The Point

The Point, March 12, 2025: Cedar Key responds to grocery store shortage

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published March 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Cedar Key’s market saw about 10 feet of storm surge, according to the Florida Climate Center. (Alex Land/WUFT News)

• WUFT News: Cedar Key responds to ongoing grocery store shortage after Hurricane Helene. "The storm destroyed Cedar Key’s only grocery store. Over five months later, the store remains in ruins. Now, Tim and his family face a frustrating reality: a 45-minute drive each way to the nearest grocery store in Chiefland."

• WUFT News: Man killed, woman and four children injured in Gainesville I-75 crash. "The Florida Highway Patrol is calling its investigation “active and ongoing” as it tries to determine what caused an SUV to roll over Monday evening on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, killing the driver, injuring five others and closing the busy highway for hours."

• WUFT News: Newberry woman sentenced to prison for sale of fentanyl-laced drugs that resulted in overdose and death. "Prosecutors in October 2023 had classified the crime as a capital felony, indicating that if a jury found Copley guilty, she could have received a death penalty sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole."

• WUFT News: Affordable Housing Advisory Committee weighs $1.6 million in grant funding for local projects. "Despite the planned agenda, the committee did not proceed with official scoring or evaluations, citing concerns over understanding of criteria and a desire for more deliberation."

• WUFT News: High Springs residents raise concerns over city alcohol ordinance. "Current alcohol laws in High Springs allow businesses receiving at least 51% of revenue from food and non-alcoholic beverage sales to serve alcohol Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. On Sundays, alcohol can’t be served until 1 p.m. and alcoholic beverage service ends at 11 p.m."

• WCJB: Marion County Superintendent Gullett resigns: ‘It has been a true honor.' "She didn’t give a reason for her departure after the end of this school year. Her last day will be July 11, per her contract."

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Around the state

(Left) Jasmine Smith and her 5-year-old son, Omari, live in Leesburg. Omari was born not breathing due to his condition of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. He’s had breathing problems ever since. He was also diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. He requires a lot of care including private duty, nursing, speech, OT and PT, and pureed formula foods. The nursing and food alone costs about $20,000 a month, Smith said. (Joe Mario Pedersen/Central Florida Public Media)

• Central Florida Public Media: Part 1: Children with complex needs were moved to state insurance that doesn’t help them. "Between 2023 and 2024, Florida ended Medicaid coverage for about 1.4 million people. According to state data, around 500,000 of them were children. What most concerned experts about Florida’s disenrollment was how many people terminated from coverage were still technically qualified."

• WLRN-Miami: Federal job cuts could impact Florida more than other states. Republicans represent most workers. "Federal workers across the country find themselves under aggressive scrutiny. Despite the close alignment of the state's Legislature and most of its voters to President Donald Trump, Florida is particularly vulnerable: it has one of the largest contingencies of federal jobs in the nation outside of the Washington, D.C., region."

• News Service of Florida: Florida’s statutory change to Gulf of America gets backing in GOP-led committees. "Legislation under consideration would rename the Gulf of Mexico in 52 sections of state laws. A separate bill would require schools to begin acquiring instructional and library materials that reflect the change."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Bill would give victims of dating violence the same protections as victims of domestic violence. "Domestic violence applies to people who are living together, regardless of their dating or marital status, or who have a child together. Dating violence is harm from a romantic partner that can include verbal, emotional, physical or sexual abuse and can apply to first dates or long-term relationships."

• WFSU-Tallahassee: Florida Legislature push to increase benefits for the State & National Guard. "WFSU News was at the Capitol on Tuesday, where the legislative body celebrated National Guard Appreciation Day."

• Florida Matters: Florida Noir and the makings of a shady crime story. "People come to Florida in droves for the beaches and warm weather. But the sunshine state also attracts its fair share of shady characters, in real life and in fiction."

From NPR News

• Politics: House GOP passes spending bill, sending plan to avert government shutdown to Senate

• World: The U.S. will resume Ukraine military aid and intelligence, as Kyiv approves ceasefire

• Education: U.S. Education Department says it is cutting nearly half of all staff

• National: 'There's a serious safety issue,' investigators say following DCA midair collision

• Politics: Trump backs off of Canada tariff hike as Ontario lets up on electricity threat

• Health: RFK says most vaccine advisers have conflicts of interest. A report shows they don't

• Business: Bags fly for a fee: Southwest Airlines cancels its free checked luggage perk

Kristin Moorehead curated today's edition of The Point.