Florida

Ron DeSantis stops Florida beaches closing amid “fecal pollution” warnings

Published

2 years ago

June 28, 2024

Ron DeSantis stops Florida beaches closing amid “fecal pollution” warnings

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have given the state the power to close beaches if tests show water does not reach the state’s health standards.

DeSantis made the call this week, despite Floridians being warned against swimming due to “fecal pollution” just two months ago.

If the bill had gone through, local authorities of beach waters and public bathing places would have had to notify the Department of Health whenever testing water was below recommended health standards.

The Department of Health then “shall require the closure of beach waters and public bathing places that fail to meet the department’s standards if it deems closure is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public,” the bill read.

But Desantis wrote in his veto letter that the bill “suffers from a fatal infirmity” as it “grants authority to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) to close beaches, waterways, and swimming pools.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event last June. DeSantis vetoed a bill to do with water health but said it will continue to be a priority for him.

AP

He said: “Health Departments like DOH can serve a valuable function, but they should not be vested with the power to supersede local jurisdictions regarding the operation of beaches.

“I have made water quality and protecting Florida’s natural resources a priority and my Administration will continue to do so, but this grant of power to DOH over Florida beaches is ill-advised.”

On June 13, the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County Healthy Beaches program issued health advisories for Dubois Park, Sandoway-Delray Beach and South Inlet Park.

Sampling showed bacterial levels to be more than 71 colonies per milliliter of marine water, putting the beaches’ results in the “poor” category.

Anything that is seen as “poor” should be “considered a potential health risk to the bathing public,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

At the end of April, the same department told residents not to swim at several beaches, including Midtown Beach and Dubois Park, in Jupiter.

Water in these two areas had tested positive for high levels of enterococcus bacteria, which the department said “is an indication of fecal pollution.”

It added that this may “come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage” and could put swimmers at an “increased risk of illness,”

In both spots, water was recorded as “poor”, meaning it measured 71 or greater enterococci per 100 milliliters of marine water.

Infections from enterococci “are typically not considered harmful to humans, but their presence in the environment may indicate that other disease-causing agents such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa [a microorganic parasite] may also be present,” according to the EPA.

Newsweek contacted DeSantis’ press office, via its email address, for comment on this context and was directed to his veto letter.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Source link

Click to comment

Florida

Bill Donovan, father of Billy Donovan and Florida basketball fixture, dies at 85

Published

10 hours ago

February 17, 2026

Press Room

Bill Donovan, father of Billy Donovan and Florida basketball fixture, dies at 85

Bill Donovan, the father of Hall of Fame former Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan who remained connected to UF’s program even after his son left, died Saturday, Feb. 14, at 85.

Donovan’s death was confirmed in an obituary posted by Williams-Thomas Funeral Home on Monday, Feb. 16.

A former Boston College Hall of Fame guard who left as the school’s third-time leading scorer in school history, Donovan remained close to the game of basketball through his son, who heled lead Providence to a Final Four in 1987 before going on to coaching success with the Florida Gators. Billy Donovan led Florida to four Final Fours and two national titles from 1996-2015 and his father was often on the bench courtside with him and traveled to road games.

Stetson coach Donnie Jones, a former Florida basketball assistant coach under Donovan from 1996-2007, said the elder Donovan had a way of picking the spirits of players and coaches up, even after tough losses.

“He had such great awareness of the moment,” Jones said. “It was always an encouragement, or he gave a perspective that was always encouraging, or two or three good things if he did make a comment in passing. But it was always a happy spirit it was always an encouraging spirit.”

Condolences poured in around the country as news of the elder Donovan’s passing surfaced.

Donovan lived part-time in Gainesville after his son began his NBA coaching career with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015 and often attended UF games coached by Mike White and Todd Golden. During the Final Four in San Antonio last April, Donovan rode the team bus with Golden’s father, Scott Golden, to practices and games.

Florida plans to honor Bill Donovan with a moment of silence before its game on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the O’Connell Center against South Carolina (7 p.m., SEC Network).

