Florida News That Impacts You – June 21st, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis signed two veterans related bills into law on Thursday. The new laws, which take effect July 1st, expand the eligibility for admissions to veterans long-term care facilities to include spouses or surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. The non-profit Veterans Florida will serve as the state’s initial point of contact from military to civilian life for veterans and their families. The new laws will also expand the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program offered by the state, exempts disabled veterans from hunting and fishing license fees, requires Veterans Day and Memorial Day education in Florida’s schools and creates the Major John Leroy Haynes Florida Veterans’ History Program to record and preserve the stories of Florida’s veterans.
- The U.S. Secret Service is sweeping the state of Florida for illegal skimming devices that have been used as part of an effort to defraud EBT, or Electronic Benefits Transfer, Card users. EBT cards lack the encrypted protection of traditional credit and debit cards making them easy targets for scam artists. On Thursday the Secret Service dismantled 13 illegal devices in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa that would have been used to defraud card holders out of an estimated $3.9 million in benefits. The Secret Service said additional sweeps will continue across the state.
- We’ll soon have an idea about the extent of the damage caused during last week’s historic rainfall. Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation has set a deadline of next week for insurance companies to file initial reports on claims associated with the rain event. Reinsurance company AON is estimating losses to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
- It’ll be sunny and hot today with highs near 90. Temps will be about 4 degrees higher than usual for this date. The National Hurricane Center is tracking two disturbances. The disturbance off Florida’s coast has a 50% chance of development as it’s set to approach the coastline somewhere between northern Florida and southwest South Carolina over the next day. Another disturbance is set to emerge in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, near where Tropical Storm Alberto recently developed. It has a 60% chance of development.
- Gas prices rose significantly for a second straight day – by five cents per gallon. The average price for regular unleaded in Florida is currently $3.37 per gallon. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.53 per gallon, in Martin the average is $3.41 and in Indian River County the average is $3.37 per gallon.