Florida News That Impacts You – October 3rd, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- The Florida Ports Council is commenting on the International Longshoremen Association’s strike that’s impacting four ports within the state (JAXPORT, Port Everglades, PortMiami and Port Tampa Bay). According to the Council, containerized cargo shipments containing clothing, furniture, automobiles, construction/hurricane supplies, medical supplies and perishable foods (fruits, vegetables and seafood) are the most affected in our state.
- Only 24,000 Floridians are still without power as restoration and recovery efforts continue following the landfall of Hurricane Helene. Over 2.37 million customers have had power restored in the state.
- Nearly 2.4 million ballots for November's Presidential election cycle have been sent out to voters statewide as requests for vote-by-mail ballots have increased significantly in recent days. 21,232 ballots have been returned to election supervisors thus far.
- The Rivera Beach City Council voted to retain suspended City Manager Jonathan Evans following his suspension due to ‘neglect of duties’. The suspension came following the city’s water crisis and attempted coverup. There are also numerous complaints by current and former city employees of various alleged ethics violations. Evans will return to the job at 5 this afternoon when his suspension expires.
- It’ll be hot and at times stormy throughout the day today with highs in the upper 80’s. Temperatures will be about 4 degrees warmer than usual for this date. The National Hurricane Center is tracking three systems. A disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico has a 30% chance of developing over the next week (lower than yesterday). Hurricane Kirk has become a major hurricane in the central Atlantic, however it’s not likely to impact populated areas. Similarly, Tropical Storm Leslie has formed in the Southeastern Atlantic, however it’s also unlikely to impact populated areas.
- Gas prices fell by three cents per gallon on Wednesday, though we didn’t see any changes locally. The average price for regular unleaded in Florida is currently $3.13 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.31 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.19 and in Indian River County the average is $3.14 per gallon.