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Hurricane Helen and Milton touched on everyone in the Tampa Bay Area last year. Some lost a bit, others lost everything. Water and wind have destroyed thousands of homes and hundreds of businesses. The worst residents returned to the squeeze floor and drifted mold from behind a flooded drywall. Adrenaline quickly scared me. In the next few weeks, some recovered. They fixed the broken one. Life has returned to normal and at least to normal adjacent ones. But many people couldn’t move on. They simmer in the limbo between knowing what they need to do and being allowed to do…

The bill, which forms part of the larger tax policy bill, also includes a $100 registration fee for hybrid drivers. The House Commission on Transport and Infrastructure voted in favor of some of the widespread settlement bills on April 30 to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda.36-30 votes were thrown after nearly seven hours of full committee markup hearing dozens of amendments.The passing law included the introduction of a new annual registration fee for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids that fund federal highway repairs, along with the current 18-cent tax billed to Americans driving gasoline vehicles.”For too long, EVs have been…

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Legislature signed on Wednesday a proposed change to the Mansion Safety Act that passed after the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers Southville, Surfside, which killed 98 people. The measure, unanimously approved by the House and Senate (HB 913), heads towards Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has changed this year’s Condoming Act to one of the top priorities of this year’s legislative meeting. The law passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023 required “milestone inspections” and “preliminary structural integrity investigations” of older buildings, including whether or not they needed to save money for major repairs in the future.…

The current talk in Tallahassee is about tax cuts, but did you know that Florida will soon face a multi-billion dollar budget deficit? I was in the capital recently, and the legislators were reluctant to discuss it. There are no options. Today we are hurting K-12 education and leaving it unchecked to affect criminal justice, public safety, transportation, healthcare and any public service. You need to tackle the problem head-on, but you need to understand it first.Laura Hein (James Western and Wildlife Art Museum)Florida’s Legislative Budget Committee is three years away. They expect surplus for fiscal year 2025-26, but things…

You know who loves brunch, or lunch, or dinner, or just being appreciated for everything she’s done and continues to do? Your mom. Show her some love this Mother’s Day with an abundance of treats, whether from elaborate buffet to Chicago-style Italian beef. Celebrate Mom on Winter Park’s Park Avenue at Ava MediterrAegean. (Courtesy Ava/Chad Baumer) The Alfond Inn: You’ve got options here. For an option with options, bring mom to their Elegant Park Avenue Ballroom Brunch Buffet, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. May 11, which will feature serving stations, displays and desserts, including mimosas, $130.80++ for adults, $70.80++ for children ages…

TAMPA — The crime was notorious and extraordinary.The victims: a mother and her two teenage daughters vacationing from Ohio, their bodies found one morning in 1989, bound and weighed down with concrete blocks in the waters of Tampa Bay.The ensuing murder investigation was unlike any other by local law enforcement. The eventual arrest and conviction of the killer became a point of pride for the many investigators who worked the case, most especially the St. Petersburg police detectives.So when a retired FBI agent published a book in late 2023 in which she wrote of having played a key role in…

“The grants are at our discretion and they’re not acting really well,” the president says. Federal funds for Harvard are under review.President Donald Trump suggested on April 30 that Harvard will no longer receive government grants. The Ivy League agency, as his administration had requested, continued to reject its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements and to combat anti-Semitism on campus.”We don’t seem to give them any more grants, right, Linda?” the president said during his speech to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.”The grants are at our discretion and they’re not acting really well, so that’s just too bad.”The Trump administration…

With the full trade war between the US and China, a new report by investor observers shows which US is most exposed and what it means for the economy.Florida, behind states like California and Texas, ranked 10th as a state that could have a negative impact from higher tariffs.According to data, Florida imported $128.7 billion from China in 2024. Its imports are 11% and GDP is 7%. As the state’s consumer-driven economy relies on Chinese electronics, apparel and household items, tariffs could raise consumer prices and disrupt Florida’s large logistics sector.Florida’s neighbor Georgia imported $17.52 billion from China in 2024,…

The law, which passed the Florida Legislature earlier this year, marks the misdemeanor charge of illegal immigrants entering the state.Florida Attorney General James Usmierer filed an motion to federal court on April 30 to enforce a new law in the state that would make illegal immigrants misdemeanors entering Florida by cleaning immigrants.In him motion Uthmeier asked the Miami District Judge to suspend an injunction that would prohibit Florida from enforcing the law while appealing to Atlanta’s 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.”The law merely exercises Florida’s inherent sovereignty to protect citizens by supporting the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” the Attorney…

The port is expected to see a significant drop in shipments of containers next week as a result of new tariffs.The Port of Los Angeles, North America’s busiest container port, has warned about a potential 35% recession of cargo arriving at ports from early May due to US tariffs.”My prediction is that in two weeks, all shipments from China for major retailers and manufacturers will decline by 35%, as all shipments from China for major retailers and manufacturers will be suspended,” Jean Seloka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Committee’s Hover Committee Meeting of…