Florida News That Impacts You – June 5th, 2023
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Governor DeSantis has signed another 12 bills into law including: The Fees in Lieu of Security Deposits bill which will allow landlords to charge nonrefundable fees to tenants in place of lump sum security deposits in an effort to ease rent affordability issues. The Enforcement of School Zone Speed Limits bill is now law. The bill will enable cameras to be used to identify school zone speeders statewide. The Florida Kratom Consumer Protection Act is now law. The bill raises the age for the purchase of Kratom, which is commonly used by those with substance abuse issues, to 21.
- The governor also issued his first veto of the session. DeSantis vetoed the Health Care Practitioner Title and Designations bill. Siding with most Democrats, as the legislation passed the legislature along a mostly party line vote, DeSantis blocked the legislation which would have prevented optometrists from referring to themselves as physicians.
- University of South Florida researchers said the record setting 5,000-mile-wide patch of seaweed, that’s been slowly making its way towards Florida’s beaches from Africa, is shrinking. According to USF, the sargassum belt has shrunk by 15% over the past month and is likely to continue. Researchers say it’s the first time a sargassum belt has shrunk in the month of May and means our beaches will see less seaweed than previously expected.
- Gas prices fell through the weekend. Statewide the average price for regular unleaded is $3.36 per gallon – five cents lower than a week ago. In Palm Beach County the average price is $3.56 per gallon, which is the second highest in the state.