Drones, marriage equality and Florida Blue are in the headlines today.Welcome to WJCT First Read, your daily weekday morning round-up of stories from the First Coast, around Florida, and across the country. We'll also preview some of WJCT's upcoming news programming.
Man shot at multiple times only grazed by bullet: The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting and attempted robbery early Tuesday morning in Northwest Jacksonville in which the victim was shot at multiple times but was only grazed by a bullet. (News4Jax)
Teen shooting neighbors shocked: The residents of an Arlington apartment complex where a 13-year-old was recently shot say they are shocked by the crime. (First Coast News)
NAS Jax building drone hub: The U.S. Navy's only training center and first operational squadron for the new MQ-4C Triton drones is under construction at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. (Florida Times-Union)
CSX plans thousands of jobs: Jacksonville-based CSX Corp. is hiring for 400 front-line field positions as part of 3,000 hires it plans to make this year to bolster staffing in the northern tier of its operations. (Jacksonville Business Journal)
Bertha weakens, heads to sea: Hurricane Bertha weakened into a tropical storm Monday night and is headed to the open waters of the Atlantic. (FPREN via WJCT)
Broward judge strikes down same-sex marriage ban: A ruling by Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen has overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage in the county but has been stayed pending appeal. (AP via ABC News)
Florida doctors' group opposes medical marijuana amendment: The Florida Medical Association has announced its opposition to Florida's proposed medical marijuana initiative due to what they describe as public health risks of the "unintended consequences" of the amendment. (Orlando Sentinel)
Florida Blue to raise rates on ACA plans: Florida Blue company officials say the state's largest health care provider will increase premiums by an average of 17.6 percent for its Affordable Care Act exchange plans next year as a result of attracting older adults who are using more services than expected. (Flagler Live)
Scott pledges environmental spending in second term: Florida Gov. Rick Scott is pledging to spend hundreds of millions on environmental programs if he's re-elected to a second term. (AP via WPTV)
Florida ranked second for tech jobs: Tech career website Dice has ranked Florida second behind Texas in tech job creation for the first half of 2014. (Tamps Bay Business Journal)
Report says tourism spending is paying off: A Florida TaxWatch report released Monday showed that the state's investment in tourism is having a positive economic impact. (Tampa Bay Times)
Mother of bullying victim sues school board: The mother of Rebecca Sedwick, the teen girl who authorities say killed herself because she was bullied, is suing the Polk County School Board, the owner of the cement plant where Sedwick committed suicide and a teen who allegedly stalked her. (WESH)
Two Florida institutions rank as top party schools: The University of Florida and Florida State University ranked 10th and 12th respectively on the Princeton Review's latest top party school list. (AP via The Tampa Tribune)
You can get all the latest headlines online at WJCTNews.org, on our Facebook page, and on Twitter @WJCTJax. You can follow Patrick Donges on Twitter at @patrickhdonges.
