Orlando Health opens Jewett Orthopedic clinic in Melbourne
Orlando Health opened a Jewett Orthopedic Institute clinic in Melbourne, offering orthopedic and sports-medicine care.
The clinic's opening follows Orlando Health's $439 million acquisition of three hospitals from Steward Health Care in October.
The clinic includes 15 exam rooms, one casting room and a rehabilitation space for patients suffering from musculoskeletal injuries or conditions.
Walk-in orthopedic and sports medicine care will be available Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm offering on-site imaging technology, such as X-ray and MRI.
Melbourne to revisit Fluoride in City Water
Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey has announced plans to reintroduce a proposal to end water fluoridation in the city. This renewed effort will be discussed at the City Council meeting scheduled for January 14.
In a social media post, Mayor Alfrey shared his previous attempt to stop the addition of fluoride to Melbourne’s water supply, which was narrowly defeated in a 4-3 vote. With several new council members on board, Alfrey sees an opportunity to revisit the issue.
Ousted Orange-Osceola state attorney Monique Worrell is back in office after 2023 removal
Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell is once again the top prosecutor in Central Florida after Governor Ron DeSantis removed her from office in 2023.
Monique Worrell was sworn in Tuesday outside of the Orlando courthouse. She defeated incumbent Andrew Bain, with nearly 58% of the vote.
Gov. Ron DeSantis removed her from the position in 2023 and appointed Andrew Bain in her place. The voters replaced Bain with her.
In Worrell’s oath of office speech, she thanked supporters for her victory but said there was a more important matter at hand: the renewal of trust.
Are asphalt shingles on the way out?
Florida’s insurance industry may start moving away from asphalt shingles for roofs. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the story:
The state’s top insurance regulator might start phasing out one of the most popular roofing materials. According to a report from The Palm Beach Post, the office’s commissioner said that asphalt shingles often do not last as long as manufacturers claim. They have a shorter life expectancy in Florida than in other states because of our heat and humidity.
Experts claim that the best options for Florida roofs are slate, tile, concrete shingles or metal. Metal roofs can last more than 40 years in Florida and clay tile roofs can last for 70 years or more with proper maintenance.
Citizens Starts Year with 935K Policies
Amid efforts to shift customers into the private market, the state’s Citizens Property Insurance started 2025 with more than 935,000 policies.
Citizens were created as an insurer of last resort but became the state’s largest insurer in recent years because of financial problems among private carriers.
After reaching as many as 1.41 million policies in 2023, Citizens has used what is known as a “depopulation” program to shift policies to private insurers.
It dipped below one million policies in November.
Citizens President Tim Cerio expects that number to continue to decline.
“The forecast for 2025 is that we will end the year at just under 771 thousand policies and 326 billion in total insured value.”
State leaders want to minimize the number of policies in Citizens, at least in part because of financial risks if the state gets hit by a major hurricane or multiple hurricanes.
If Citizens wouldn’t have enough money to pay claims, policyholders throughout the state — including possibly non-Citizens policyholders — could have to pay what are known as “assessments” to cover the costs.
More: www.floridatoday.com