Florida News That Impacts You – August 21st, 2024
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Voter turnout was light in Tuesday’s primary elections with 22.4% of eligible voters casting ballots with all precincts reporting across the state and only provisional ballots left to be reconciled. Turnout in Palm Beach County was 22.3%, in Martin County it was above the state average at 27.8% and in Indian River County turnout was well above the state average at 34%.
- Numerous counties, including Palm Beach County, had trouble with their public facing websites displaying updated election results Tuesday night. According to Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, a vendor used to display the results VR Systems, had an issue displaying results before sites timed out. As noted by Byrd: This was an issue with their public-facing websites. It had nothing to do with the data or the votes being transmitted to the Department of State.
- The Palm Beach County Commission voted unanimously to negotiate a contract agreement with Vanderbilt University that could bring a $520 million campus to West Palm Beach. Under the agreed-to proposal a campus would be built on county-owned land on Evernia and Fern Streets. Vanderbilt representatives said the campus would include graduate-level business and tech programs. This development comes following the previously scrapped effort to bring a University of Florida campus to West Palm Beach. A final decision on the project is expected in October.
- It’ll be hot again today with afternoon thunderstorms possible and highs in the lower 90’s. Temperatures will be about 6 degrees warmer than usual for this date. Ernesto is no more, and the National Hurricane Center isn’t expecting any new tropical systems to develop over the next seven days.
- Gas prices rose 3 cents per gallon statewide on Tuesday. 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 $3.38 per gallon.