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Florida News That Impacts You – July 7th, 2021
Bottom Line: Your daily recap of the some of the biggest news from around the state that impacts you in South Florida.
- Elsa has once again weakened into a tropical storm with top sustain winds at 65mph as it approaches the panhandle north of Cedar Key for landfall later this morning. The storm jogged west on the approach to St. Pete and Tampa sparing the cities from significant storm surge – which topped out at around 2 feet.
- Eight additional bodies were recovered in the Surfside ruble bringing the death toll to 36. The potentially unaccounted for number has remained fluid and remains over 100 as we approach two weeks since the condo collapse.
- Gas prices in Florida now exceed $3 per gallon on average for the first time since October of 2014 according to AAA. A combination of the Biden administration taking executive action to limit US supplies along with increased demand coming out of the pandemic continue to drive prices higher.
- The Justice Department is appealing Florida’s legal win over the CDC’s “no sail” and “conditional sail” orders. The decision came after the CDC failed to provide constitutional guidance by Friday’s deadline and ahead of July 18th when the injunction is lifted and the CDC’s directives are no longer in force. The appeal will be heard in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.