TAX HOLIDAY Florida’s second disaster preparedness tax holiday is from August 24th to September 6th. This is your chance to stock up on tarps, batteries, flashlights, dog and cat food, and more. Go here for more details.
HURRICANE DEBBY It has been three weeks since Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Steinhatchee on the morning of August 5th. The storm caused major flooding and wind damage as it made its way across the state, and as it moved into other southeastern states and the eastern Canadian coast. To date, over 12,000 insurance claims (totaling $89.5 million) have been made, outpacing Hurricane Idalia which impacted the same area in 2022. The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program was activated, making $10 million available for businesses impacted by Hurricane Debby. Additionally, money was approved through the Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program for the agricultural community. A new resource, coordinated by Hope Florida, is now part of the state’s emergency management response. Working with local private, public and non-profit organizations, the program known as Activate Hope can be accessed here for those seeking assistance after Hurricane Debby.
COVID-19 UPDATES As we prepare for the winter respiratory virus season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, which are currently available. Novavax’s vaccine is still awaiting approval and all three will target new variants. Starting in late September, households can request up to four COVID-19 tests sent via U.S. Mail. Pfizer will continue its Paxcess program that distributes Paxlovid for free to those who are uninsured or have Medicaid or Medicare.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATES U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are scheduled to debate on ABC News, September 10th at 9 p.m. Eastern in Philadelphia. The campaigns are currently negotiating the details of the debate. Vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz have agreed to a debate, hosted by CBS News, on October 1st in New York City.
FLORIDA PARK DEVELOPMENT In a surprise move, the DeSantis administration announced its Great Outdoors Initiative to build lodging, golf courses, pickleball courts and more at nine parks in the Florida State Parks system “to bolster and reinforce the state’s outdoor recreation economy.” The proposal immediately drew sharp attacks from residents, legislative leaders and environmental groups. Due to the pushback, the Governor announced that the state would “go back to the drawing board” regarding the proposal.
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS WEBSITES On the evening of the August 20th primary elections, 64 of the 67 counties experienced website connection problems. According to the Tallahassee-based software vendor VR Systems, significant numbers of users attempting to access the websites caused the servers to be overwhelmed. The problem related to accessing the reporting of the election results, not the counting of ballots. VR Systems took full responsibility for the website troubles.