TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On the second anniversary of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Florida Democrats on Monday emphasized reproductive rights as an issue they’re betting may tip the scales in Florida’s 2024 election cycle. 

“Florida is on the front lines of this fight and we’re going to work every single day from now until November to take our rights and our freedoms back,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried at a Tallahassee event.

The party’s eyes are fixed on Amendment 4, which, if approved by voters, would protect abortion access up to viability, which is estimated at roughly 24 weeks of pregnancy.

“We’re really trying to reach Floridians all over the state, whether they’re rural or urban, and that includes folks across the political spectrum,” said Natasha Sutherland, who serves as the communications director for Floridians Protection Freedom.”

A constitutional amendment requires 60% voter approval, and Amendment 4 faces considerable opposition in the state.

The amendment, among others, is on Gov. Ron DeSanits’ radar. He recently launched the Florida Freedom Fund to oppose to the amendment — and others, including an amendment that would allow recreational marijuana in Florida.

“I’m going to be involved in doing what I think is right for the state, whether its the political committee or other things,” said DeSantis in mid June, while also noting he’d like to impact some lower ballot races. “There’s a lot of things going on in the state.”

Florida currently bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and to save the mother’s life.

Lawyer Mica Nguyen Worthy is suing NASA on behalf of Florida homeowner Alejandro Otero and his family to recover damages after space debris hit their family home in early March, according to the Cranfill Sumner Law Firm where Worthy is a partner.

On March 8, a piece of space debris crashed through the roof of Otero’s home while his son Daniel was in the room. The debris left a large hole in the roof through the sub-flooring.

NASA confirmed later that the space debris was from its flight support equipment, which was used to mount the batteries on the cargo pallet. 

In March 2021, NASA’s ground force used the International Space Station’s robotic arm to release a cargo pallet containing batteries from the space station after installing new batteries as part of an upgrade on the orbital outpost.

NASA stated that although the hardware was expected to burn up during its entry into Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, a piece of hardware survived re-entry and struck the Florida home. 

In discussing the cause of the debris, NASA added, “Based on the examination, the agency determined the debris to be a stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount the batteries on the cargo pallet. The object is made of the metal alloy Inconel, weighs 1.6 pounds, is 4 inches in height and 1.6 inches in diameter.” 

The space agency said they will continue to investigate why the hardware did not burn up during entry and update their systems so it does not occur again. 

Damages Otero family is seeking

The Otero family members are seeking claims for non-insured Property Damage loss, Business Interruption damages, Emotional/Mental anguish damages, and the costs of assistance from third parties required in the process. 

Furthermore, the Oteros’ homeowner’s insurance carrier submitted a simultaneous claim for the damages to the property it had subrogated.

“Space debris is a real and serious issue because of the increase in space traffic in recent years,” Worthy emphasized. 

“My clients are seeking adequate compensation to account for this event’s stress and impact on their lives. They are grateful that no one sustained physical injuries from this incident, but a ‘near miss’ situation such as this could have been catastrophic. If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality,” Worthy added.

Worthy is a partner in the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Cranfill Sumner LLP and Chair of the firm’s Aviation and Aerospace Practice Group.

Worthy also emphasized to NASA that it should consider that US citizens should not have to make a claim under a negligence legal theory when the US government has committed to being “absolutely liable” under international treaty law for damage to persons or property on Earth’s surface caused by its space objects.

“If the incident had happened overseas, and someone in another country was damaged by the same space debris as in the Oteros’ case, the US would have been absolutely liable to pay for those damages under the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects also known as the ‘Space Liability Convention,’” Worthy noted. 

“We have asked NASA not to apply a different standard towards US citizens or residents, but instead to take care of the Oteros and make them whole,” she said. 

“Here, the US government, through NASA, has an opportunity to set the standard or ‘set a precedent’ for what responsible, safe, and sustainable space operations should look like. If NASA were to take the position that the Oteros’ claims should be paid in full, it would signal to other governments and private industries that such victims should be compensated regardless of fault,” Worthy concluded.

NASA will have six months to respond to the allegations. 

“I​t’s just too dangerous to swim right now.” That was the warning Sunday from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida after announcing double red flag warnings and closing the water to swimmers.

Over the span of two days, at least six people were killed in rip currents along Florida beaches.

Three Alabama men who went for an evening swim shortly after arriving at a Florida Panhandle beach were caught in a rip current and died, authorities say.

The young men had traveled to the Panama City Beach area Friday evening with a group of friends and had just checked into their rental and gone for a swim when they went into distress, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in an updated Facebook post Saturday evening.

“The three men were caught in a rip current shortly after entering the water,” the post said.

The sheriff’s office had received the initial emergency call about the distressed swimmers shortly after 8 p.m., officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard and others began rescue efforts. The men were found separately and eventually pronounced dead at area hospitals, authorities said.

The sheriff’s office identified the three as Birmingham, Alabama, residents Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Marius Richardson, 24. Earlier this week, single red flags had been posted at the beach, indicating high-hazard surf and rip current conditions.

A​ Pennsylvania couple died in a rip current on a Florida beach Thursday while on vacation with their six children.

T​he incident happened about an hour north of West Palm Beach at Hutchinson Island, a barrier island in Martin County on the Atlantic coast.

Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were visiting with their six kids, most of whom are teenagers, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

T​hey were swimming outside of an area farther up the beach that’s protected by lifeguards and where red flags warned of the danger.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that two children were able to break free of the current and tried to help their parents but were forced to swim ashore when conditions became too dangerous.

A​lso on Thursday, a 19-year-old visiting Panama City Beach from Oklahoma drowned after getting separated from a friend, WJHG.com reported. Fire Chief Ray Morgan said the young man was swimming under single red flag conditions.

P​anama City Rescue lifeguards pulled him out of the surf and started CPR but they were unable to save him.

T​he Associated Press contributed to this report.