Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
Today's top stories
• UF Health officially has new leadership with Dr. David R. Nelson going from interim to permanent in the position of senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida and president of UF Health. Nelson had been in the interim role for about a year and has worked for the organizations for 26 years. (UF Health News)
• We're likely headed toward another rainy Friday, with as a system with thunderstorms approaches from the Atlantic Ocean. (Florida Storms)
• Here's the tradeoff — in one chart — that Gainesville Regional Utilities management is presenting to the Gainesville City Commission this week. Commissioners are being asked to either trim the dollar figure going from the utility into the city budget (known as the general fund transfer, or GFT) or ask electric customers to face steeper rate increases starting in October. One of the first meetings of the city budget process takes place today at 1:30 p.m. at the GRU Administration Building, 301 SE 4th Ave. (WUFT News/Twitter)
• A Gainesville city commissioner was taken aback last night at a neighborhood meeting when he learned there's apparently no limit on the number of pets one can own within city limits. (WCJB)
• High Springs city officials are hearing complaints from business owners about the company contracted to sell the city's downtown banner ads. (WUFT News)
• There's a vote on a bill today in the Florida House that would fund the task forces that would study extending the Suncoast Parkway through this area of the state. (News Service of Florida)
Today's sponsored message
Crime Prevention Security Systems has more than 40 years of experience in providing peace of mind for businesses and families in North Central Florida. With its free app, local monitoring and state of the art security equipment, Crime Prevention is the local leader in security systems and home technology. Upgrade your existing system now for remote access to your security, lights, locks and thermostats – from your smartphone or tablet. Call 352-376-1499 or visit www.cpss.net.
Around the state today
• The 2019 Florida legislative session will likely go into a short overtime this weekend to wrap up next year's budget. (News Service of Florida)
• Lawmakers didn't end up doing much to solve Florida's algae crises, environmentalists are saying. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
• The Constitution Revision Commission, or one of the reasons your November ballot was so lengthy and full of bundled amendments, seems destined to survive this year's session. (Florida Politics)
• Teachers in Palm Beach County are fired up over the legislature's move to share property tax revenue from voter-approved referendums with charter schools. “People should make no mistake, this isn’t a discussion of whether we are for or against charter schools," a school board member there told the Palm Beach Post. "It is our ire over the legislature trying to supplant the will of the voters and the authority of the school board.”
• In other statewide education news, a Pasco County school resource officer's gun went off accidentally in a school cafeteria on the same day legislators were discussing allowing districts to arm teachers. (Sun Sentinel)
• Jacksonville is having its worst violence this year in more than a decade. There have already been 51 homicides in the city. (Florida Times-Union)
• Tinted windows — very much legal in Florida — could be one hurdle in law enforcement's difficulty with the new texting while driving ban. (St. Augustine Record)
• You likely won't be able to park for free starting next year during trips to St. Augustine Beach. (WJCT)
• For those South Floridians who can afford it, a houseboat called Arkup offers a solution to sea level rise with its floating mansion. (Miami Herald)
News from NPR
• World: Amid Violence In Venezuela, Maduro Digs In
• National: 2 Dead And 4 Injured In Shooting At University Of North Carolina Charlotte Campus
• National: Minneapolis Jury Finds Ex-Police Officer Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of Unarmed Woman
• Health: How Did We Get Here? 7 Things To Know About Measles
• Health: As Artificial Intelligence Moves Into Medicine, The Human Touch Could Be A Casualty
• Health: As Meth Use Surges, First Responders Struggle To Help Those In Crisis
• Politics: Trump And Democrats Agree On $2 Trillion For Infrastructure, But Not On How To Pay
• Business: Trump Sues 2 Banks To Block Democrats From Investigating His Finances
About today's curator
I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.