 missions slated to launch from Florida just hours apart, but the second couldn't get off the ground due to weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. At 8:20 a.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 roared to life at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to mark the 27th launch from the Space Coast this year. Meanwhile, SpaceX was setting up to launch another less than four hours later from Kennedy Space Center, but teams scrubbed that mission.
› ‘It feels safe to be here’: Kissimmee PrideFest has its largest turnout amid anti-LGBTQ+ laws
Over 1,500 people gathered both inside and in front of the Kissimmee Civic Center on Saturday afternoon in what officials said was the largest turnout for the city’s PrideFest, an annual event celebrating LGBTQ+ people and their history. It came as organizers around Central Florida have expressed trepidations about holding public events, citing a slate of bills signed in May by Gov. Ron DeSantis that bans gender-affirming care for minors, targets drag shows, restricts discussion of personal pronouns in schools and criminalizes the use of certain bathrooms that don’t align with people’s sex at birth.
› Could Broward soon host a cricket World Cup? A stadium would first need upgrades
Broward commissioners will consider a request to double, if not triple, the number of spectator seats in the county’s international cricket stadium, among other upgrades, in the hopes of turning it into a “world cup”-caliber destination. The estimated cost: $3 million. Cricket, a bat-and-ball game, has long been common overseas, but it’s still growing among Americans.
› Harris Rosen revamps hotel leadership, but he’s not going anywhere
A new leadership structure has been instituted at Rosen Hotels & Resorts, President Harris Rosen announced Friday. Joshua Rosen, son of Harris Rosen, is now associate vice president and remains the national sales manager for the organization. Shayna Rosen, daughter of Harris Rosen, is now secretary of Rosen Hotels & Resorts. Both will be on the board of directors. The announcement is not an indication that Harris Rosen, 83, is set to retire, Frank Santos, the company’s vice president, said Friday.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
In case you missed it:
