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Florida News That Impacts You – July 18th, 2022
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Gas Prices continued to drop through the weekend. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is now $4.26 per gallon - 15 cents lower than a week ago. In Southeast Florida prices range from an average of $4.36 in Miami-Dade to $4.51 in the Palm Beaches.
- Covid cases are still rising across the state. Entering this week, Florida’s weekly trend for daily cases stands at 11,172 – an increase of about 1,500 a day over a week ago. The current omicron variant, which results in mild symptoms for most who contract it, is largely immune to natural immunity and Covid vaccinations.
- South Florida’s inflation rate hit a fresh 41-year high last month. On back of June’s CPI report showing national inflation at 9.1% over the past year, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro’s inflation rate was 10.6%. Energy costs were the biggest driver of inflation.
- The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission has approved a rule change which would speed up the process for removing abandoned vessels left in Florida’s waters. The Vessel-Turn-In Program had its budget increased from $3.5 to $8.2 million as the state has placed increased focus on removing abandoned boats which represent threats to nature and others on the water. The rule change will allow authorities to remove abandoned boats that are declared to be “at-risk”. The previous standard had stated “derelict”. Practically, the change would enable removal prior to the wrecking of ships which is cheaper and more environmentally friendly.