The Point

The Point, March 20, 2019: Lauren Poe Wins Second Term As Gainesville Mayor

WUFT | By Precious Polycarpe

Published March 20, 2019 at 12:00 PM EDT

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• Lauren Poe was re-elected to the Gainesville mayor's seat on Tuesday. Poe earned 7,158 votes, totaling 61.8 percent. Adrian Hayes-Santos was also re-elected Tuesday night as city commissioner and will serve District 4 for another three-and-a-half years. (WUFT News)

• A local nonprofit environmental group called Current Problems partnered with First Magnitude Brewing Company at the fifth Clean River Revival.There was a total of 160 volunteers that collected some 19,000 pounds of trash, more than all previous years combined. (WUFT News)

• Homeless shelters across Gainesville continue to struggle to supply basic hygiene products such as menstrual items, diapers, soap, lotion and shampoo. Jayne Moraski, executive director of Family Promise of Gainesville, said since menstrual products rely exclusively on donations, these products are only delivered to the there shelter about once every two months. (The Alligator)

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Around the state today

• Andrew Coffey, a former Florida State University student, died after a fraternity hazing ritual that required him to drink an entire bottle of 101-proof Wild Turkey bourbon. His parents are now putting pressure on the Florida Legislature to expand anti-hazing laws that would allow for the first person who calls 911 in a hazing emergency to be protected from prosecution. (WUFT News)

• Florida foster care system has agreed to no longer place children overnight in hotels or unlicensed offices, to stop putting more children in foster homes than they are licensed for and to keep children 6 and younger out of foster homes staffed by shift workers. As of now, this only applies to Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, but Florida is working through statewide improvements for the foster care system. (Tampa Bay Times)

• On Tuesday, the House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee approved adding human trafficking education to the health education curriculum in public schools. The purpose would be to teach “the dangers of human trafficking.” In order for the bill to get to the full House, Senate and governor's desk, it has to go through two more committees: The Criminal Justice Subcommittee and The Appropriations Committee. (Florida Politics)

• Florida lawmakers are working toward havingpeople who leave their pets restrained outside or unattended during natural or man-made disasters would face up to a year in jail or face a $5,000 fine. (News Service of Florida)

• After several incidents including a woman being knocked unconscious, a passenger serving alcohol to a driver in a different vehicle and a tourist flying out of a window and getting run over, Miami Beach held an emergency meeting about the dangers of spring break and how to bring them to an end. (Miami Herald)

• Florida farmers gathered on Tuesday to discuss the need for more protection as Congress looks to approve Trump's NAFTA rewrite. Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick said the bill would"ease certain thresholds to allow Florida farmers to petition the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Commission to investigate illegal subsidies and dumping of Mexican fruits and vegetables in the U.S. market." (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

• As a way to bring awareness to the environment, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida is asking the public to vote on the best ‘Conserve Wildlife’ license plate designed by students at Ringling College of Art and Design. (Naples Daily News)