Florida News That Impacts You – January 5th, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- A new study from the Pew Research Center shows Florida’s population of illegal immigrants increased from 3.6% of the state’s population, to 4.1% of the state’s population, during the first year of the Biden Administration in 2021. Florida’s population adjusted rate of illegal immigration was 28% higher than the national average.
- Researchers are continuing to document better than expected seagrass recovery in the important marine habitat of Mosquito Lagoon in Brevard County. Heading into the winter Florida Fish and Wildlife decided to discontinue the two-year experimental lettuce feeding program for manatees following a mass starvation event attributed to the loss of seagrass throughout Florida’s estuaries. The loss of seagrass had largely been attributed to toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Eastern discharges from the lake have been reduced over the past year due to a new discharge schedule from the Army Corps of Engineers. Quoting FAU’s Marine Botanist Dennis Hanisak: If Mosquito Lagoon can make a turnaround as quickly as it did, if somehow whatever happened there could happen in the rest of the northern Indian River Lagoon, that would be really, truly good news indeed. The Indian River Lagoon is considered the most critical marine estuary for manatees on Florida’s east coast.
- Delray Beach has finalized a plan to commit over $100 million to expand bike lanes and access throughout the city following a recent study which showed multiple hot spots for crashes throughout the area. The approved plan will more than triple the city’s 16.4 miles of existing bike lanes to 52.5 miles by completion. The top priority is addressing issues on A1A and Atlantic Avenue.
- We have slightly warmer than usual temperatures today with temps that will be about 2 degrees higher than the seasonal norms following multiple weeks with below average temps. The high today will be in the lower to mid 70’s. A cold front will move through over the weekend which will lead to lower temperatures and rain.
- Gas prices bumped up over the past day. The average price statewide for regular unleaded is $3.09 per gallon - six cents higher than yesterday. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.24 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.18 and in Indian River County the average is $3.10 per gallon.