Florida News That Impacts You – January 12th, 2023
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida. Gas prices continued lower through the weekend.
- While Floridians wait for the effects of the recently passed property insurance reforms to take effect, Citizens released their first analysis for 2023. According to current trends, Citizens, the state’s insurer of last resort, expects to see its policy count to continue to rapidly rise through the year totaling approximately 1.7 million by year end – which would be a record for the carrier – exceeding the policy count at the peak of the Great Recession.
- The spread of the flu has been on the decline since the onset of the year according to the CDC’s weekly flu report. The CDC’s most recent data shows the spread of the flu and “flu like illnesses” peaked in mid-December with a rather sharp decline in the rate of new cases last week. Currently the spread of the virus is in decline in 63 of Florida’s 67 counties, including all of South Florida and the Treasure Coast.
- Florida remained 3rd nationally in human trafficking last year according to the annual report from the Human Tracking Hotline. Florida has 781 identified cases of human trafficking, or greater than 7.5% of the total nationally – making one 10% more likely to be a victim of human trafficking in Florida compared to the country on average.
- Florida’s gas prices fell by a penny per gallon statewide yesterday – now standing at $3.27 per gallon. Prices remained flat in Palm Beach County, at $3.46 per gallon, the highest price in the state.