The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a key part of President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare law, the requirement that most people carry health insurance or pay a fine—or, in the court’s words, a tax. In ruling the so-called individual mandate constitutional, the high court thwarted the efforts of several states, including Florida, to block it. But as Lynn Hatter reports, the outcome of the case has Florida’s Republican leaders scrambling to figure out what to do next.
A U.S. district Judge says Florida can remove non-citizen voters from its rolls even though it’s less than 90 days before the August 14th primary, but he warns officials to be careful about how they identify ineligible voters. And Regan McCarthy reports some say there’s no guaranteed way to make sure only illegally registered voters are targeted.
“A gross misuse of power.” That’s how a plan to privatize about 30 South Florida prisons was described at a Tallahassee appeals court hearing this week [Wednesday]. And as Ronald J. Ebben reports, because of a deadline coming up tomorrow [Saturday], the prison plan will likely die before the legal challenge against it gets resolved.
Tropical Storm Debby caused floods, destroyed homes and took the lives of seven Floridians this week, leaving a mark on most of the state. As Jessica Palombo reports, even though Debby has made her exit from Florida, officials are just beginning to assess the damage she left behind and figure out how to recover.
The winds of change are coming, so to speak to Florida. This could be good news for a proposed wind farm in Florida, which has yet to have one single windmill in this state known for its powerful winds. But opponents are saying that the one hundred plus turbines near the Everglades area will be a mechanical eyesore that will lower property values.
Reporter Patricia Sagastume travelled to the Glades area and tells us the answer is more than just in the eye of the beholder.