Lawmakers earmark more of $1 billion online sales tax to another business tax cut

Florida businesses would get a second massive benefit as lawmakers move toward requiring out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians, under a deal announced Monday by House and Senate leaders. The House Commerce Committee backed a measure (HB 15) on Monday that would require out-of-state retailers to collect and remit the sales taxes, with the anticipated $1 billion a year in revenue now proposed to go toward replenishing the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund and to subsequently make a major cut in a tax on commercial rent. More from the News Service of Florida.

Pandemic beachgoers brought new trash to Florida. Here are some cleanups you can join

Pandemic waste — anything from discarded latex gloves and surgical masks to dirty disinfecting wipes — has increasingly become part of our public space experience over the past year. And though natural spaces got a brief respite during COVID-19 closures, environmental advocates have warned for months that — like most other single-use plastics — these new everyday products are ending up in our oceans and harming sea life. More from the Miami Herald.

In Florida and elsewhere, passenger vehicle travel rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, data shows

Americans may be rounding a corner — literally — in their response to the coronavirus pandemic. The number of daily passenger vehicle trips has hit a major milestone, reaching pre-pandemic levels for the first time in a year, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the transportation analytics firm Inrix, with Americans driving more often and farther than at any time since pandemic lockdowns were invoked. More from the Orlando Sentinel.

Scientists find new invasive mosquito species in Florida

Scientists have identified a new species of mosquito in Florida. It’s called Aedes scapularis. Lawrence Reeves, an entomologist and research scientist with the University of Florida, identified them among mosquitoes he collected near Everglades National Park in 2019. In a follow-up study in 2020, Reeves found the species is well-established in two South Florida counties, Miami-Dade and Broward. Up to now, the mosquitoes have been found mostly in the Caribbean and Latin America. More from WMFE.

Dozens in Florida contract COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated

They’re called COVID-19 breakthrough cases: People who have been fully vaccinated yet still contract the virus more than 14 days after their second shot. The cases are popping up around the country, including in Florida. Dr. Timothy Hendrix is with Advent Health and said it is possible for someone who is fully vaccinated to still contract the virus. “It is possible because no vaccine is perfect,” Hendrix said. Hendrix stressed that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 95% effective, though. More from WJXT.