House bill extending health care credits heads to floor — but without support of any Florida Republican
A Democrat-sponsored petition is forcing a U.S. House vote on extending health care subsidies to the floor. But no Republicans from Florida, the state with the most users benefiting from the tax credit, helped get it across the line. That’s despite U.S. Reps. Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar favoring more modest compromises. More from Florida Politics.
A new flu variant is circulating. What to know about influenza in Florida
Does it seem like everyone around you is sick? You’re not imagining it. Flu is on the rise across Florida and the rest of the country this holiday season. And all eyes are on a mutated form of the influenza A strain H3N2 known as clade K or subclade K, which has caused a severe flu season in several countries and is behind many of the reported flu cases in the U.S. this season. More from the Miami Herald.
FSU, Tallahassee reach a tentative agreement on hospital sale price tag
Florida State University and the city of Tallahassee say they've reached a deal on the sale of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. The Tallahassee City Commission voted 3-2 in October for city staff to enter negotiations, though talks had been ongoing at the time. FSU president Richard McCullough announced the tentative terms Tuesday. More from WUSF.
St. Petersburg investor launches Gas Plant redevelopment bid
Thompson Whitney Blake is preparing a new offer to purchase the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field. He also released a video that takes thinly veiled shots at the competition. Blake, founder of St. Petersburg-based Blake Investment Partners, dubbed the Gas Plant’s redevelopment “St. Petersburg 3.0” in an open letter dated Dec. 9. The accompanying video, titled “You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up,” debuted Monday. More from the St. Pete Catalyst.
More details on the quest to bring horse racing to Marion County
Horses and Marion County go hand-in-hand. That's why the county has the lofty label of "Horse Capital of the World." Now it appears that horse racing, currently staged in Tampa and Miami, may have a home in Marion. On Dec. 9, the three players in a bid to bring horse racing to Marion County announced their partnership and goals. More from the Ocala Star-Banner.
Philanthropy
The Community Foundation helps nonprofits cover public funding gaps
Eighteen nonprofits will collectively receive $841,000 from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida’s new Resilience Fund to provide food, housing and health care for "vulnerable" people in the Jacksonville area.
The fund was established in June with a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor and $50,000 in discretionary foundation funds.
» More from the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union.
Health Care
How this Florida scuba diver and his ‘spare part’ helped a boy needing a transplant
Aaron got a lot of surprises for his ninth birthday. He went on his first Disney cruise. And he got a special gift from a Florida Keys scuba diver, one he will carry with him for the rest of his life: a new kidney. Since he was a baby, Aaron has dealt with a condition that has slowly degraded his kidneys. On Monday, about three months after a transplant surgery that saved his life, he met his 25-year-old donor, Nick “Cuda” Kolor, at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood for the first time.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.