Florida News That Impacts You – July 18th, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- According to WalletHub the top five cities for first-time home buyers are all in Florida. In the just released annual report the top five cities for first timers nationally are #5 Orlando, #4 Tampa, #3 Port St. Lucie, #2 Cape Coral and #1 Palm Bay.
- The West Palm Beach Police Department said a drug “50 times more potent than normal fentanyl” has been discovered within the city. Authorities first discovered what’s called “ISO”, in February which is a mixture of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs. Authorities said they’ve commonly seen oxytocin and percocet pills laced with the potentially deadly drug compound. The only other city ISO has been detected in the US is Philadelphia.
- Riviera Beach will pay nearly $81,000 in fines and fees for their failures to warn residents about tests revealing fecal bacteria contamination in the city’s water supply. An investigation led by the Palm Beach County Department of Health found the city’s Special Utility District violated disclosure laws 13 times after first discovering contaminants in water. The City’s Utility District Board has unanimously voted to terminate Utility Director Michael Low.
- A mix of clouds and sun today with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms and highs in the low 90’s. Temperatures will be about 4 degrees warmer than usual for this date. Thanks in large part to a significant Saharan dust cloud, the National Hurricane Center’s map is clear and the NHC isn’t expecting tropical activity for the next 7 days.
- Gas prices dropped another three cents per gallon on Wednesday. The average price for regular unleaded in Florida is currently $3.45 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.61 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.46 and in Indian River County the average is $3.43 per gallon.