News and Public Media for North Central Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Point, May 25, 2022: Florida lawmakers add condo safety legislation to special session agenda

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.


The stories near you

• WUFT News: Florida lawmakers agree property insurance rates need to go down, though even with their actions, it will not happen anytime soon. "In Tuesday’s second day of a special session to resolve Florida’s property insurance issues, two bills sponsored by Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, passed through the full Senate. Additionally, the House added two new pieces of legislation to Wednesday’s agenda, regarding condominium reform after the tragedy that occurred in June 2021 north of Miami Beach when a Surfside building collapsed and killed 98 people. These bills will be discussed on Wednesday after lawmakers agreed to extend the session another day to be able to analyze possible solutions to safety regulations."

• Citrus County Chronicle ($): BOCC rejects turnpike routes through Citrus. "County commissioners backed the 'no build' option for the northern turnpike extension – at least for those routes that would go through Citrus County. The board at a workshop Tuesday unanimously and enthusiastically asked staff to draft a resolution that would take three of the southernmost corridors – the ones that would affect Citrus – off the table."

• The Alligator: RTS bus crashes into gatehouse at entrance of Cabana Beach apartment complex. "RTS bus 0801 crashed into the gatehouse, located between the entrance and exit streets at 1601 SW 51st Terrace, around 11 a.m. Monday... The bus’s impact caused the structure to collapse. Pillars and wood fragments lined the area, and the roof of the structure sat atop much of the damage. Cracked window panes and shimmering shards of glass dotted the scene. Josie Colacci, Cabana Beach’s general manager, said she didn’t know how much the damages would cost, but she noted the gatehouse was equipped with a computer and camera system."

• WCJB: They’re putting the pedal to the metal: 31 bicyclists are riding from Miami to Tallahassee to support a good cause. "Cyclists from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity chapters from across the country are biking up the state to support those with developmental disabilities. Their next stop is Jacksonville, followed by Live Oak before arriving at their final destination in Tallahassee." 

• First Coast News:VyStar CEO: 'We all feel horrible' about lack of online access, promises review of what caused outages. "VyStar CEO Brian Wolfburg is promising a better customer experience after more than 11 days of outages that have plagued the credit union's mobile app and website...Wolfburg says that review will include looking at the planning, architecture and testing of its app and website designs. He calls the outage an unexpected 'trip-up' caused by load limits." 

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Woman killed, six children injured in crash on U.S. 441 South in Marion County. "In a five-vehicle crash on U.S. 441 South at Sunset Harbor Road, one woman was killed and nine other people were injured. Of the nine injured, six were children, ages 3 to 11. Four of the six were described as special-needs children." 


Today's sponsored message


Around the state

• News Service of Florida: Redistricting Wrangling Goes to Florida Supreme Court. "Voting-rights groups went to the state Supreme Court on Monday as they try to keep alive the possibility of blocking a congressional redistricting plan that would make it harder to elect a Black U.S. House member this year in North Florida. The filing by attorneys for the groups and other plaintiffs was the latest twist in a legal battle over a congressional redistricting plan that Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through the Legislature in April."

• Florida Politics: Seminole County Republican Chair, two others charged in ‘ghost candidate’ case. "Seminole County Republican Party Chair Ben Paris, political consultant Eric Foglesong and former independent candidate Jestine Iannotti have been charged in a multi-count indictment alleging election fraud in the 2020 election in Senate District 9. Iannotti had run in the SD 9 election as an independent candidate in a contest that critics had alleged was a “ghost candidate” maneuver intended to draw votes away from Democratic candidate Patricia Sigman, to aid the election of Republican Jason Brodeur, who won."

• Politico: Florida Republicans eye total ban on abortions. "Florida Republican leaders are signaling they’re open to a complete ban on abortions next year if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. This year Florida, the third most populous state in the country, already approved a ban on abortions after 15 weeks that provides no exemptions for rape, incest or human trafficking... The ban goes into effect July 1." 

• First Coast News: Jacksonville rap star Ksoo’s father will testify against his son at trial. "Police and prosecutors allege (Abdul) Robinson Sr. is the leader of a violent drug gang known as ATK or Ace’s Top Killers. His son Hakeem, who performs under the name Ksoo, is believed to be a member."

• NBC2: FGCU Alumna, US Olympian Brooke Sweat rehabbing for comeback. "Former Florida Gulf Coast volleyball star and US Olympian Brooke Sweat is working towards a comeback after having knee surgery last year... Following her eighth surgery, Sweat chose to rehab back home in Fort Myers... Brooke said she will not rush it, but hopes to return to competition in September." 


From NPR News

• National: A gunman killed at least 19 children and 2 adults at a Texas elementary school

• Science: Monkeypox isn't like COVID-19 — and that's a good thing

• National: Get ready for another destructive Atlantic hurricane season

• Religion: Southern Baptist leaders plan to release a secret list of accused sex abusers

• World: Male Afghan TV anchors cover faces in solidarity with women after a Taliban order

About today's curator

I'm Fareeha Haque Abrar, a journalist at WUFT. Originally from North Carolina, I grew up reading Florida stories since moving to Jacksonville at 4 years old. I am a senior journalism major and am a part of a team searching for local and 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 fareehaabrar@ufl.edu.

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