6-week abortion ban signed into law, historic rainfall in South Florida, new permitless carry gun law, and more...
April 14, 2023 — This Week's Top Stories in Florida
Welcome to this week’s edition of Floridian Today, a newsletter about all things Florida — from politics, business, real estate, and climate. Reporting from the Sunshine State, these are the most important stories you need to know. To never miss an update, subscribe here:
Here’s the latest from Florida…
Six-week abortion ban gets approval, awaits decision from the Florida Supreme Court
Gov. Ron DeSantis took the anticipated and highly-controversial action to sign one of the nation’s most stringent abortion bans into law late on Thursday night. The governor’s approval came quietly and privately, without the familiar spectacle and attention that has accompanied other bill signings so far in this legislative session. The new law bans most abortions after six weeks in Florida and was met with vocal criticism from Democrats, pro-choice advocacy groups, and ordinary citizens as it navigated through the legislative process. DeSantis’ late-night bill signing highlights the contentious nature of pro-life policies as recent polling conducted in the state suggests three in four Floridians – including 61% of Republicans – oppose further restrictions on abortion. The new bill creates exceptions in cases of rape and incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy (after presenting required documentation such as a police report or restraining order) and keeps existing abortion exemptions for the life and health of the mother up to 15 weeks. However, the law will not go into effect until 30 days after the state Supreme Court overturns its previous precedent protecting abortion or upholds the state’s current 15-week law, which the Court is scheduled to hear challenges to later this year.
South Florida inundated with historic rain, breaking records
This week, South Florida was ground zero of several consecutive days of intense weather that brought flooded streets to Miami, tornadoes to Broward County, and a 1-in-1000-year rainfall event to Fort Lauderdale – the rainiest day in the city’s history. The National Weather Services (NWS) reported 26 inches of rainfall at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which was forced to close from Wednesday evening to Friday morning after the runway was inches deep in water. Fort Lauderdale declared a state of emergency, Broward County Public Schools closed, and flash flood warnings permeated throughout South Florida as the area saw more rain and effects from flooding than at any other time in history. The Fort Lauderdale metro area received between 14 and 20 inches of rainfall in less than 12 hours spanning from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday morning, according to NWS. In Broward County on Wednesday, two weak EF-0 tornadoes touched down, damaging some homes, a local church, and a field of debris. Meanwhile, across the area, motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles along flooded streets as emergency rescue crews were dispatched to assist those trapped and transport hundreds to shelters. Flood waters are expected to subside by the weekend, but officials continue to urge residents to avoid driving or traveling amid the storms. Once the rain ceases as expected on Friday, impacted cities will begin clean-up efforts, including clearing streets of debris and stranded vehicles and resuming services to normal operations. More rain is forecast for Monday.
Florida’s new permitless carry gun law
On July 1, Floridians will be legally allowed to carry a concealed firearm without a permit, training, or background check after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 543 into law last Monday. The Florida Police Chiefs Association, as well as the Florida Sheriffs Association, both supported the bill, arguing that it would enhance public safety by arming more law-abiding citizens. However, while the new legislation relaxes laws on the possession of a firearm, there are some important regulations that residents must abide by. First, any firearm carried by a citizen must be concealed and they must possess a valid ID when carrying. Additionally, concealed-carrying residents are prohibited from bringing the weapon into any school, courthouse, police station, jail, or polling place, among other locations. Each school district can also adopt additional policies that could restrict concealed firearms on their property such as in private vehicles in the parking lot or when parents are in the drop-off line. Residents must meet eligibility criteria to carry a concealed gun, including being a U.S. citizen, at least 21 years of age, and having no disqualifying felony charges or misdemeanor domestic violence charges of an injunction.
Sea level in the southeastern U.S. has surged since 2010, per study
About 15 million Floridians – nearly 75% of residents – live in coastal portions of the state, according to NOAA, but a recent study illustrates just how vulnerable these communities are amid climate change. Since 2010, researchers have found that sea levels along the Gulf Coast and southern Atlantic Coast rapidly rose an average of 1 centimeter per year, according to the academic research paper published this week. Over the last 12-year period, sea levels have increased by five inches cumulatively in this region, which is about double the average global rate that sea levels have risen across the same time period. The study’s findings detail the alarming pace that waters surrounding major Florida cities like Miami, Tampa, Fort Myers, and Fort Lauderdale have sharply increased in such a short time, inducing fears that tens of millions of homes will see routine flooding in just a few decades. The study also found that recent hurricanes that have struck the Gulf Coast in recent years, like last September’s Hurricane Ian, have been even more devastating due to the combined effect of sea level rise and storm surge. The researchers highlighted that the storm surge from Ian was the highest on record as a result of the confluence of these factors.
Lawmakers seek to increase insurer accountability after Trump criticism
Weeks after former President Donald Trump criticized Gov. DeSantis for giving insurance companies in the state a “bailout” that has “crushed homeowners,” lawmakers are coming to the governor’s rescue with a new legislative proposal. The measure would increase accountability in the property insurance marketplace by increasing fines against bad actors and give the Office of Insurance Regulation additional regulatory responsibilities. SB 7052, titled “Insurer Accountability,” was filed as insurance companies have denied claims and undercut payouts dramatically below damage estimates for homeowners in Southwest Florida devastated bv Hurricane Ian last September. Adding insult to injury for these residents, lawmakers and DeSantis approved a new law last month that would restrict lawsuits on insurers and previously set aside $2 billion in taxpayer dollars to provide reinsurance protection to property insurers late last year. However, the suggested changes in SB 7052 would do little to ease the double-digit insurance rate hikes already proposed for the coming year, primarily by not addressing the rising cost of reinsurance for carriers. This comes at a time when the state’s insurance market has reached a point of crisis, resulting in many companies declaring insolvency and homeowners seeing their rates multiple in recent years.
