Brevard's school board bans 3 young adult novels for sexual content
At a recent Brevard school board meeting held during National Reading Month, 3 young adult novels were removed from school shelves.
With no discussion, Brevard's school board unanimously agreed to permanently ban the books from all public schools in the county.
The banned books include: "Breathless" by Jennifer Niven, "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez and "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo.
WFIT’s Rick Glasby has more about the committee
Former Florida Tech President, Anthony Catanese, is a member of the book review committee. Catanase thought the books were engaging, but questioned why the books needed to include sexual content to begin with.
Lawmakers want to make it easier to build on protected wetlands
Bills going through the Florida legislature would make it easier to destroy wetlands. The same wetlands that help clean water and protect residents from hurricanes and flooding.
By the time the U.S. began protecting wetlands in the 1970s Florida lost more than 26,000 acres a year in the following decade.
So, to help protect what was left, Florida created a wetlands mitigation banking system in the 1990s. That allowed builders to build on wetlands — as long as they bought credits to pay for restoring other wetlands in the same watershed.
“But that also suggests a finite number of wetlands we can ultimately allow to be converted.”
Julie Wraithmell is executive director of Audubon Florida.
“At some point there was the likelihood of bumping up against that ceiling and reaching the limit.”
Now that fast-growing areas like Miami-Dade are running out of credits to sell, Wraitmell says lawmakers want to move the goalposts.
Bills in the senate and the house would allow builders to buy credits ANY WHERE in the state. That means a developer in South Florida could build a project like a fulfillment center on wetlands in Miami-Dade but purchase credits to restore wetlands in the Panhandle.
The bills would also let bankers sell credits long before the restoration work.
“That's cold comfort to a neighborhood in Miami-Dade County that starts seeing their homes flooding during thunderstorms.”
The senate bill has so far been approved by its environment and natural resources committee.
Groups call for Medicaid expansion as Republicans threaten to cut federal funding
Senate Republicans have been holding closed-door talks about overhauling Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans.
A coalition spanning nine states has united to champion health equity initiatives in southern states that have yet to expand Medicaid. The group convened virtually yesterday to address the implications for Florida and beyond. Robin Heiden is the executive director of Alabama Arise and said having fewer people covered, will shift costs to families, states, and hospitals.
Republican leaders have denied plans to cut these programs, pointing out that the budget resolution does not explicitly reference Medicaid. However, Democrats argue that it would be impossible for the House to achieve its goals without reducing funding for Medicaid or SNAP.
Florida Senate committee strikes down bill to allow guns on college campuses
A Florida Senate committee has struck down a proposal to allow guns on college campuses. The bill sponsored by Brevard Republican Senator Randy Fine, failed to get enough “yes” votes. Fine told the panel that college students have the right to protect themselves in emergency situations.
Tuesday’s decision temporarily stops the bill from moving forward. Another bill by Fine, aims to lower the state’s gun purchasing age from 21 to 18.
More: www.floridatoday.com
