Florida News That Impacts You – March 27th, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis announced the state has made the largest land acquisition for the state’s Florida Forever preservation program in decades. 28,000 acres of land within the Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress Corridor, which includes land adjacent to the Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge. Quoting DeSantis: Florida continues to lead the way in land conservation and protecting our natural resources. These protections will further protect our natural lands for Florida’s families to enjoy for generations to come.
- Significant environmental harm from the latest round of Lake Okeechobee discharges is already being monitored by the state and marine biologists. A significant drop in salinity levels has been monitored in the St. Lucie River which threatens marine life. On Florida’s west coast a green algal bloom has been monitored in the Caloosahatchee River leading to concerns about red tide developing. Despite having competed the Lake Okeechobee Dike restoration project, which raised the capacity of the lake by three feet, in addition to the completion of the first phase of the EAA southern reservoir project, the Army Corps of Engineers is keeping a similar discharge schedule to previous years. An especially rainy “dry season” has been the catalyst for the discharges.
- A groundbreaking ceremony took place in the Village of Indiantown on Tuesday where a new affordable housing development will soon commence. The location, 800 acres along SW Warfield Blvd., will include over 2,000 new homes comprised of single-family homes, townhomes and apartments. The development is expected to cost $750 million to complete and will take approximately three years.
- Warm today with highs in the low to mid 80’s, or about seven degrees warmer than usual this date. Tomorrow a front is expected to enter the area which will bring rain and cooler temps entering the weekend.
- Gas prices rose six cents per gallon. The average price statewide for regular unleaded is currently $3.54 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.69 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.56 and in Indian River County the average is $3.51 per gallon.