Florida's recap – Highlights from around the state – August 5th
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis ordered all flags in Florida have been ordered at half-staff thru Thursday for the victims of the shootings in El Paso and Dayton
- Hillsborough police arrested Wayne Lee Padgett for threatening a Walmart in Gibsonton, about 10 miles south of Tampa, after he called the store and told an employee he was coming to the store armed. Law enforcement is calling this a copycat threat to Saturday’s attack in El Paso.
- The Homestead Detention Center has been shut down. All remaining children have been reunited with sponsors or transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. More than 14,000 minors had been at the facility this year. Only 130 of the more than 4,000 employees operating the facility are being retained.
- Activist Laura Loomer became the latest Republican to challenge in the District 21 primary for the right to face off against Representative Lois Frankel. After no Republicans challenged Lois in 2018, five have already filed in GOP primary contest.
- The U.S. SOUTHCOM Joint Interagency Task Force-South will remain in Key West. Coming into the year there was discussion about moving the agency based out of the Naval station in Key West.
- Florida received an additional $633million in hurricane relief funding from HUD for rebuild efforts in the Keys and Panhandle after hurricanes Irma and Michael
- Delray state Senator Kevin Radar is proposing a statewide ban on plastic straws and bags in Florida. This will be up for consideration in the next state session which begins in January.