Florida News that impacts you – June 22nd
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- The Florida Medical Association is encouraging Florida officials to implement mandatory mask policies in public places. The Association specifically cited a need for the policy in Palm Beach County, which is third in total cases in Florida but hasn’t adopted a mandatory policy.
- Governor DeSantis signed 21 bills into law over the weekend. This included signing the anti-bear poaching bill into law .Any bear hunt independent of a state-sanctioned hunt is explicitly illegal and penalties have been significantly increased. Other new laws included increases in penalties for motorists who don’t stop for school buses and regulating ebikes like traditional bikes rather than motorized vehicles.
- With over 11,000 new COVID-19 cases from Friday through Sunday, DeSantis said the rise in cases is “a cause for concern”, but he again stated the state won’t go backwards in its reopening efforts. He stated the hospital system is still in “good shape”.
- Hard Rock Stadium’s CEO has issued a pledge to eliminate single-use plastics by 2022, in a move to help mitigate the amount of plastic waste which has numerous negative long-term environmental impacts.
- The Atlantic will likely remain quiet for at least the next couple of weeks due to Saharan dust according to the National Weather Service. The NWS stated a Saharan Air Layer making its way across the Atlantic has taken moisture out of the air which is needed for tropical development.