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The Point, Aug. 3, 2022: Site of Surfside condo collapse sold for $120 million

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Today's Florida stories

• Miami Herald ($): Surfside land sale now official. What’s next for the oceanfront property where 98 died? "Another condo tower, with luxurious amenities, is expected to rise in its place. Exactly when is not yet clear."

• Fort Myers News-Press ($): Climate experts predict Southwest Florida will see daily tidal floods by the year 2100. "There will only be one day in the year 2100 where nuisance high tide flooding isn't an issue in the Fort Myers area. Naples will be flooded by incoming tides every day, according to the latest tide predictions coming from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA."

• Politico: Faith-based groups sue to overturn Florida's 15-week abortion ban. "A collection of faith groups is suing Florida over its 15-week abortion ban, the third legal challenge to the state’s controversial new abortion law."

• WMFE-Orlando: A housing crisis and inflation are making it harder for theme park workers to stay in Florida. "Back in October, state law set the minimum wage at $15 dollars an hour. Workers now say more pay and benefits are needed to combat inflation. Florida is consistently ranked one of the most expensive places to live in the country."

• Florida Storms: Heat.gov launches as a resource to address extreme heat. "The launch comes as Florida experiences a record-breaking month of heat. Tampa takes the lead recording its hottest month on record ever, since recordkeeping began in 1890, averaging a high temperature of 93.4 degrees for July 2022. The city also recorded its hottest consecutive months, for June and July 2022. Orlando recorded broke its record for second-hottest month with July averaging a high of 94.5 degrees. Additionally, Vero Beach, Gainesville and Fort Myers all recorded their sixth-hottest months on record."

• Mainstreet Daily News: BOCC agrees to expand redevelopment area. "After an extended conversation with their city counterparts, Alachua County commissioners approved expanding Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) to include the entirety of a proposed multi-use development at NE 8th Avenue and Waldo Road. The city requested the GCRA expansion so that multi-use projects under consideration for that area would be eligible for additional types of funding."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Gainesville Community Playhouse cancels show following reports of sexual abuse. "The Gainesville Community Playhouse has canceled an upcoming production in the wake of sexual assault allegations made by multiple women over the past week. Several actors and community members have since taken to social media to demand answers from theater leaders and for them to take action."

• News Service of Florida: A plan to use the state-backed property insurer to save Florida's industry from meltdown gets its first taker. "United, which had about 185,000 policies in Florida as of March 31, was one of three insurers downgraded Monday by the Demotech ratings agency amid widespread financial troubles in the state’s property-insurance market."

• WFTS-Tampa Bay: Citizens Property Insurance rates will soon climb for thousands of Florida residents. "This comes after the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on June 30 approved an average rate increase of 6.4% for homeowners with "multi-peril" policies, which is by far the most common type of policy, according to FloridaRealtors.org. Citizens had originally requested a 10.7% increase for multi-peril policies."

• NPR News: NFL punishes Miami Dolphins owner over inquiry into tanking, tampering and Tom Brady. "The NFL says the Miami Dolphins and team owner Stephen Ross violated the "integrity of the game" numerous times since 2019, from repeatedly contacting Tom Brady when he was under contract elsewhere to Ross suggesting during the 2019 season that the team should lose games to help its draft position."


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• Climate: For Georgia to stay the 'peach state,' farmers are trying to adapt to climate change

• Sports: Vin Scully, the famed Los Angeles Dodgers baseball broadcaster, has died

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