CROSS CITY, Fla. — Dixie County residents sat in blue chairs outside the FEMA recovery center in blistering heat. They waited for help and a semblance of hope after Hurricane Idalia swept through multiple cities across the Big Bend region. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opened a recovery center …
Read More »DeSantis requests aid for Big Bend fishing industries
Governor Ron DeSantis requested assistance for North Central Florida’s fishing industry to repair damage from Hurricane Idalia. He wrote a letter on Wednesday to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to issue a federal fisheries declaration providing federal funding for offshore, nearshore and inshore fisheries to rebuild. In DeSantis’ letter, he …
Read More »Florida, other states want to move forward with flood insurance lawsuit
TALLAHASSEE — Florida and other states are trying to fend off an attempt by the Biden administration to end a lawsuit challenging changes to the National Flood Insurance Program that have led to higher premiums for many property owners. Attorneys for 10 states and local government agencies in Louisiana filed …
Read More »Pres. Biden and First Lady visit hurricane-ravaged Florida community
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden toured the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Idalia Saturday, taking in the damage by air and by land. The president promised to help with the area's recovery "until the job is done."
Read More »Hurricane, shooting test DeSantis leadership as he trades the campaign trail for crisis management
First a shooting, then a storm. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing a one-two punch testing his leadership at a critical moment for his presidential campaign, with the Republican moving to cast aside his role as culture warrior and show the country that he can govern through crises. His first …
Read More »Prosecutors urge prison sentence for former Rep. Joe Harding
With a sentencing hearing scheduled Sept. 11, federal prosecutors said in a court filing Thursday that former state Rep. Joe Harding, R-Ocala, should be sent to prison for fraudulently applying for business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Joseph Harding is a businessman and former member of the Florida House of …
Read More »The Point, Aug. 31, 2023: Idalia’s aftermath
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. Hurricane Idalia • WUFT News: Photos capture aftermath of Hurricane Idalia in Perry and Cedar Key. “WUFT photojournalists made their way to Cedar Key and Perry to report on the damage following the arrival Wednesday morning of …
Read More »Hurricane Idalia makes landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm
CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia has made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm on Wednesday and threatens to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. The …
Read More »Idalia projected to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane with ‘catastrophic’ storm surge
CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a dangerous Category 4 storm Wednesday morning as it steamed toward Florida’s Big Bend region and threatened to unleash life-threatening storm surges and rainfall. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Hurricane Idalia …
Read More »The idea of a meat processing facility spoiled for too many Alachua County commissioners
The effort to bring a small-scale meat processing facility to Newberry is over. After months of debate over funding the $5.25 million project and how it would operate, the Alachua County Commission voted three-to-two to end further discussion and staff time on the issue. Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler said she thinks …
Read More »