Florida Wildlife Hospital scrubs fundraiser at Wickham Park
Florida Wildlife Hospital has canceled its 11th annual "Hoot in the Park" fundraiser at Wickham Park. The nonprofit organization cited rising security and event costs and a surge in the number of injured animals they are treating as key reasons for the decision.
"It's not a major fundraiser," said Tracy Frampton, executive director of Florida Wildlife Hospital, about the event originally set for Nov. 23. "It's more of a 'friend-raiser.' Right now, we have so many patients. While a fun event is nice, it doesn't pay the bills. It was just too much this year."
As of August, the hospital has cared for 5,312 animals, nearly 1,000 more than at the same time last year. Their record stands at 6,063 animals treated in 2021. The increase in sick animals and the rising cost of hosting the event ultimately led to the cancellation.
To donate to Florida Wildlife Hospital, visit floridawildlifehospital.org.
Judge in Washington Post lawsuit says Florida can't hide cost of DeSantis' travel
A circuit judge in Tallahassee has ruled against the state's broad interpretation of which of Gov. Ron DeSantis' travel records the law covers while also rejecting The Washington Post's claim that a new Florida law hiding them is unconstitutional.
The ruling results in the Post being OK'd to receive certain financial records related to the governor's travel.
Circuit Judge Jonathan Sjostrom wrote in a Wednesday ruling, "Reimbursement checks and invoices for travel ... are beyond the travel and security exemption in that they are purely financial with no security or law enforcement implication"
The ruling follows a recent hearing where an official from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement acknowledged that releasing these records would not jeopardize the governor's safety.
Florida elections officials prepare to respond to swatting attempts aimed at shutting down polling sites
Central Florida supervisors of elections are working with local law enforcement officials to put plans in place to respond to swatting attempts at election offices.
Swatting is when a prank call is made to law enforcement with the goal of eliciting a large police response. In recent weeks, there’s been an uptick in swatting calls threatening school violence.
Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Chris Anderson says swatting incidents could even close down a polling site.
“We wanted to prepare our election workers on what to do and how to handle any of those swatting incidents that have come into play.”
Anderson says his office has a contingency plan in place if election officials or polling locations are targeted but could not say more for security reasons. The Department of Justice and FBI prosecute swatting attempts involving elections, as they can be both a state and federal crime.
Over the past two years the U.S. Department of Justice have prosecuted nearly 20 people.
Mosquitoes pose a public health threat
You’ve probably noticed more mosquitoes buzzing around your backyard.
They're a HUGE problem here in Florida. Every year, we spend over 40 million dollars to keep them under control.
Mosquitoes are public health threat, transmitting viruses to both humans and pets.
Nathan Burkett Cadena is with the Florida Medical Entomological Laboratory.
Speaking Friday on The Florida Roundup, he discussed the increase in mosquito-borne diseases and the dangers they pose.
They transmit viruses like a dengue virus and chikungunya virus and Zika virus. West Nile virus is particularly hot right now with infections around the state, in 23 of Florida's 67 counties
Mosquitoes are more likely to be found in areas with higher rainfall.
More at www.floriatoday.com
