Drive for recreational pot draws big bucks in Florida

Two medical-marijuana firms poured more than $1 million last month into a new drive to pass a constitutional amendment to allow recreational marijuana in Florida. The political committee Make It Legal Florida, which registered with the state Aug. 1, raised $1.09 million in cash and received $104,500 in in-kind contributions during the month, according to a newly filed finance report. More from the Tampa Bay Times and CBS Miami.

Tropical Storm Humberto increases odds of development as it heads toward Bahamas, then Florida

A tropical wave slowly heading west toward the Bahamas and Florida has highly increased chances of developing into an organized storm over the next five days, according to the National Hurricane Center. The wave, which is just east of the Bahamas over the Turks and Caicos, has a 60 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next five days and a 20 percent chance in the next 48 hours. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Coral Gables heads to state supreme court on Styrofoam ban

Coral Gables will request certification from the Florida Supreme Court in the next step in its battle to defend a ban on Styrofoam and single-use plastics, City Attorney Miriam Ramos said last week. “They don’t have to take the case,” she said. But the city is hopeful that the higher court will grant certification and agree to hear it. More from Miami Today.

See also:
» Alachua County repeals plastic bag and Styrofoam ban

Vaping-linked lung illnesses surface in Florida

VAPI. It isn’t the latest internet slang. It’s an acronym for what health officials are calling “vaping associated pulmonary injury.” It has potentially affected 450 people in 33 states, including Florida, and caused five deaths as of Friday, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More from the Destin Log.

Hurricane Dorian missed us, but it will cost you on electric bills anyway

Your electric bill is likely to go up to pay for Hurricane Dorian even though the storm never hit Florida directly and it left our electrical system intact. Just getting prepared for Dorian will wipe out Florida Power & Light Co.’s estimated $105 million hurricane reserve, Eric Silagy, the utility’s president and CEO, said Tuesday. For FPL customers, that could mean a storm surcharge on monthly bills. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.