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Today's Florida stories

• WUSF-Tampa: Exemptions for sexual assault survivors in Florida's proposed 6-week abortion ban require proof. "Many assault survivors feel like they can't report the abuse due to safety concerns or other reasons, abortion rights advocates say."

• WUFT News: Gainesville’s kratom community weighs in on state legislation to raise the minimum age to 21. "Supporters of the bill argue that kratom has the potential to be addictive, while opponents say it is a healthier alternative to most recreational drugs."

• WCJB: Detours start on I-75 in Marion County as FDOT crews work to fix SW 66th St. overpass. "Florida Department of Transportation is working on the overpass on Southwest 66th Street after a semi-truck hauling an oversized load crashed into the bridge on February 22 blocking lanes going northbound for more than 12 hours."

• Ocala Gazette: Change of plea scheduled for Joe Harding. "Harding, an Ocala Republican who previously represented District 24, resigned the seat in December following a six-count indictment for wire fraud and other charges related to the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program."

• Florida Politics: Orlando lawmaker wants to make amusement rides safer, add public record exemption after teen’s death. "A Central Florida lawmaker’s bill adding more safety rules on amusement rides passed through the Senate Agriculture Committee Monday in the wake of a teenager’s falling death from an Orlando attraction last year."

• WMFE-Orlando: Exploring Long COVID Part 1: Why don't we know more about it? "More than 1 million Americans have died from COVID-19 since President Donald Trump declared it a national emergency three years ago. That includes 87,000 Floridians. Among the survivors, are those with long-haul COVID, or Long COVID, a phenomenon still not fully understood."

• News4Jax: Bank collapse has some Florida business owners on edge. "Silicon Valley Bank in California collapsed on Friday forcing the United States federal government to step in and guarantee that customers get their deposits back, making it the biggest U.S. bank failure since the global financial crisis in 2008."

• WUFT News: Extension of the Archer Braid Trail connects to a bigger community. "The extension of the trail will connect the Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum to the existing trailhead. The Railroad Museum is housed in the historic Seaboard Air Line depot and is a vital part of Archer’s history and important to its residents."

•NPR: In Florida, an invasive snail is helping save an endangered bird. "In Florida's Everglades, few species are more closely tied to the habitat's health than an endangered bird, the snail kite. The Everglade snail kite is a raptor, similar to a hawk, that eats just one thing: snails."

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From NPR News

• Business: The Collapse Of Silicon Valley Bank

• Climate: The Biden administration approves the controversial Willow drilling project in Alaska

• Politics: Biden is selling U.S. nuclear submarines to Australia to counter China

• National: Landmarks fall, memories fade. Civil rights tourism may protect Mississippi history

• National: New FBI data show reported hate crimes in the U.S. jumped in 2021

• National: It's Equal Pay Day. The gender pay gap has hardly budged in 20 years. What gives?
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.