The Point

The Point, Aug. 1, 2023: Firefighter weightlifting, economic policy and AI in movies

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published August 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

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The stories near you

• WCJB: Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson deposition scheduled in racial discrimination lawsuit. "An employee claims he was passed over for a promotion because he is white."

• WUFT News: Bearing the burden: Marion County Fire Rescue holds weightlifting competition for first responder mental health awareness. "Some of Marion County’s bravest men and women lined up this weekend inside the 'Everyone Goes Home' gym to test their might in its annual 'Bear the Burden' weightlifting competition."

• Associated Press: Florida enters year 2 under Billy Napier amid lowest expectations in nearly a decade. "Coming off consecutive 6-7 seasons — one in former coach Dan Mullen’s final season and the other in Napier’s inaugural campaign — Florida was picked to finish fifth in the Eastern Division in the league’s annual preseason media poll."

• The Alligator: Florida to vote on reinstating partisan school board elections. "District school board members have been elected in nonpartisan elections since 2000. Previously, candidates affiliated with a specific party when running."

• Mainstreet Daily News: ACPS urges parents to register immediately. "Schools are accepting registration this week and next, but earlier registration comes with advantages."

• Mainstreet Daily News: RTS announces new bus schedule. "After two outreach meetings about route changes, the City of Gainesville’s Regional Transit System (RTS) will close five routes and begin service on one new route."

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Around the state

• WUSF-Tampa: A new report details obstacles to maternity care in Florida. "The study presents data on several key factors including levels of maternity care access and maternity care deserts by county, distance to birthing hospitals and availability of family planning services."

• Associated Press: DeSantis unveils new economic policy that targets China, taxes and regulations. "Speaking in New Hampshire, DeSantis promised to boost the economy and fight for the middle class, in part by wresting control from China."

• WLRN-Miami: New immigration law forces family to flee Florida, leaving behind American-born student. "People are still fleeing Florida weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ strict new immigration law — one of the main selling points from his presidential campaign — struck fear across various immigrant communities across the state."

• WMFE-Orlando: Seminole County detective arrested, accused of tipping off suspects in child-sex sting. "The Sheriff's Office says 47-year-old Jose Luis Tirado secretly used a texting app to warn suspects who were planning to meet a child for sex during an undercover sting."

• WLRN-Miami: Advocates push for changes to Baker Act policy in Palm Beach County schools. "The state law allows for people to undergo a psychiatric evaluation against their will — including children — if they represent an imminent danger to themselves or others because of their mental illness."

• Florida Politics: Is managed care a good delivery model for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities? "The state wants to test whether people with intellectual and developmental disabilities would be better served by a Medicaid managed care model."

• WFLA-Tampa: Florida drivers saved more than $227M as Florida Toll Relief Program hits halfway point. "Since launching on Jan. 1, 2023, the year-long program has automatically given frequent users with at least 35 monthly toll transactions a month, a 50 percent toll credit to their account."