Citizens Property Insurance proposes double-digit rate hike
The state-backed insurer of last resort is proposing a double-digit rate increase for homeowners across Florida, but the increase could swell even higher for properties that are not primary residences. The plan put forth by the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors would implement a 12-percent rate increase for homeowners, effective November 1, before increasing 13 percent for customers on January 1 – the maximum annual increase allowed by state law. For homes insured by Citizens that are not classified as a primary residence, policies could see a cost increase by as much as 50 percent following action taken by the Legislature last December to raise the threshold. The plan awaits approval from the state Office of Insurance Regulation before it can take effect.
St. Petersburg City Council votes down $50K to assist residents with abortion-related expenses
The City Council for St. Petersburg voted 6-2 against a resolution that would allocate $50,000 in taxpayer dollars from the General Fund to the nonprofit Tampa Bay Abortion Fund for abortion-related expenses, like travel or lodging. The funds would not be used for the actual abortion procedure. The proposal was met with fierce backlash, including from State Representatives Berny Jacques (R-Largo) and Mike Beltran (R-Riverview), who vowed to oppose state funding and appropriations to St. Petersburg if they moved forward with the funding. Councilmembers largely disapproved of the plan over concerns that it would increase legal liability for the city and entrench them in a costly legal battle with the state. Additionally, as the State Legislature also considers more restrictive abortion regulations, such as a 6-week abortion ban, some city councilmembers were hesitant to approve the resolution out of fear of running afoul of state law.
DeSantis targets Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
Gov. Ron DeSantis has identified a new political target in Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell as he increasingly wades into criticizing federal policy before a possible presidential bid. As the high-profile Republican travels across the U.S. to give political speeches as part of his book tour, he has singled out the nonpartisan government official and his policies that have been a “total and complete disaster,” as he put it. DeSantis has publicly disparaged Powell and his policies for negatively affecting the economy, driving up inflation, and showing deference to wealthy investors. In recent speeches, the governor attacked the Federal Reserve Chairman for creating an environment that led to record levels of inflation by “print[ing] trillions and trillions of dollars.” In response to the inflationary pressure, DeSantis said, the Fed “start[s] hiking rates very rapidly. And that’s causing dislocations in the banking sector. It’s causing individuals to suffer just because they took their eye off the ball and didn’t know what they were doing.” He went on to add, “I think the Fed has done a horrible job over these last few years. And they really are creating potential significant turmoil in the economy going forward.” The criticism lobbed by Gov. DeSantis on Powell is similar to that levied on Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in which the governor clashed over policies during the COVID-19 pandemic that restricted Americans’ freedoms via lockdowns. The Florida governor critiqued the actions by Powell and Fauci as representative of the lack of accountability in Washington, D.C.
Florida universities ban TikTok, other social media from campus
The University of South Florida (USF) became the latest Florida university to ban TikTok and other apps from being used by students, faculty, and staff on school devices and networks. Effective immediately, TikTok, WeChat, Tencent QQ, and a Russian-affiliated social media website and cybersecurity software program are blacklisted from on-campus use. The move follows action taken earlier this month by the University of Florida, which banned the social media apps on university devices and from connecting to the school’s Wi-Fi network.
Just Keep Winning: Exciting start to Tampa Bay Rays’ season
Claiming the No. 1 spot in Major League Baseball, the Rays have made a historic start to the 2023 season, breaking franchise records and achieving feats not seen since the 19th century. Currently, the Rays lead MLB in runs scored, runs allowed, RBIs, home runs, on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage, and earned run average (ERA), among other categories, and have achieved a statistic no other team in baseball has reached in nearly a century and a half. Across a 9-game win streak, the team beat their opponents by at least four runs and outscored them with a 75-18 run differential – a feat not seen since the 1884 St. Louis Maroons. The Tampa Bay Rays have continually challenged expectations, largely due to their payroll being ranked among the bottom five teams in the League, and boasting a roster of unrecognizable yet talented names. While the team fell short of beating the MLB’s longest win streak to begin a season, they tied their 13-0 start with the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers and the 1982 Atlanta Braves.
All about Taylor Swift in Tampa Bay
Taylor Swift’s three consecutive nights of concerts at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium from April 13 to 15 captured headlines ahead of the sold-out event. The anticipation and fanfare of Swift’s Eras Tour was immense with traffic and parking advisories issued as 60,000 ‘Swifties’ descended on the NFL football stadium each night. In the lead-up to the visit, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor offered the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer a key to the city and suggested making her the honorary Mayor for one day. The concert gave a boost to local businesses such as hotels and restaurants that saw revenue jump as fans from across the country flocked to Tampa to see the Grammy award-winning artist in person. Tickets weren’t cheap to see Taylor Swift in Tampa for the first time since 2018, ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand for a single ticket. Making the event all the more special, Tampa is the only Florida destination as part of the record-breaking Eras Tour, which concludes at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in August.
Explore handmade contemporary creations at St. Pete Beach’s Annual Corey Area Craft Festival
More than 100 artisans from across the country will descend on St. Pete Beach for the 19th Annual Corey Area Craft Festival on April 15 and 16. The outdoor craft festival will feature contemporary handmade treasures from jewelry and pottery to paintings and personalized gifts amidst a charming beach town. Attendees will also be able to stroll a dedicated Green Market that features exotic live plants, small-batch foods, as well as handcrafted health and beauty products. Admission is free.
Thanks for reading this edition of Floridian Today. To never miss an update, subscribe for free:
In the meantime, if you learned something or found this read interesting, please consider sharing it to grow our community!