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The Point, Dec. 13, 2019: How Barbara Petersen Became Florida's 'Sunshine Savior'

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Today's top stories

• One of our reporters set out to chronicle the story of how Barbara Petersen rose to become the state's top defender of the public's right to know and of First Amendment protections in Florida. The result is a profile titled "Sunshine Savior," which shows her path from 37-year-old potter to her calling as someone who held politicians accountable to the state's Sunshine Law for more than two decades. (WUFT News)

• Florida got bad news yesterday in its fight with Georgia over water consumption, likely one of the final steps before the U.S. Supreme Court decides the case. (AP)

• In the wake of U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho's retirement announcement, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn is thinking about jumping into what is expected to be a crowded fight to represent this area in Congress. (WUFT News)

• Alachua and Ocala are two cities whose municipal utilities are growing their solar energy production. (Florida Politics)

• Solutions continue to appear in the wake of the 2018 University of Florida report about Alachua County's achievement gap between black and white third graders. Here's a group of teachers trying to help close it with a method called phono-graphix. (WUFT News)

UF Health researchers announced this week their progress toward a safer anticancer drug.

• Former Gainesville High School and NFL football star Clinton Portis is among the league's ex-players facing health care fraud charges. (ESPN)

• The Naples Daily News investigated the efficacy of Florida's red flag law that allows police to use a risk protection order to take away a person's gun. The publication found the majority of defendants in its area did not have a lawyer.

• There's a $102.7 million settlement for the victims' families in the Florida International University bridge collapse. (Miami Herald)

The Palm Beach Post reports on the travels of Andrew Gillum, who helped Virginia Democrats to victories this fall and intends to use a similar strategy in his home state next year.

• There was an awkward moment yesterday during the U.S. House impeachment debate, when U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz's 2008 arrest on suspicion of DUI got brought up after he mentioned Hunter Biden's substance abuse issues. (Politico)


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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.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org