The Point

The Point, March 8, 2023: DeSantis gives State of the State speech

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published March 8, 2023 at 1:00 PM EST

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The stories near you

• WUFT News: Ryan Chamberlin secures bid to general election for Florida House District 24 seat in crowded primary election. "Republican candidate Ryan Chamberlin won the primary election for the Florida House District 24 seat. He will now face Republican write-in candidate Robert Fox at the general election on May 16."

• Mainstreet Daily News: GNV audit finds some issues with purchasing cards. "An internal Gainesville city audit did not find any fraudulent purchases in a review of purchasing card transactions but did identify potential issues in the review, including three declining balancing cards each with spending limits in excess of $250,000."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Newberry, BOCC to discuss meat processing facility. "Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe said the city is in process of finalizing an interlocal agreement with Alachua County over a proposed meat processing plant to share the 93-acre property Newberry purchased for a new wastewater facility."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Alachua County talks roads, cancels jail meeting. "The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) discussed road maintenance at a special meeting on Tuesday and also postponed its second meeting of the day to the disappointment of public commenters."

• WUFT News: Patriot Service Dogs are wagging their tails after international service award win. "The award, which is sponsored by Land Rover and presented by Chase Bank, honored 25 finalists across the U.S. and Canada. The five winners were based on a public vote and won a Land Rover Defender 130 along with $25,000."

• WUFT News: Two Gainesville researchers to host workshop on how to trace your ancestors. "In the workshop, Peterson will share the journey of tracing her ancestry back to the 1800s. Kirkman will provide guests with information on how to use Alachua County’s Ancient Records and other free resources to trace their own lineage."

• WUFT News: UF underwater hockey team making a splash. "Students find community and exercise through the non-traditional sport of underwater hockey."

• WUFT News: Choosing to suffer: Patrick Gallagher builds ultramarathon community in Gainesville. "When Gallagher’s body protests against the strain of ultramarathon races, he talks to his body parts like a '1970s parent on a long road trip.'"

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Around the state

• WUFT News: ‘Ain’t seen nothing yet’: DeSantis touts making Florida attractive destination, largely tempers firebrand style. "DeSantis urged lawmakers to pass new laws preventing immigrants in the U.S. illegally from finding jobs, ban hormone treatments and surgeries for transgender minors and allow residents to carry guns without permits."

• News Service of Florida: The Florida Legislature will consider a 6-week abortion ban. "The bills (SB 300 and HB 7), filed by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, and Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, came after the Republican-controlled Legislature last year passed a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy."

• News Service of Florida: Proposal would scrap 2018 law that raised age for buying 'long' guns from 18 to 21. "Five years ago, lawmakers increased the minimum age to purchase "long" guns after a 19-year-old used a semi-automatic rifle in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre. A bill would drop the age back to 18."

• Florida Politics: Bill more closely regulating on-campus speakers advances. "The bill (HB 931) would create an Office of Public Policy Events through the Board of Governors and the State University System that would put a satellite office on each campus that would ensure that speakers representing 'multiple, divergent and opposing' viewpoints be presented on each campus."

• Florida Politics: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns blasts Florida higher education bill banning DEI, certain curricula. "Filmmaker Ken Burns, known for his documentaries chronicling American history and culture, is weighing in on Florida bill (HB 999) that would ban funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at state colleges, give boards of trustees more power on hiring and firing, ban critical race theory and remove gender studies classes from curricula."

• WLRN-Miami: UNGUARDED: The Guardianship Program of Dade sells properties of ‘incapacitated’ people to a Miami realtor, who reaps big gains. "Following a monthslong review of probate court records, real estate sales data and other public documents, a WLRN investigation found that the Guardianship Program has been selling homes of those under its care for years to the same realty company, Express Homes."

• WGCU-Fort Myers: Ever see this activity? Write it down and file it online to help the horseshoe crab thrive. "It's easy to see what horseshoe crabs are often busy doing on South Florida shorelines, but less apparent is that the ubiquitous creature saves an untold number of lives every year."