The state of sports gambling in Florida and why new legislation might finally make it legal

Sports Betting matchup Ticker screen – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Sinisa Botas The time for sports betting to become legal in Florida may be now. While it may not have been the way legislators wanted it to happen—it’s on the verge of happening thanks to the pandemic.  With Florida facing budget shortfalls of roughly

Florida invasive species battle continues as FWC bans “high-risk” reptiles from commercial breeding and pet ownership

Green Iguana – Courtesy: Image by Scottslm from Pixabay In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted on a new set of rules that would ban the commercial breeding practice and ownership of 16 “high-risk” reptiles in the state. The rule would allow current high-risk reptile owners to keep the

Almost three years after pedestrian bridge near FIU collapsed killing 6, FDOT set to oversee new design

Florida International University Bridge collapse – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by pleasecat Redemption may soon be on the horizon for construction crews in South Florida nearly three years after a pedestrian bridge connecting Florida International University and Sweetwater’s downtown community collapsed during routine testing and a faulty design, claiming six innocent lives. That date was

Future Florida College students could lose out on financial aid with new bill

Florida International University – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Felix Mizioznikov A new piece of legislation was filed by Sen. Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) earlier this week that would make major changes to state financial aid apportionments to college students. Senate bill SB 86 would require grants to be reevaluated on a semester-to-semester basis and control

Nestlé Waters Given Rights to Bottle 1 Million Gallons of Florida Spring Water

Crystal Clear Ginnie Springs – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Zoe Esteban One of Florida’s largest freshwater springs will soon be tapped for nearly 1 million gallons of water a day after Nestlé Waters North America was granted a permit approval from the Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board earlier this week. The permit

Manatee County Commissioner breaks protocol by limiting COVID-19 vaccine drive to specific wealthy zip codes

Manatee County – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Ja7 The Florida COVID-19 vaccine chronicles continue.  One month after a West Palm Beach nursing home and assisted-living facility was called out by a Florida Senator for “immoral” vaccine distribution to wealthy donors: a Manatee County commissioner broke vaccine distribution protocol when planning a local vaccine drive

Florida’s tourism industry reports lowest figures since 2010

Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Gustavo Frazao The Sunshine State was on track to post record-setting tourism numbers for state visitations in 2020, but then the pandemic happened, and those projections were derailed. In fact, according to new data from Visit Florida, the tourism industry saw an astounding but reasonably expected 34 percent drop in

Florida’s redistricting process will have to wait—U.S. Census Bureau blames pandemic for delay in data release

2020 Census Form – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Tada Images Florida’s population continues to shoot up as the COVID-19 pandemic forges forward in 2021. Because Florida is a “fully-open” state, many families, businesses, and remote working individuals from lesser opened states have made the move down to the Sunshine State in search of new

‘Parents Need to Know’ Legislation proposed by Florida Lawmakers—Remembering Marjory Stoneman Douglas tragedy

Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Humberto Vidal February 14 is traditionally a day marked by love between significant others, family, and friends. But for Floridians, especially those in the Broward County community of Parkland, Valentine’s Day will never be quite the same. This Valentine’s Day marked the third anniversary of the infamous Marjory Stoneman Douglas

Could Florida be in the clear from COVID-19 by June of this year? One Epidemiologist believes it’s possible

Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Casimiro PT One of Florida’s leading epidemiologists from Tampa Bay believes the state could be in the clear from the COVID-19 virus by June of this year, adding a slight change in the way the state tackles the virus could improve the outlook even more.  According to data from the Florida