Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m.
The stories near you
• WCJB: Family demands answers from FDOC following man’s death during arrest. "A family is demanding answers from the Florida Department of Corrections after a Gainesville man died while handcuffed in a home. A butcher knife ended up in his throat during the arrest."
• Florida Storms: Dangerous rip currents possible headed into 4th of July holiday. "These hidden dangers form when waves break near the shoreline, pile up water and form a narrow stream that flows quickly away from shore. Experts say it’s that extra pull that can panic swimmers, which can lead to fatigue and eventually drowning."
• WCJB: Florida law aims to improve the safety of parents and children during custody exchanges. "The new law requires sheriff’s offices in every county to designate a portion of their parking lot as a safe exchange location. One North Central Florida Sheriff’s Department put a safe exchange space in back in April."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Florida amends PACE program as cases continue at state Supreme Court. "The law, SB 770, expands the PACE program to include septic-to-sewer connections, but the Florida Legislature also clarifies the program parameters—closing loopholes that have caused several lawsuits and open cases before the Florida Supreme Court."
• Ocala Gazette: I-75 expansion coming soon. "By adding auxiliary lanes in each direction of I-75, FDOT said the projects will decrease travel delays from accidents in the short term and ease congestion and traffic from growth in the long term."
• Mainstreet Daily News: Grace Baptist Church to host emergency preparedness seminar. "The North Central Florida Baptist Association is collaborating with Grace Baptist Church to provide the seminar, which will teach attendees how to respond well to natural or man-made disasters and emergencies."
Scheduling note: The Point will return Friday, July 5 following the Independence Day holiday.
Today's sponsored message
Around the state
• News Service of Florida: Federal agency proposes worker heat protections. "The Biden administration is moving forward with a proposal that would require heat protections for workers across the country, after Gov. Ron DeSantis this spring signed a controversial law barring Florida local governments from imposing such requirements on businesses."
• Central Florida Public Media: Local governments face big decisions on homelessness after Supreme Court decision. "On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers can choose to ban people from sleeping or camping in public spaces, as it will no longer be considered 'cruel and unusual punishment,' even when there are no shelter beds available."
• WUSF-Tampa: A study finds children with autism are drowning in Florida at an 'astounding' rate. "He added children with autism are prone to drowning because of their tendency to wander away from caregivers."
• Central Florida Public Media: New Property Rights or ‘squatters’ law could affect renters without leases. "A new Florida state law went into effect Monday, empowering property owners to remove unauthorized occupants, otherwise known as 'squatters,' from their dwellings – but its language might inadvertently affect some types of renters."
• WUSF-Tampa: Judge rules Christian Ziegler's cellphone was illegally searched, records will be destroyed. "The ruling says the Sarasota Police Department violated constitutional laws against unreasonable search and seizure in searching cellphone records. Christian Ziegler has not been charged with a crime."
• Miami Herald: Miami ‘climate tech hub’ gets $19.5 million from feds. Focus will be reinforcing coast. "Fittingly, much of the initial federal funding will go toward training and research that will be key to building a coastline more resilient to the rising seas that are the biggest threat to South Florida. It will boost 'clean concrete' research headed by Florida International University and engineering and construction training programs led by Miami Tech Works."
• Central Florida Public Media: School in a movie theater? Under a new Florida law, private schools can build it. "Under a new education law that took effect July 1 in Florida, private, charter and micro-schools can now turn houses of worship and other public spaces into schools. Private schools can lease or buy a library, community service organization, museum, performing arts venue, theater, cinema, or church for use as a school."
From NPR News
• Elections: Rep. Doggett calls on Biden to withdraw. He's the first Democrat in Congress to do so
• Health: How ob-gyns are handling more requests for sterilization after ‘Roe’ was overturned
• Health: In just a few years, half of all states passed bans on trans health care for kids
• Law: Former President Trump's criminal sentencing in New York is delayed
• World: More than 120 people were killed in one of India's deadliest stampedes
• Race: How well did the Civil Rights Act live up to its promise?
• National: Young people splurge more as 'little treat' trends boom on social media
• Animals: Ants treat certain leg injuries with lifesaving amputations
Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.