Florida News That Impacts You – January 31st, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- In yesterday’s state legislative session movers included...the Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase of Transfer bill which would lower the age from 21 to 18 for Floridians to legally purchase a firearm. Currently only those in the military or law enforcement may do so. In a separate action in the state senate, the Discharging a Firearm in Residential Areas bill, which would outlaw stray bullets being fired onto someone else’s property passed its first committee stop in a tight 5-3 vote. A tort reform bill entitled: Claims Against Assisted Living Facilities – which aims to curb rapidly rising numbers of lawsuits against Florida’s assisted living facilities passed its first senate committee hearing unanimously. The DNA Samples from Inmates bill, which would require the state to collect and hold DNA samples of inmates, has cleared all House committees and is ready for a full floor vote. According to FDLE DNA is used to solve 4,500 crimes annually.
- Florida’s Space industry is expected to see significant growth again this year after a record 72 orbital launches, or 68% of all launches in the U.S. last year. According to Florida’s Lt. Governor Jeanette Nunez who is the chairwoman of Space Florida, there are record 120 launches expected to take place this year.
- Riviera Beach based food distributor Cheney Brothers held its grand opening for a new facility in Port St. Lucie on Tuesday. Close to 300 employees were hired to begin operations at the new location with hundreds more expected to be added over the next year.
- It'll be a little warmer today with highs in the low 70’s. Temperatures will be about 2 degrees cooler than usual for this time of year today. We can expect mostly cooler than usual temps for at least the next week and a half.
- Gas prices rose again over the past day. The average price statewide for regular unleaded is now $3.26 per gallon - 6 cents higher than yesterday and 10 cents higher than a week ago. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.42 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.31 and in Indian River County the average is $3.28 per gallon.