SUMMARY: Hurricane Milton, now a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 160 mph, is threatening Florida just days after Hurricane Helen caused significant damage. Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered all counties to expedite debris removal to prevent hazards and manage the intense storm’s impact. Mandatory evacuations are underway in affected areas, particularly in St. Petersburg, where residents are salvaging belongings amid ongoing recovery efforts. As Milton approaches, forecasters predict it will weaken to a Category 3 storm due to cooler sea temperatures near Tampa Bay. Major concerns include flying debris and storm surge, potentially reaching 12 feet in coastal regions.
Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a Category 5 storm as it barrels toward the U.S. threatening much of Florida’s west coast with monumental surges and potential flooding. CBS News’ Cristian Benavides reports on Hurricane Helene debris that could become dangerous as Milton passes, and CBS News Bay Area meteorologist Jessica Burch has the latest forecast.
CBS News 24/7 is the premier anchored streaming news service from CBS News and Stations that is available free to everyone with access to the internet and is the destination for breaking news, live events, original reporting and storytelling, and programs from CBS News and Stations’ top anchors and correspondents working locally, nationally and around the globe. It is available on more than 30 platforms across mobile, desktop and connected TVs for free, as well as CBSNews.com and Paramount+ and live in 91 countries.
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.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
SUPPORT
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.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
SUBSCRIBE
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.
