Florida

Get it straight, Florida: Gender, sex not the same | Letters to the editor

Published

4 months ago

February 5, 2024

Get it straight, Florida: Gender, sex not the same | Letters to the editor

I have just learned that the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has taken the unilateral step to ban transgender individuals from applying for licenses that reflect their gender identity.

Gender and sex are not the same thing, and they do not always match. Gender is the socially constructed binary built upon a human’s body presentation at birth, but sometimes doctors make the decision of what to do with a body that does not conform to a shallow understanding of human dynamics and realities.

I always support our trans persons in Florida, but with these politicized, authoritarian and heavy-handed steps, I am even more supportive of individual choices and upset with our punitive government actions.

Please vote out this Florida government.

Rebecca Andre’, Delray Beach

Expand pet lemon law

As a Florida veterinarian, I have seen many sick pets coming out of so-called shelters for years.

While many pets are relatively healthy, some have major medical issues, yet they are presented to unsuspecting, good-hearted adopters as healthy. Some are presented as young, but the exam tells a different story.

There is a wonderful law in this state that protects the pet and the adopter. It is known as the Florida Pet Lemon Law (Section 828.29). It provides for pets to be seen by a vet, vaccinated and tested for parasites and viruses.

However, it does not apply to nonprofits, which most shelters are. For years I have reached out to our legislators to propose changes in the pet lemon law to include no-profits. I get lots of promises but no action.

While the state legislature is in session, I call upon and challenge our legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis to step forward and protect our pets and pet adopters. It is unfair not to cover all pets under the so-called lemon law. Please read the law at Myflorida.com to see your rights.

Ed Dworkin, D.V.M., Apopka

‘Kitchen table’ claptrap

Cable TV commentators have decided that if President Joe Biden loses to the twice-impeached, four-times-indicted Donald Trump, it will be because food and gas are too expensive.

They speak of these as “kitchen table issues,” when wealthy Republican voters are motivated by a singular goal of wealth accumulation. Lower taxes, preferred carried interest and an entanglement of tax avoidance trusts, all to assure they die wealthy, are not “kitchen table” issues. They are uniquely Republican — and at the expense of working voters.

Republicans unabashedly favor tamping down wage growth and busting labor unions. Some Republican governors have resisted Medicaid for their underserved voters and have for years lied about having non-existent programs to replace Obamacare. Social Security and Medicare are perpetually on the Republican chopping block.

The ordinary Republican is motivated by social and religious issues. Rejection of abortion, gay and transgender rights, minority voting rights and other social or civil rights issues fire them up. An ordinary GOP voter can’t tell you what their party is actually willing to do to solve purported kitchen table handwringing.

How do more tax breaks and reducing social programs serve lower-income voters? If you think about it long and hard, you likely can’t come up with anything Republicans have ever done for those who are struggling for a better life.

Sheldon I. Saitlin, Boca Raton

FSU’s baseball ambassador

Mike Martin (1944-2024) was an iconic figure in college baseball, a man respected and loved throughout the game.

His record of winning the most games in the history of the sport put him at the pinnacle, and his ability to win consistently at the highest level was equally remarkable.

Mike was a tremendous ambassador for Florida State University and loved FSU with all his heart. He lit up a room with enthusiasm and energy. His insistence that his teams always play the game the right way and with class was appreciated.

College baseball has lost one of its all-time greats and we’ve lost one of our greatest Seminoles.

Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach

Source link

Related Topics:authoritarian DeSantis Featured safety trans transgender

Click to comment

Florida

Florida Lottery Mega Millions, Cash4Life results for May 24, 2024

Published

6 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

Florida Lottery Mega Millions, Cash4Life results for May 24, 2024

The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots. Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Friday, May 24, 2024

Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 24 drawing

46-54-56-67-70, Mega Ball: 16, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from May 24 drawing

1-4-8-28-44, Cash Ball: 1

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Jackpot Triple Play numbers from May 24 drawing

7-15-16-23-28-36

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from May 24 drawing

Midday: 3-10-29-31-36

Evening: 6-9-13-18-28

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 24 drawing

Morning: 13

Matinee: 4

Afternoon: 7

Evening: 14

Late Night: 7

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from May 24 drawing

Midday: 3-4, FB: 2

Evening: 9-3, FB: 2

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 24 drawing

Midday: 0-9-3, FB: 2

Evening: 3-1-0, FB: 2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 24 drawing

Midday: 1-6-2-8, FB: 2

Evening: 8-2-0-6, FB: 2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from May 24 drawing

Midday: 6-3-2-5-4, FB: 2

Evening: 9-5-1-8-6, FB: 2

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.

You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.

Florida law requires public disclosure of winners

If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:

Full name
City of residence
Game won
Date won
Amount won
Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.

When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Florida

Two North Central Florida law enforcement officers graduate from leadership program

Published

13 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

Two North Central Florida law enforcement officers graduate from leadership program

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – Two North Central Florida law enforcement officers are being recognized for graduating from a leadership program.

Lieutenant Matthew Bos of the Ocala Police Department and Lieutenant Felix Rodriguez of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office graduated from the 26th Senior Leadership Program at the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Insitute. They are two of just 33 graduates.

According to officials, the program is designed to prepare criminal justice leaders for the future.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Source link

Florida

Inside a new disaster-proof neighborhood in Florida, where million-dollar off-grid homes already survived two hurricanes and residents pay no electric bills

Published

20 hours ago

May 25, 2024

Press Room

Inside a new disaster-proof neighborhood in Florida, where million-dollar off-grid homes already survived two hurricanes and residents pay no electric bills

One solution, said real-estate developer Marshall Gobuty, is to build more resilient homes.

“People say they build to code, and my answer is ‘Great,’” he told Business Insider. “Building over code and doing things that haven’t been done — that’s something to be proud of.”

Enter Hunters Point. An 86-unit community in Cortez, Florida, a hour south of Tampa, created by Gobuty’s company, Pearl Homes. Residents first moved into the net-zero single-family homes in 2022, and they have withstood two hurricanes so far while also producing more energy than they consume.

Recently, the carrier Hunters Point used for builders insurance said they weren’t writing any new policies, but Gobuty and his team were able to find coverage by showing details of the homes’ construction— like ground-floor flood vents that drain water and full-home metal strappings that tie the property together as one unit — that Gobuty believes made them change their mind.

“They’re covering us because the way we built our homes,” he told BI.

That’s significant as major insurers have recently fled Florida over the increased risk. Since 2022, a dozen insurance companies have claimed insolvency, stopped issuing new policies, or withdrawn from the state entirely. The state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is now the top underwriter as private companies leave.

Take a look at the ground-breaking Hunters Point development.

Source link