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The Point, March 15, 2022: Florida lawmakers pass annual budget, send it on to governor for review

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The stories near you

• Mainstreet Daily News: SBAC gathers names for superintendent search. “Only 15 months removed from its last superintendent transition, the Alachua County school district is once again in search of a leader after the School Board of Alachua County fired Superintendent Carlee Simon on March 1.”

• News4JAX: Tim Tebow to speak at UF’s 2022 spring commencement. “Former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who went on to play professional football and baseball and is known for his philanthropy and motivational leadership, will serve as UF’s university-wide commencement speaker this spring in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the university announced.”

• Citrus County Chronicle: DeSantis endorses Ingoglia over Massullo. “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is endorsing Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, for State Senate District 11.”

• WCJB: Marion County officials estimate tornado damage nears $12 million. "Marion County officials estimate the EF-1 tornado caused more than $12 million in property damage. The twister developed around Dunnellon and moved 25 miles east into Ocala around State Road 200."


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Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Lawmakers pass $112.1 billion budget to end session. “Only three lawmakers voted against the election-year spending plan, which was pumped up by federal stimulus money and higher-than-expected state tax collections. It funnels money to myriad issues, including higher funding for public schools and pay raises for state employees, and is a 10.4 percent increase from a budget approved for the current year.”

• NBC 6 South Florida: Florida Ends Legislative Session Marked by Culture Wars. “The session was largely driven by DeSantis' agenda on cultural issues. Lawmakers sent him bills aimed at keeping immigrants illegally in the country out of Florida, and limiting the way race can be discussed in classrooms and at businesses' race sensitivity training. Other bills sent to the governor would add further limits on abortion and also prohibit discussions on LGBTQ issues with young students.”

• Tampa Bay Times ($): Florida limits COVID data to every 2 weeks, state says via meme. "Florida officials have again rolled back access to the state’s COVID-19 data, and will now only release key pandemic metrics such as the number of people who have been infected, died and vaccinated once every two weeks instead of every week."

• WFSU News: Florida voters look to courts to implement new congressional map. “Voters and voting rights groups have filed two lawsuits seeking an injunction to prevent the state’s current congressional map from remaining in effect and the implementation of a court-ordered map that's fair and constitutional.”

• Florida Politics: U.S. Surgeon General Warns Parental Rights bill hazardous to Florida kids’ health. “Yet another member of the Joe Biden administration has raised concerns about Florida’s newly passed Parental Rights in Education legislation, saying that it could harm the very youth it purports to protect.”

• ABC7 Southwest Florida: Home insurance rates continue to rise across Florida. “Rates across the state are skyrocketing, but lawmakers in Tallahassee did nothing to address the matter this year.”

• CBS Miami: ‘They Deserve To Be Heard’: Community Leader Says Haitian Migrants Who Risked Their Lives To Reach US Should Be Given Chance To Stay.“‘It is horrible, it’s a country at war,’ said community leader Marleine Bastien, describing the horrific conditions in Haiti that she says prompted the migrants to attempt coming into the country.”

• WGCU: Fans are heading to the stadiums now that the baseball lockout is over. "This is the third straight year the Grapefruit League has been truncated after COVID canceled half the season two years ago, and fans were kept out of stadiums last season due to health concerns. An economic impact study commissioned by Lee County in 2018 found MLB games here typically bring in nearly $70 million annually, with $57 million spent outside of stadiums."


From NPR News

• World: White House tells China of its 'deep concerns' about providing assistance to Russia

• World: Squatters took over a London mansion linked to a Russian oligarch

• Politics: Sen. Joe Manchin says he'll oppose Sarah Bloom Raskin's nomination to a key Fed role

• Business: High gas prices present another hurdle in bringing workers back to the office

• Business: Uber and Lyft add fuel surcharges to rides as gas prices surge nationwide

• World: Pakistan is accusing the Taliban of letting militants conduct cross-border attacks

• World: India court upholds a ban on hijab in schools and colleges

About today's curator

I’m Gregorio Ruiz-Perez, a journalist at WUFT. Originally from Naples, Florida, I’ve always enjoyed running to clear my mind. I am a senior journalism major and am part of a team searching for local state news each week that’s important to you. Please send feedback about today’s edition of The Point or ideas for stories we may have missed to gruizperez@ufl.edu.

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