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The stories near you

• WUFT News Special Report: Nay’loni Fairley: Jacksonville father recalls losing his ‘Dazzling Doll.' "'I just hope it gets better, because we’re all suffering, and it doesn’t get better,' he said. 'As the days go by, it gets worse as a parent ­– knowing that your child lost their life over a gun.'"

• Mainstreet Daily News: Local leaders ask Tallahassee for water, workers. "Alachua County leaders and citizens outlined their requests of Tallahassee on Tuesday, including support for a senior center, help redesigning University Avenue, and split financing for new emergency equipment."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Recently sworn-in Gainesville official faces complaint over dual office holding. "Commissioner Ed Book, who took office last week, is accused of violating the state's dual office holding prohibition, as he is still employed as Santa Fe College's chief of police and serving on the Gainesville City Commission, both of which are sworn positions."

• WCJB: Gainesville residents ask FL lawmakers to push for state auditing of GRU. "FL Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Rep. Chuck Clemons, Rep. Yvonne Hayes Hinson, and Rep. Chuck Brannan held a legislative delegation hearing (Tuesday), two months before the start of the session."

• Florida Storms: End of week cold front brings risk for severe storms, drop in temperatures. "Thunderstorms capable of producing damaging straight-line winds are expected over the Panhandle on Thursday, and by Friday, northerly winds will cause temperatures to drop."

• Mainstreet Daily News:BOCC reconsiders but doesn’t change housing vote. "For more than four and half hours Tuesday, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) debated, discussed and reconsidered their December decision to withdraw their endorsement of a workforce housing development in East Gainesville."

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Ocala: The Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place is now a reality. "Close to a year after bulldozers, dump trucks and other heavy equipment began moving dirt at a site that residents said once spewed toxic materials into the air and their homes, the area has now transformed into an education center that's embraced by the community."

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Around the state

• Fort Myers News-Press ($): Governor pledges $3.5 billion more for Florida's environment. "'Achieving Even More Now for Florida's Environment' takes broad aim at the state’s environment woes with continued focus on the River of Grass, Indian River Lagoon restoration, coastal resiliency, coral reef protection, and land conservation."

• Spectrum News: 'Bright Futures' now attainable for more high school seniors. "Instead of the previously required 100 volunteer hours needed to attain Bright Future’s Florida Academic Scholar standing, students may now submit 100 paid work hours instead."

• Florida Politics: Wilton Simpson seeks to shield gun and ammo sale data from corporate tracking. "The measure comes in response to new international standards for recording payment transactions last year that established a separate identification code for firearm and ammunition sales. With the new merchant category code, it is potentially easier to track people who have purchased guns or ammo."

• Tallahassee Democrat ($): Ghislaine Maxwell teaches 'etiquette' class in Tallahassee prison, reports say. "Disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is teaching an etiquette class in FCI Tallahassee where she is serving a 20-year sentence for her role as an accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein in a decade-spanning sex-trafficking ring, according to published reports."

• WFSU-Tallahasse: America's largest underground springs gets even bigger with the discovery of another cave connection. "The question was whether the so-called Chip's Hole caves north of Crawfordville were somehow linked to the larger Wakulla Cave System. This past Saturday, Woodville Karst Plain Project Director Casey McKinley said divers had their answer."

• WLRN-Miami: Can hybrid super reefs defend the coasts? UM leading research for military project. "One day, the Defense Department hopes to deploy these super resilient reefs off the coast of military bases to reduce the amount of damage they take when they’re pummeled by waves."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): A new Alzheimer’s drug has been approved. What to know about lecanemab. "Leqembi is the second drug of its kind to receive market approval and is expected to be more commercially successful than its predecessor, Aduhelm."

From NPR News

• Climate: Extreme weather, fueled by climate change, cost the U.S. $165 billion in 2022

• Business: Disney employees must return to work in office for at least 4 days a week, CEO says

• Politics: A coordinated nationwide agenda dominated local school board elections last year

• National: A 6-year-old shooter raises difficult questions for the criminal justice system

• Health: Growing up during the pandemic: What that means for kids' microbes

• National: MacKenzie Scott is shaking up philanthropy's traditions. Is that a good thing?

• Science: What's the #1 thing to change to be happier? A top happiness researcher weighs in
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.