Citizens Insurance policy count drops.
The number of homeowners insured by Citizens Property Insurance plunged last week. It was part of a plan to shift customers from the state-sponsored insurance company to the private market. Citizens shed over 230,000 policies just last week, but still insures over 1 million properties in Florida. A potential downside for Citizens customers is that they can see rate increases if their policies are assumed by private insurers. Citizens customers are required to accept offers of coverage from private insurers if the offers are within 20 percent of the cost of Citizens premiums.
Hurricane center says high chance depression will form in Caribbean.
With one month left in hurricane season, the National Hurricane Center said this morning there was a high chance a system will form in the Caribbean into the season’s next tropical depression. There’s a 70% chance of development by early next week. But it’s statistically unlikely that it will become a hurricane that hits Florida. Since the late 1800s, there have only been three hurricanes that have made landfall in the Sunshine State during the month of November.
Trump’s plan would deport 1 million Floridians.
The Miami Herald reports that as many as one in 20 Floridians, a million people, could be expelled from the country under former president Trumps deportation plan. An immigration advocacy think tank found that the deportation policy would economically devastate Florida, one of the states with the largest foreign-born populations. Several key industries, like agriculture and construction, would run into serious troubles with job shortages if 1 million undocumented workers were deported.
Enough debris to fill 60,000 pickup trucks.
Brevard County is busy picking up storm debris from Hurricane Milton. Two contractors are removing debris from unincorporated Brevard and five participating towns. The county estimates that 175,000 cubic yards of vegetative waste will be collected. That’s enough debris to fill 60,000 pickup trucks. To check the status of debris removal in your area, go to BrevardFL.gov/SolidWaste.
Florida leads nation in book bans.
According to a new report, Florida led the nation in school book bans for the 23-24 academic year. According to PEN America, a free speech group, Florida public school districts accounted for 45% of all books banned nationally. The Florida Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.
Why is election day always the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November?
We all know that election day next Tuesday. But why is it always the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November? The date wasn’t picked at random. When Congress agreed to make one national election day in 1845, they selected the date based on the lifestyles of farmers at the time. That included considering when the growing season ended. Not only was the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November after the harvest, but it also occurred before winter weather set in. And they couldn’t pick Sunday - that was a day or rest. And the farmers took their goods to market on Wednesday through Saturday. And back then it might take a day, Monday, to travel to the polling centers. So consider that when you vote on Tuesday.