Donovan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joan, his sister Maureen, three children Billy, Susan, Karen and 11 grandchildren.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

Source link

Florida

Luther Campbell, aka rapper Uncle Luke, running for Florida politics

Published

22 hours ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

Luther Campbell, aka rapper Uncle Luke, running for Florida politics

The rapper is running in the August primary for the 20th Congressional District that includes portions of Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Miami-based rapper Luther Campbell, known best as Uncle Luke during his days with the iconic hip-hop group 2 Live Crew, is running for political office.

Campbell made the announcement Feb. 15 on WPLG’s show “This Week in South Florida.” He plans to run in the August primary for Florida 20^th Congressional seat, which includes parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties and is currently held by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

“It is a very underserved community,” Campbell said while making his announcement. “The representation of the community is not there. People want to engage with their congressperson.”

The Democrat said he has good relationships with politicians on both sides of the aisle and claimed to have Secretary of State Marco Rubio on speed dial.

“Who’s going to be able to talk to Marco Rubio? Who’s going to be able to talk toDonald Trump? Me. I’m the only one who can do that,” Campbell said.

Luther Campbell stepped down from coaching high school football

Campbell, a South Florida fixture, has been a successful high school football coach at Miami Edison Senior High since 2018 but announced last month he was stepping down to explore a political career.

“I can’t coach and run at the same time because I’m going to be in a race with a whole bunch of people and I need to be able to get my ass up to Belle Glades, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes,” Campbell, also known as Uncle Luke, announced on social media. “I need to be able to get my ass up to Tamarac, I need to go to damn Riviera Beach and I need to be able to be amongst these people and ask these people what the issues are in their community before I make a decision of yes or no.”

In 2024, Campbell told The Miami Herald he was considering a run to unseat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties.

The Democratic congresswoman is currently accused of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds and making illegal campaign contributions. She was indicted in November of last year and her arraignment is set for next month.

Campbell previously ran for political office in Florida

This is not Cambell’s first run for political office.

Back in 2011 he ran in a special election for Miami-Dade County mayor. He came in fourth with nearly 11% of the votes.

This time, Campbell said his campaign will have the support and financial backing from all artists he has worked with over the years.

“I’m going to have a lot of money,” he said. “Every artist, every artist that I produce, and every artist by creating Southern hip-hop will be donating to this campaign.”

Campbell’s group 2 Live Crew gained national attention in the 1990s when they became a First Amendment activists after their music was deemed obscene by a federal judge. An appeals court eventually overturned the ruling.He, along with fellow band members, also were arrested on obscenity charges for performing at a South Florida club. A jury found them not guilty.

Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.

Source link

Florida

Louisville Defeats Florida State 88-65

Published

1 day ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

The signature of this team is a balanced attack and that is exactly what the Cards used to wear down Florida State tonight. The end of the first quarter Louisville held a 19-12 lead but they subsequently took control of the game. Coach Walz said, “The first half I thought we defended extremely well. Offensively we weren’t as efficient. I thought we played a little too rushed.”

He was more pleased with the second half, “Especially in the 3rd quarter offensively we got things going. I thought we shared the ball extremely well. We had twenty-something assists [19] and 7 turnovers going into the fourth quarter which is really impressive. So overall I thought a really good performance for us but I’m quite aware that it’s going to get tougher.

Laura Ziegler seemed on pace to get a triple-double early but she finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Imari Berry, Skylar Jones, and Reyna Scott all came off the bench to score 11 points apiece. Grace Mbugua had 10 points and 4 rebounds. Elif Istanbulluoglu played limited minutes. Coach Walz said that she’s a little banged up so he wanted to rest her when he could.

Coach Walz praised Grace’s play. “She’s going to be a really, really good ball player for us… We’ve had some games where we can put her out there but not enough to where I can get her in to get her feet wet. Right now when she’s open and she has the ball she’s shooting it because I’m not sure she knows what else to do with it at this point. I think the game’s going really fast.” However he added, “Her upside is really high.”

Louisville has a bye week before coming back to the Yum next Sunday to take on Virginia. The game is at noon and can be seen on The CW. It is the annual Pink Game.

Source link