The Point

The Point, Sept. 7, 2023: State appeals redistricting decision

WUFT | By WUFT News,

WUFT News

Published September 7, 2023 at 12:00 PM EDT

Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.

The stories near you

• News Service of Florida: Redistricting appeal could go on fast track to Florida Supreme Court. "A state appeal has put on hold a circuit judge’s ruling that a congressional redistricting plan violated the Florida Constitution, as the case could be on a fast track to the state Supreme Court."

• Mainstreet Daily News: School board examines LGBTQ+ guide draft. "Anntwanique Edwards, chief of equity, inclusion and community engagement, said the new 19-page guide is brief, but clear in its intentionality and how it addresses and interprets state statute."

• Ocala Gazette: Bomb testing in Ocala National Forest. "Residents may hear a little extra noise coming from the Ocala National Forest this week as the U.S. Navy conducts bomb testing at the Pinecastle Impact Range."

• Mainstreet Daily News: BOCC provides one-year extension for GRACE program. "The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to fund two shortfalls, totaling $500,000, in GRACE Marketplace’s budget for next year, filling a gap left by the city of Gainesville."

• Gainesville Sun ($): Alachua County school district releases data for rezoning; schools remain overcapacity. "The highly-anticipated data drop, meant to better explain maps released last month, shows thousands of students will be impacted by the changes that don’t fix overcrowding schools as much as policymakers had hoped."

• Ocala Star-Banner ($): Belleview is the last place in Marion County that allows internet cafés. Now that's changing. "Presently there are eight internet cafés in the city, which is approximately 3.3 square miles. They are allowed to operate seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m."

• The Alligator: The Wall Street Journal ranks UF as #1 public university. "The ranking, which consisted of 400 universities in the country, placed UF number one for public universities and number 15 overall. The overall rankings included both public and private universities."

Today's sponsored message

Around the state

• Associated Press:Extreme weather is the new pandemic for Florida businesses reliant on tourism. "This year, small businesses say vacation cadences are returning to normal. But now, they have extreme weather to deal with — many say it's hurting business, but more temperate spots are seeing a surge."

• News Service of Florida:Florida, other states want to move forward with flood insurance lawsuit. "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."

• WMFE-Orlando: Moms for Liberty cofounder named to Florida Commission on Ethics. "Back in 2021, she co-founded Moms for Liberty, which now has 285 chapters across the country. The aim was to fight back against COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates in public schools."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Keaton Beach residents say they work together and play together, now they'll recover together. "At Keaton Beach where Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm about a week ago, recovery is ongoing and getting back to normal is something community members say they’ll do together."

• News4Jax: FBI raids Duval teachers union building in San Marco. "The FBI told News4JAX it served a search warrant at the office on Atlantic Boulevard in San Marco but it did not release what the investigation is about."

• PolitiFact: Soccer star Lionel Messi has shined in Miami; other players’ moms aren’t complaining. "Some social media users who are earnestly reading posts about the mothers of other professional players complaining that Messi’s too good to play against their sons are missing the joke."

• WMFE-Orlando: No plane ticket? No problem. You can still visit the Orlando airport's Terminal C. "Ever get the urge to stand in line at a Transporation Security Administration checkpoint and then visit the shops and restaurants in a busy airport terminal, just for the fun of it? Well, now you can."

• NPR: Carl Nassib made queer NFL history. Now he's stepping away from the game. "Carl Nassib made history when he became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. Now he's moving on to the next chapter."