WEATHER ALERT
Florida issues health advisory after 4 locally contract malaria in first spread in US in 20 years
Read full article: Florida issues health advisory after 4 locally contract malaria in first spread in US in 20 yearsThe Florida Department of Health has issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory after four locally contracted cases of malaria were reported along the Gulf Coast south of Tampa.
Manatee County agriculture takes big hit from Hurricane Ian
Read full article: Manatee County agriculture takes big hit from Hurricane IanHurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida at the worst possible time for many in the agricultural community, cutting a path through Florida’s citrus belt and hitting tomato fields just before the start of seasonal harvests.
Florida to close wastewater reservoir with leak history
Read full article: Florida to close wastewater reservoir with leak historyGov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will permanently close the leaky Piney Point reservoir that poured millions of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay while threatening to burst open and flood nearby homes and businesses.
Florida lawmakers plan $200M to clean, close leaky reservoir
Read full article: Florida lawmakers plan $200M to clean, close leaky reservoirOn Wednesday, Florida lawmakers will vote to spend $3 million to begin diverting nearly a half-billion gallons of wastewater into deep wells before it can leak into Tampa Bay.
Florida Senate considers spending up to $200M to clean up Piney Point
Read full article: Florida Senate considers spending up to $200M to clean up Piney PointWith work continuing to prevent a potentially catastrophic collapse of a reservoir wall, the Florida Senate will consider a budget amendment Wednesday to spend as much as $200 million to clean up the site of a former phosphate plant in Manatee County.
DeSantis declares emergency as leak at wastewater pond prompts evacuations in Florida
Read full article: DeSantis declares emergency as leak at wastewater pond prompts evacuations in FloridaFlorida's governor has declared a state of emergency after a significant leak at a large storage pond of wastewater threatened to flood roads and burst a system that stores polluted waters.
DeSantis threatens to pull vaccines from Manatee County after residents question site placement
Read full article: DeSantis threatens to pull vaccines from Manatee County after residents question site placementLAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – Following reports that Gov. DeSantis was asked about the criticism from the community that followed the Tuesday report during a press conference on Wednesday. Ad“I mean, if Manatee County doesn’t like us doing this, then we are totally fine with putting this in counties that want it,” DeSantis said. “There is no reason that Governor DeSantis should be rationing vaccines based on political influence,” Fried said in a press release. DeSantis pushed back on the claims that he set up the site because the community’s developer and residents of the community support him politically.
Florida fire truck stolen while crew responded to call
Read full article: Florida fire truck stolen while crew responded to callThis brush truck belonging to the Bayshore Fire Rescue was found about 80 miles away in Manatee County. NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. – A fire truck was stolen from a Florida fire station while the crew was responding to a call Sunday. The Bayshore Fire Rescue department returned from the call to find a brush truck was missing. Several people posted sightings of the truck, which was eventually found about 80 miles away in Manatee County. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”The truck wasn’t damaged.
Thousands of Florida students lack online learning equipment
Read full article: Thousands of Florida students lack online learning equipmentThere’s a growing consensus amongst educators and parents that remote learning is harder on students than most people anticipated. In Sarasota and Manatee counties there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of students who don’t always have access to their classes because of slow or no internet or a lack technology. Of the 12,539 parents or guardians who responded to the survey, 12% have either slow internet or no internet at all. And when the district isn’t able to provide a solution, it connects students and families with local nonprofits that can help out. But, like in Manatee where the hotspots don’t work for everyone, even the best possible solutions don’t always solve a family’s problems.
Florida man who tried to get ballot for dead wife charged
Read full article: Florida man who tried to get ballot for dead wife chargedBRADENTON, Fla. – Florida authorities say they’ve filed a voter fraud charge against a man who said he said he “wanted to test the system" when he tried to obtain a mail-in ballot for his deceased wife. Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said he contacted the sheriff's office after a review of voter rolls showed that Larry Wiggins' wife had been dead for two years. Staffers determined that Wiggins forged his late wife’s name on the ballot request, according to the Bradenton Herald. Researchers say that voter fraud in general is rare in the U.S.“Our message is that the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections will prosecute any attempt at voter fraud. There was no online docket for Wiggins on the Manatee County Clerk of Court’s website Saturday, so it was unclear if Wiggins had an attorney.
Floridas weekly jobless claims drop the most of any state
Read full article: Floridas weekly jobless claims drop the most of any stateJACKSONVILLE, Fla. Florida led the nation in a drop in the number of new jobless claims filed last week compared to the previous week, according to federal labor figures released Thursday. Some 55,106 Floridians filed for unemployment benefits last week, a decline of 23,180 claims from the previous week, the biggest drop of any state. Last week, Florida had third-highest number of claims after California and Georgia. By comparison, at the same time in August 2019, there were 5,978 new jobless claims in Florida. The Labor Department said applications fell to 963,000, the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week.
Floridas new jobless claims drop the most of any state
Read full article: Floridas new jobless claims drop the most of any stateTALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida led the nation in a drop in the number of new jobless claims filed last week compared to the previous week, according to federal labor figures released Thursday. Some 55,106 Floridians filed for unemployment benefits last week, a decline of 23,180 claims from the previous week, the biggest drop of any state. By comparison, at the same time in August 2019, there were 5,978 new jobless claims in Florida. The Labor Department said applications fell to 963,000, the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week. Using contact tracing, the Manatee County school district and the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County found that a number of school employees had direct exposure to the infected person.
From 2 cases of coronavirus in Florida to 57,447 in 3 months. Where do we stand?
Read full article: From 2 cases of coronavirus in Florida to 57,447 in 3 months. Where do we stand?Those two cases were confirmed as COVID-19 -- the disease sweeping the world -- by the Centers for Disease Control the next day: March 2. On April 1 -- 30 days after those first two cases were confirmed in Florida -- the Department of Health reported 7,773 positive cases in the state. Thats also the day Florida became the 34th state in the nation to institute stay-at-home order. Three months after the first two cases were identified in Florida, the state reported 57,447 residents or people visiting the state have tested positive for the virus, 10,412 people have been hospitalized and 2,530 have died. Even Jacksonville, with one of the lowest rate of positive tests in the state, adds about 10% more cases each week.
Another 53 Hepatitis A cases reported
Read full article: Another 53 Hepatitis A cases reportedA microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 53 new hepatitis A cases reported last week, bringing the total number of cases since January to 2,034, according to the state Department of Health. Pasco and Pinellas counties continued to lead the state in the number of reported cases, with 358 in Pasco and 328 in Pinellas as of Saturday. Manatee County led the state in the number of new suspected cases last week with six. The state data includes confirmed and suspected cases of hepatitis A.