Transportation planning
Getting around can be a challenge in Florida. Drivers and a few roads here are rated as some of the most dangerous, and auto insurance rates are among the highest in the nation.
A study by Forbes Advisor found that Tampa is the 10th worst city in the U.S. for drivers while Jacksonville came in 14th place. And a separate study revealed Florida’s I-4 to be the most dangerous highway in the country and in the state.
We get into the multitude of challenges Florida faces when it comes to transportation planning and explore possible solutions to ease the congestion.
Guest:
- Nigel Joseph, Chair of the Hillsborough County-City Planning Commission and board member of the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO).
Measles in Florida
The U.S. declared measles eradicated more than 20 years ago, but recent outbreaks have cropped up, including here in Florida.
At least nine cases have been confirmed in Broward County following an outbreak that began two weeks ago at an elementary school in Weston. There has also been a case reported in Polk County, which is thought to be related to travel. We turn to a public health expert for guidance on how best to minimize risk of spread.
Guest:
- Dr. Aileen Marty, a professor of infectious disease at Florida International University's Wertheim College of Medicine.
School district alters book illustrations
A new tactic has emerged in the ongoing effort to remove books from Florida public schools. The School District of Indian River County has taken markers to draw over illustrated naked behinds in some books. These are drawings, some of them drawings of made-up creatures, that appear in children’s books. Now, these illustrated bottoms are covered up by hand-drawn shorts and pants.
Guests:
- Carlos Suarez, CNN correspondent based in Miami.
Environmental news brief
The number of rare sawfish reported sick or dying in the Lower Florida Keys has climbed to more than three dozen amid a mysterious outbreak of odd fish behavior.
Folks in South Tampa have been complaining about a weird bass sound. Some say it's loud music. Another theory is that the source is from black drum fish.
And a native Florida butterfly thought to be extinct is back.