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Today's top stories
• The Florida Building Commission considers updates to the statewide building code every three years. With more powerful hurricanes hitting the state these past few years, members are discussing the possibility of the seventh edition of the code including requirements for hurricane-grade wind resistance. The new statewide building code is expected to be finalized by December 2020. (News Service of Florida)
• The U.S. and Canada have seen bird numbers drop by 3 billion in 48 years, according to a Cornell lab study. Alachua County is working to protect the declining bird population. (WUFT News)
• Alachua County Public School teachers may see a 2% pay raise this school year based on a tentative agreement between the district and the county’s teachers union. The district’s educational support professionals, like food service workers and custodians, may also receive a 60-cent increase in pay. (Gainesville Sun)
• Due to costs, the Hernando County School Board is considering forming its own police force rather than contracting with the Sheriff’s Office for school resource officers. For the same amount the school board pays the sheriff, the district could hire six additional officers that could be staggered to cover summer school. (Bay News 9)
• The Hippodrome Theater's production of "The Blameless" takes place a year after the Garcia family’s son, Jesse, died in a college campus shooting. The play follows the family as they have the shooter’s father over for dinner. “It’s about how the survivors survive,” said Stephanie Lynge, the Hippodrome’s artistic director. (WUFT News)
• TurboTenant is touting Orlando as the top city in the state in which to buy profitable rental property, followed by Jacksonville, Tampa and St. Petersburg. (Orlando Weekly)
• The Blue-Green Algae State Task Force's new statewide water monitoring strategy includes sampling water for environmental data to be used in human health studies, a septic system monitoring program to identify malfunctioning systems and compliance among farmers to minimize the harmful effects of fertilizers on waterways. (WMFE)
• An extremely rare yellow northern cardinal with a genetic color mutation was spotted and photographed in Port St. Lucie on Saturday. There are only three yellow cardinal sightings reported each year. (Naples Daily News)
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