Florida’s trend for new COVID-19 cases continued to rise Thursday as the Florida Department of Health reported a second straight day with over 6,700 new cases.
On the vaccine front, 7.7 million Floridians have now been vaccinated with at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including nearly 4.8 million who’ve now completed a vaccine schedule. Over 522,000 Floridians have been vaccinated with the now-suspended Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
HB 1, the so-called “anti-riot” bill cleared its final vote in the Florida state legislature, passing 23-17 in the state Senate sending the bill to Governor DeSantis who will sign it into law. The bill defines what constitutes a riot and raises penalties based on the size of a riot and the damage caused by rioters. The legislation also restricts the ability for local governments to arbitrability reduce police funding.
Also, a comprehensive auto-insurance reform passed Florida’s state Senate which would eliminate Florida’s “no-fault” system and raise coverage minimums for drivers. A recent analysis showed Florida’s auto-insurance model to be the most expensive nationally including a fifth of drivers lacking any auto insurance coverage. The bill still has to be taken up in the House.
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