Florida
Last in the nation: Florida’s dental care crisis
ORLANDO, Fla. – Sixty-six of Florida’s 67 counties lack sufficient dental professionals and almost half of the state’s population does not have dental insurance.
A common theme emerged among those seeking help at one Daytona Beach high school offering free dental services last month.
“Aspen Dental wants $6,000; well, I don’t have that,” Diana Marcam said.
“Dental work is very expensive these days,” April Taylor told News 6.
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The need for care was made clear by those who lined up, even before dawn, to secure their spot.
“We were here at 3:30 this morning,” Marcam explained.
“I’m trying to get my partials done because I’ve really needed it. It’s been a year, and they say it costs $4,000,” Juwun Mills said.
According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Florida ranked 50th in the percentage of children receiving an annual dental visit in 2021. The same report shows that the state ranked 42nd in the percentage of adults getting a dental check-up that same year and that annually, nearly 120,000 Floridians visit the emergency room for non-traumatic dental conditions.
“At the emergency department, they’re not getting dental care. They don’t do dentistry. They’re getting a pain pill, hopefully not an opioid. They’re getting an antibiotic, which holds it off because it is a bacterial infection. But once that antibiotic wears off, it will start again and it can go into an abscess very, very quickly,” Catherine Cabanzon said.
Cabanzon, a dental hygienist and founder of Floridians for Dental Access, expressed concern about the state’s dental care system.
“There are 67 different diseases and conditions that are associated with the mouth and oral health. We are not a third-world country. We really should be able to do better. There are not many Medicaid providers within the state of Florida, and in my county as well. Those who are Medicaid providers may not be accepting new patients for three, four, five, or six months. When you have an emergency, you can’t wait. That’s what drives people to the ER,” she said.
She said that increasing the number of dental professionals in the field who can offer routine visits is crucial to help prevent poor oral health.
“So if a person is lined up for two hours to deal with the pain of a cavity or a tooth that needs to be pulled, I promise you there are a lot of other problems in that person’s mouth, so maybe they’ll get that one extraction that day and thank God that they have that availability. But what happens to the rest? It doesn’t go away because you extract one tooth,” she said
“If we could increase our access to care, especially in the prevention and area or the early phases of a cavity where it doesn’t have to get into a crown or a root canal or an extraction. If we could do that, we could stay ahead of this and do better.’
Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.
In the face of challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.
Paul Renner, a candidate for Florida Governor speaks at Seed to Table in Naples
Florida gubernatorial candidate, Paul Renner speaks at Seed to Table in Naples. Gets endorsement from Stand for Health Freedom group
Less than 12 months until the election, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, who has the backing of President Donald Trump, is comfortably ahead in polls for the GOP nomination to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But there are signs the sleepy race is sparking to life: Donalds’ rivals are lining up to attack the Naples Republican and chip away at his lead in the polls.
Former House Speaker Paul Renner released an extensive economic platform on Nov. 14 focused on affordability – a topic top of mind for voters in the recent off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022. DeSantis selected him to fill the vacant lieutenant governor position in August, fueling speculation he’d later run to replace the term-limited DeSantis next year.
Collins hasn’t officially declared his candidacy but continues to tease his own run, and has recently started unsubtly slamming Donalds online.
“Let’s face it. Most members of Congress won’t pass a single meaningful bill for their district,” Collins posted on X on Nov. 13. “So they turn to Fox News or CNN to build name ID … and then run for Governor.”
A nonprofit organization, Florida Fighters, also started running ads featuring Collins.
There’s also the prospect of a wildcard in the race. James Fishback, the 30-year-old CEO of the investment firm Azoria, has said he’ll officially announce his campaign soon. He has repeatedly attacked Donalds, particularly on immigration policies related to the federal H1B visa program, calling him “DEI Donalds” and “H1Byron.”
Byron Donalds can boast he’s tops in the polls
In the face of these challengers, Donalds’ campaign has highlighted his polling advantage.
A Victory Insights poll conducted Nov. 11–13 of 600 likely Republican voters found he has 45% support, while Renner has 2.7%, Collins 1.2% and Fishback 1.1%. Nearly half of respondents (49.9%), however, said they were undecided, leaving a pathway for the trailing pack to win over the electorate.
Donalds has continued to campaign, attending Turning Point USA events at University of Florida in the last week. And he’s started to talk more about the cost of living, telling Newsmax on Nov. 13 that Florida will have to develop its own health care plan if Congress can’t fix or replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsidies for coverage plans on ACA exchanges are set to expire at the end of the year, boosting monthly costs.
“Health care costs are out of control. If the feds aren’t going to be responsive then Florida is going to have to lead the way,” Donalds said.
Affordability has become a catchphrase for campaigns as costs have continued to rise, including for housing and beef and grocery staples.
Renner’s plan would tackle housing costs by slashing property taxes and passing more litigation reforms to drive down property insurance rates. He also wants to keep tuition rates level for higher education and expand vocational programs to generate more high-paying jobs.
The plan would also eliminate H1B visas for workers at state agencies. DeSantis recently said he’s eliminating H1B visas for employees at state universities.
The H1B visa program, started in 1990 by Congress, has been criticized by hardline anti-immigration hawks as being abused by large corporations to bring in foreign workers at the expense of Americans.
“We can provide residents with lower costs and a business climate that creates jobs with better incomes,” Renner said in a statement.
“This plan begins with an immediate and overdue property tax rollback, through legislative action,” he added. “This will ease the financial burden of hardworking taxpayers across the state while we await long-term reforms that require constitutional amendment a year from now.”
On the Democratic side, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings got in the race earlier this month, challenging former U.S. Rep. David Jolly who announced his campaign in the summer.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
Watch: Fever forward Natasha Howard’s emotional response to the WNBA season
Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard shares her thoughts on the 2025 WNBA season.
Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard’s Florida State jersey was retired Sunday.
Howard wore No. 33 for the Seminoles from 2010-14, starting 127 games. She also holds heralded spots in program history:
- 1,811 points, fourth-most
- 1,046 rebounds, second
- 186 blocked shots, fourth
Howard’s scoring total was second when she left the program. She led FSU in career rebounds before Fever teammate Makalya Timpson (2021-25) grabbed more. The blocks were third most when Howard left, but Timpson has more.
The Fever selected Howard fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft, and she played her first two seasons in Indiana. She returned in 2025 free agency, averaging 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds for the league semifinalists.
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Subscribe to IndyStar’s YouTube page for Fever Insiders Live.
VENICE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Coast Guard boat crew rescued eight boaters on Saturday after their 26-foot boat broke down 35 miles off the Venice Inlet.
At 9:30 p.m., the US Coast Guard (USCG) says an Air Station Miami aircrew located the disabled vessel in two to three foot seas and sent a boat crew to the boat’s location.
The boat was reported overdue by an officer with the Venice Police Department hours earlier at 1:44 p.m., per USCG.
See also: Florida deputy rushes into blazing trailer to pull residents to safety
The Coast Guard says all eight boaters were brought back to the boat ramp uninjured.
“Before going out on the water, make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you will be back,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Beasley, a Station Cortez boarding officer. “We recommend being as specific as possible so rescue crews have a reliable place to start searching in case of emergency. Boaters should always have Coast Guard-approved life jackets, VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position locator beacon or personal locator beacon.”
USCG also highlighted the importance of mariners taking a safety course before going on the water.
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