SUMMARY: In Indian Shores, the 75-year-old Sunburst Inn has sustained severe damage from Hurricane Helen, with owner Andy Diamond describing the devastation as overwhelming. The hotel’s first floor is submerged in sand, with water levels reaching 2.5 feet, leaving the office and welcoming area destroyed. Diamond fears the damage may force a demolition just a year after renovations featured on HGTV’s “100 Day Dream Home.” The impact of the hurricane has left the community grappling with the enormity of the destruction, as residents return to find their homes in ruins. This report is part of a special edition of ABC Action News.
The barrier islands in Pinellas County suffered major damage during Hurricane Helene. One hotel owner in Indian Shores said her property may need to be rebuilt from the ground up.
SUMMARY: Miami-Dade Commissioners have voted to remove fluoride from the tap water, affecting over three million residents. The decision, however, was not unanimous and faces potential hurdles, including a possible veto from Mayor Daniela Lavine Cabba, who has ten days to decide. Supporters, including Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Latapo, argue fluoride can be harmful and that people should choose fluoride products themselves. Critics, like commissioners Raquel Regalado and Eileen Higgins, express concern about the impact on low-income families who may lack access to alternative fluoride sources. The change could take effect in a month unless the mayor intervenes.
The Miami-Dade County Commission has voted to remove fluoride from the county’s water supply, a controversial decision that …
Republican senators raised concerns over a bill that would permit parents to claim damages in the wrongful death of a fetus at any stage of development in the womb, with Ormond Beach Republican Sen. Tom Leek voting with Democrats against the proposal Tuesday.
Vero Beach Republican Sen. Erin Grall’s proposal (SB 1284) could let parents claim damages for the mental pain and loss of support from the fetus, which the sponsor explained means parents could be awarded for the loss of future wages that the fetus could have earned over its life.
Naples Republican Kathleen Passidomo answers reporters’ questions following her installment as Florida Senate president on Nov. 22, 2022. (Photo by Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix)
Although the bill passed its first hearing, its future could be in peril after former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who chairs the powerful Rules Committee, which it must go through before reaching the Senate floor, took issue with the bill’s definition of unborn child. She questioned Grall about whether someone could file a wrongful death suit for a fetus at one week of gestation.
“To put dollar figures on something and the damages being so speculative is different than a criminal prosecution,” Passidomo said. “I’m having trouble wrapping my arms around this whole issue.”
Passidomo’s doubts are not new. The Naples Republican also expressed skepticism over Grall’s bill last year before Grall withdrew it.
During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, Democrats also bashed the bill, with Lori Berman, of Boynton Beach, calling the idea of a jury debating the potential salary of a fetus crazy, and Tina Polsky, of Boca Raton, calling it nonsensical.
“This person could be a waiter. This person could be the next Elon Musk. There is just absolutely no way to know, and it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever to try to calculate economic damages,” Polsky said.
Still, Grall defended treating a fetus the same as a day-old baby, questioning the other senators about what age would be appropriate to determine if the child would grow up to be wealthy.
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How would the bill interact with Florida’s abortion landscape?
Erin Grall. Credit: Florida Senate
“So, at what age do we get to start to ascribe real damages to a person? At two?” Grall said. “Maybe we know how they’re doing; they’ve taken an IQ test.”
Passidomo also worried about OBGYNs leaving the state if they’re susceptible to more lawsuits.
“We’re losing OBGYNs. Who’s gonna wanna come to Florida?”
Unlike the proposal last year, SB 1284 doesn’t authorize wrongful death suits against a health care provider acting lawfully. But what lawful medical care means is too vague for Polsky, who said doctors are already hesitant to provide medically necessary abortions following the enactment of the law banning most abortions after six weeks’ gestation.
Florida’s six-week ban, which Grall sponsored, includes exceptions to save the life of the mother, fatal fetal abnormalities, and in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking. However, doctors have spoken about the difficulties of assessing whether a case meets the exceptions, given that they can lose their medical licenses and face jail time if they provide an abortion outside the legal boundaries.
Additionally, Leek called out an amendment Grall made, switching language in the bill protecting pregnant people. He worried that the language didn’t go far enough to protect women from estranged partners. The original text stated that wrongful death action “may not be brought against the mother of the unborn child.” The bill now states that it doesn’t authorize such suits.
“My concern is more about this bill being weaponized against women who lose a child outside of abortion,” Leek said.
The House Judiciary committee is scheduled to hear the bill (HB 1517) on Wednesday in its last stop before the floor.
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Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 11:48:00
(The Center Square) — Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, weighed in on the tax relief debate, saying in a letter to the Senate that he favors an “all of the above” approach.
The letter comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, have unveiled competing tax cut proposals in recent days.
DeSantis unveiled his plan on Monday that would spend $5.1 billion to give the 5.1 million homesteaded properties a one-time, $1,000 rebate. The second-term Republican governor also wants an initiative placed on the 2026 ballot that would provide permanent relief for Florida homeowners.
According to a report by the Florida Policy Institute, property taxes account for $43 billion in revenue annually and 50% to 60% of school district budgets.
Perez’s plan would permanently cut the state’s sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. In fiscal year 2024, sales tax collections totaled nearly $41.2 billion.
DeSantis said he would prefer property tax reform because it would help Floridians, not visiting tourists.
Albritton wants to find a middle ground between the two competing proposals.
“I applaud Governor DeSantis for pursuing an innovative concept, and I like the idea of being able to provide some immediate relief to homesteaded property owners in advance of a more comprehensive effort to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot for voters to consider,” Albritton said on Monday. “I like that the House’s proposal is broad-based and would provide immediate relief for Floridians who rent, as well as those who own property. These are both significant ideas, worthy of our thought and consideration.
“However, at this point, I believe it is prudent that a final tax cut package of this size be predominantly nonrecurring, while permanent tax cuts are explored during the interim.”
Albritton also said that he doesn’t want to cut taxes now and have to raise them in a few years due to a budget shortfall.
