FAC News Clips – November 19, 2024

COUNTY 

Fox 13 

Pinellas commissioners to take up heated debate over Rays stadium funding at Tuesday meeting  

  1. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Pinellas County Commission could vote Tuesday on whether to approve a $312.5 million bond payment to help fund a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

Miami Herald 

Miami-Dade ponders a limited ban to cut plastic waste 

Miami-Dade Commissioners are set to vote on a resolution to eliminate single-use plastics and styrofoam at county-owned venues like Miami International Airport, PortMiami, parks and office buildings — and instead sell aluminum bottles or cans or serve food on washable ceramic or compostable plates. 

 

Click Orlando 

Orange County Commission to discuss money fight with supervisor of elections Tuesday 

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County commissioners on Tuesday will discuss what, if anything, can be done regarding $4 million in surplus funds that the supervisor of elections spent on a scholarship and training programs. 

 

My Panhandle  

Bay County commissioners revitalize unused programs  

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Bay County commissioners are revitalizing a couple of programs that are going unused. One is a discount prescription card, and the other is a housing program. 

  

FEDERAL 

WEAR TV 

Pres. Biden asks congress for increased emergency funding in the wake of Helene and Milton 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla (CBS12) — Pres. Joe Biden requests ‘urgently needed’ funding to provide for ‘expeditious and meaningful’ response to communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 

 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 

Route-Fifty 

Report details how states can implement reliable, effective generative AI  

For generative AI initiatives to be successful, a new report suggests a slow and steady approach to the technology. 

FAC News Clips – November 18, 2024

COUNTY 

Tallahassee Democrat 

Leon County will ask for state, federal funding for local projects 

Leon County commissioners will task their lobbyists to ask the state Legislature and federal government to help fund a number of ongoing county projects, including Welaunee Boulevard and the Airport Gateway. 

 

Miami’s County News 

PortMiami welcomes record-breaking number of cruise passengers in FY ’24  

PortMiami, the “Cruise Capital of the World,” achieved its highest-ever cruise passenger total of 8,233,056 travelers in Fiscal Year 2024, which started Oct. 1, 2023 and ended Sept. 30, 2024. 

 

AROUND THE COUNT(R)Y 

Miami Herald 

These Bay Area counties will launch mental health ‘CARE’ courts. Can they help solve homelessness?  

As communities across the Bay Area continue to grapple with jarring scenes of human suffering on the street, counties in the region are rolling out new state-mandated mental health courts aimed at getting people with serious psychiatric disorders into treatment and housing. 

  

Route-Fifty 

A new take on robocop? Georgia lawmakers look into ways AI can improve public safety  

With artificial intelligence rapidly advancing, what public safety jobs can look like is changing quickly, sometimes in a seriously sci-fi kind of way. 

FAC News Clips – November 14, 2024

COUNTY 

My News 13 

Orange County considers suing election supervisor 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A bit of debate going on between Orange County and the Supervisor of Elections office over what to do with excess money from the Supervisor of Elections’ budget. 

 

Palm Beach Post 

Brightline’s bid for a Martin County station is approved 

MARTIN COUNTY — A $45 million deal was struck for a Brightline train station in downtown Stuart, just months after city commissioners there rescinded a similar deal. 

 

Local 10 

‘The way forward’: Ordinance passing would push toward plastic reduction in Miami-Dade 

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Right now the world is pumping out a staggering 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year, and much of it winds up as litter that pollutes our oceans and waterways. 

 

Click Orlando 

Orange County steps up with new program to make pedestrian safety a top priority 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County, home to some of the state’s busiest and most pedestrian-heavy areas, has long struggled with high rates of pedestrian fatalities. 

 

The Gainesville Sun 

Alachua County allocates $100K for appeal of ruling over referendum 

The Alachua County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the allocation of $1.1 million from the General Fund Reserves for environmental studies related to the Mill Creek watershed and potential legal fees for the county’s appeal over the recent at-large voting referendum. 

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING 

Fox 4 

Collier County approves converting vacant properties into housing for veterans 

NAPLES, Fla. — Collier County is taking action to tackle homelessness among local veterans by approving a deal that will convert two vacant properties into affordable housing units.   

