Florida News That Impacts You – July 19th, 2023
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- The Palm Beach County Department of Airports and community leaders met Tuesday to discuss the recent expansion of the use of the Lantana Airport, which now includes jets. Concerned residents spoke of low flying aircraft, noise pollution and aircraft pollution near protected habitats. A recommendation was made for an air traffic control tower onsite. The DOA said a study is underway evaluating the safety of the airport use expansion.
- Brightline will resume high speed testing in Martin County from 6am to 6pm today. The train will travel up to speeds of 110 mph as final preparations are being made for the expansion of service to Orlando on September 1st.
- The Martin County School district has approved a plan to hire up to 15 teacher apprentices in the school district which will allow staff members to earn a degree to be able to teach while still working within the district. The plan is part of the District’s Grow Your Own Educator program and is aimed at creating a pipeline for district teachers to address shortages within the district.
- A new FAU study has revealed sewage has posed the biggest threat to the Indian River Lagoon, as opposed to fertilizers which are known to create algal blooms. In the study, 21% of the contamination in the lagoon was found to be the result of fertilizers with 79% of contamination attributed to septic waste. Restrictions on the use of fertilizers have been in place in the region and likely contributed to the results.
- Gas prices rose four cents per gallon on Tuesday. Statewide the average price for regular unleaded is currently $3.43 per gallon – 2 cents lower than a week ago. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.58 per gallon, which is the highest price in the state.