Florida DOH Urges Screen Repairs Amid Surge in Dengue and Mosquito-Borne Illnesses in Brevard
Florida is experiencing a significant surge in mosquito-borne illnesses, prompting urgent action from the Florida Department of Health. So far, the state has reported 50 locally acquired dengue cases—three times higher than this point last year—including three cases in Brevard County. Additionally, 18 cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed, double the total from 2024.
In response, health officials are urging residents to take preventive measures, starting with checking and replacing any damaged window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out of the home. The DOH also recommends a comprehensive approach: drain standing water, wear light-colored long sleeves, and use EPA-registered mosquito repellents. Florida’s warm, humid climate already favors mosquito activity, and this year’s spike underscores the need for increased vigilance.
School Tax Holiday
Beginning Friday, Florida will start a month-long sales-tax “holiday” for back-to-school shoppers, along with eliminating sales taxes on other types of items.
While Florida has held back-to-school tax holidays of varying lengths in most years, lawmakers this spring approved making it an every-August occurrence.
Shoppers will be able to avoid paying sales taxes on clothes, shoes and backpacks that cost 100 dollars or less, school supplies that cost 50 dollars or less and personal computers that cost 15 hundred dollars or less.
Florida Retail Federation Vice President Lorena Holley says parents are projected to spend an average of 858 dollars on clothes and supplies nationally.
“Retailers are expecting a lot of shopping. Sixty-seven percent of shoppers have already begun shopping for school supplies. So, that number will only increase. A lot of retailers run additional promotions, along with the sales tax holiday. So, everyone’s looking forward to it.”
The back-to-school holiday was included in a broader tax package that the Legislature passed last month after a lengthy standoff between House and Senate leaders about a budget and tax cuts.
House leaders initially wanted an across-the-board cut in the state’s sales-tax rate and opposed holding tax holidays.
Dem politicos say turning Florida Blue would take years
Florida Democrats have continued to stumble in the state. The party’s active voter role now trails Republicans by more than a million. And Monday, a panel of Democratic party politicos told the Capitol City Tiger Bay Club in Tallahassee that recovery for the party could be decades away.
Leon County Democratic Party Chair Ryan Ray says he thinks one problem the party is facing is that it has strayed from its roots by appealing primarily to college-educated voters.
“I think that working people, people that work for a living, everyday folks, have been the base historically, and it still should be."
But making that change will take time, says Democratic political consultant Beth Matuga.
“We should realistically be considering a 20 to 25 year plan to rebuild, not a 24 month plan to rebuild, not a 24-month plan to rebuild.”
Matuga says Democrats have placed their hopes in top-of-the-ticket candidates the last two election cycles, failing both times. She thinks the party should instead focus its efforts on promoting Democratic candidates in local elections to build a bench.
Florida’s spiny lobster season is almost here.
The spiny lobster mini-season, also known as the sport season, begins on Wednesday and ends on Thursday.
Regular spiny lobster season goes from Aug. 6, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
You will need both a recreational saltwater fishing license and a spiny lobster permit.
More: www.floridatoday.com