FAC News Clips – November 13, 2024

COUNTY 

Wear TV 

Okaloosa County and CCA Florida partner up to enhance redfish population 

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — – Destin-Fort Walton Beach and the Coastal Conservation Association Florida released 30,000 juvenile redfish into the Choctawhatchee Bay at Lion’s Park in Niceville on Tuesday. 

 

ABC Action News 

Hillsborough County leaders consider dedicating more funding to storm relief 

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — On Wednesday, Hillsborough County leaders will discuss dedicating more funding to helping people recover from the back-to-back hurricanes. 

 

Pensacola News Journal  

Santa Rosa County to embark on restoration of Navarre Beach 

In his two years as a Santa Rosa County Commissioner, Ray Eddington has been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. 

 

WESH 

Orange County mayor questions use of taxpayer money in new elections supervisor scholarship fund 

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Should surplus money from the Orange County Supervisor of Elections be used for a new college scholarship fund? 

 

My News 13 

Brevard considers becoming ‘Bill of Rights Sanctuary’ 

VIERA, Fla. — Commissioners in Brevard County voted Tuesday to move forward with the proposal to name the community a Bill of Rights Sanctuary County. 

 

Alachua Chronicle 

Chestnut selected as Chair of the Alachua County Commission 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Alachua County Commission has selected Chuck Chestnut as the Chair and Ken Cornell as the Vice Chair for the next year. 

 

HURRICANE SEASON 

Tampa Bay Times 

Florida to be threatened by likely hurricane next week, forecasters say 

The National Hurricane Center expects the season’s next tropical depression or storm to form in the Caribbean soon, and forecast models predict it will intensify into a hurricane and threaten Florida next week. 

 

FEDERAL 

Orlando Weekly 

Trump taps Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for Sec of State; will DeSantis take Rubio’s seat in Senate?  

When he returns from a trade mission to Italy, Gov. Ron DeSantis likely will face decisions about picking a successor to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and setting a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz. 

FAC News Clips – November 12, 2024

COUNTY 

Florida Phoenix 

What voters in Florida cities and counties approved last week  

While voters statewide weighed in on the six proposed constitutional amendments, Floridians up and down the state approved local referenda that will shape their communities. 

 

WCJB 

Alachua County Commission to decide the fate of $100k 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) -Alachua County commissioners are now facing the Court of Appeals, and considering how to pay for the legal counsel they’ll need. 

 

Miami Community News 

County gets nearly $1.5M grant for new lower emissions vehicles  

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) a grant totaling $1,483,400 for the acquisition of 21 new heavy vehicle models. 

 

HURRICANE SEASON 

Tampa Bay Times 

High chance Caribbean system will develop, hurricane center says 

Forecasters say the system has an 80% chance of development in the next seven days as of Tuesday morning. 

 

FEDERAL 

New York Times 

Trump Expected to Name Marco Rubio as Secretary of State  

The president-elect appears to have settled on the Florida senator, who has taken hard-line positions on China, Iran and Venezuela, to be the nation’s top diplomat. 

FAC News Clips – November 8, 2024

COUNTY 

Click Orlando 

📱 These are the most socially connected counties in Florida 

In today’s digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week. 

 

Marco Eagle 

Lambert to be new secretary of Department of Environmental Protection 

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday appointed veteran state official Alexis Lambert to serve as secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection after Shawn Hamilton stepped down from the job. 

 

WFLX 

Martin County voters approve referendum that will ‘protect natural resources’ 

Voters approved a half-cent sales tax to raise funds to be used to purchase lands to protect water quality, natural areas and wildlife habitat in Martin County. 

 

Lake Okeechobee News 

Operation Green Light honors veterans  

OKEECHOBEE – Okeechobee County citizens are encouraged to display a green light in the window of their business or residence now through Nov. 11 as part of Operation Green Light. 

 

PUBLIC CAMPING 

NBC 6 

County demands $10 million from Miami Beach over homelessness fight 

On any given night, there are about 1,700 people living at one of the 13 Camillus House facilities in Miami-Dade County, most of them in long-term transition programs.