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We pay nearly $2,600 a year for homeowners insurance, flood insurance, and an umbrella policy. See Insider's picks for the best homeowners insurance companies »Our insurance coverageYou might be wondering what kind of hurricane insurance we have. You can get flood insurance, windstorm insurance, and homeowners insurance. And when someone, especially a Floridian, talks about hurricane insurance, they're usually talking about a combination of these policies. We have a combination of homeowners insurance and federally-backed flood insurance through FEMA.

Persons: —, I'd, I've Organizations: Service, FEMA, The Florida Department of Health Locations: Florida, Northeast, United States

☆ Facing a future without affirmative action, students of color say the pressure is on them to fight for diversity: 'To be going backwards in this sort of immense way is really scary'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Yoonji Han | Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Affirmative action has been used to pit Asian Americans against other communities of color, experts said. "By grouping together all Asian students, for instance, respondents are apparently uninterested in whether South Asian or East Asian students are adequately represented, so long as there is enough of one to compensate for a lack of the other," Roberts wrote. "Affirmative action provides a second chance for students of color," Stewart Kwoh, co-executive director of the Asian American Education Project, told Insider. In the face of the destabilizing effects of rolling back affirmative action, students of color are shoring up to ensure diversity at their schools. Ron DeSantis signed a bill mandating Asian American and Pacific Islander studies in schools, a move that critics condemned as using Asian American communities as a "wedge" against other communities of color.

Persons: —, John Roberts, Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Sotomayor, Stewart Kwoh, Sarah Zhang, we're, Zhang, Muskaan Arshad, Arshad, Chip Somodevilla, Ron DeSantis, Gregg Orton, There's, Reyna Patel, Hill, I've, Shruthi Kumar, Scott Applewhite, They're, Agustin Leon, Saenz Organizations: Service, Harvard, University of North, Asian American Education, Affirmative, Coalition, UNC, Fair, US, Florida Department of Education, AP, American, Florida Gov, Pacific, National Council of Asian Pacific, NBC, Studies, Asian Locations: University of North Carolina, America, Mexican, Harvard, Washington ,, Florida

☆ Florida Schools Question Content on Gender and Sexuality in A.P. Psychology
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Dana Goldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, Florida has been a leader among conservative states that have passed laws restricting how gender, sexuality and race can be taught in kindergarten through 12th grade. Few organizations have had a more difficult time navigating these limitations than the College Board, whose Advanced Placement program offers 40 courses that are available across the country. teachers in Florida, we are heartbroken by the possibility of Florida students being denied the opportunity to participate in this or any other A.P. Psychology stands in marked contrast to its response to Florida’s efforts last year to influence the curriculum of A.P. classes whose content, as interpreted by schools and teachers, might run counter to new conservative regulations on how race, gender and sexuality are discussed in the classroom.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Board’s, “, ” What’s, DeSantis Organizations: Republican, College Board, American Psychological Association, American Studies, Board, Florida Department of Education Locations: Florida

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria on beaches: What to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Out of more than 100 Vibrio species, about 12 — the most common in the US being Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus — can cause a human illness known as vibriosis. Vibrio vulnificus is the species that can cause flesh-eating infections, known as necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio bacteria can enter through even minor wounds, including cuts, scrapes, scratches, recent piercings, new tattoos or surgical incisions. Even though the risk of a Vibrio vulnificus infection is low, if contracted the effects can be severe. Around 1 in 5 people infected with Vibrio vulnificus die, sometimes within a day or two of getting sick.

Persons: Daniel Slim, Vibrio, vulnificus, it’s, ”, Jae Williams, wasn’t, Tracy Mincer, “, Linda Amaral, Williams, “ It’s, ” Williams, parahaemolyticus, Hurricane Ian, Vibrio vulnificus, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Research, Florida Atlantic University, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Florida Department of Health, Florida, Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of Amsterdam Locations: Florida, United States, Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Cancun, AFP, Caribbean, Hurricane, sargassum

☆ Shark attacks in the US occur most in these 12 states
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Rupendra Brahambhatt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Shark attacks are more common in the US than in any other place in the world. But if you think shark attacks are only limited to remote and isolated islands, you'd be surprised to know that the US has seen more unprovoked shark attacks than any other country, by far, and many of these attacks happen near crowded beaches. Where the most shark attacks occur in the USSince the 16th century, 1,604 unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the US, according to the International Shark Attack File. That's more than double the number of shark attacks in Australia, which holds the second-highest number of attacks at 691. "Shark attacks are rare and it is extremely rare for people to be eaten when they occur," Sorensen said.

Persons: —, Alexis Rosenfeld, Peter Sorensen, WENDELL TEODORO, James Sulikowski, Gavin Naylor, Sorensen Organizations: Service, Turks, South Carolina, North Carolina, Department of Fisheries, University of Minnesota, Florida Department of Environment Protection, Coastal Oregon, Experiment, AP, Florida Program, Shark Research, University of Florida Locations: Florida, Caicos, Buchan, Australia, America, Hawaii, California, South, North, Texas, Oregon, New York, Georgia, New Jersey, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia , Louisiana , Delaware

☆ A giant seaweed mass heading for Florida's beaches is full of potentially dangerous bacteria that threatens a 'pathogen storm,' a study found
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A giant stretch of Sargassum seaweed is headed toward the beaches of Florida and Mexico. The interplay between plastic marine debris and bacteria could cause a "pathogen storm," a study found. The potentially dangerous Vibrio can stick to the plastic debris that gets caught in the mass of seaweed, the study found in seawater samples from the Caribbean and Sargasso seas. While there are some fears about the bacteria's "flesh-eating" qualities, experts told LiveScience this possibility was relatively uncommon. "What is important is that individuals should take caution," Jae Williams, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health, told LiveScience.

Persons: —, Linda Amaral, Andrew, Kofi Jones, Vibrio, Tracy Mincer, Mincer, LiveScience, sargassum, Jae Williams Organizations: Service, NASA, Research, Florida Atlantic University, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Florida Department of Health Locations: Florida, Mexico, Sargassum, Caribbean, Lakes, sargassum, St, Barbados

Ron DeSantis to disqualify the judge overseeing the company's lawsuit accusing the governor and his allies of political retaliation. Attorneys for DeSantis had argued that Judge Mark Walker should recuse himself from the lawsuit over his comments in two separate cases that referenced the clash between the governor and the entertainment giant. Disney's lawsuit alleges that DeSantis "orchestrated at every step" a campaign to punish the company for speaking out against a Florida bill limiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity. The effort to remove Walker as the judge in Disney's civil case in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, came days before DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign. Walker was nominated to serve as judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama.

☆ California Gov. Gavin Newsom demands records from textbook companies to see which are caving to Florida's 'extremist' demands
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gavin Newsom wants to know which textbook publishers caved to Florida's demands. Newsom said his office sent a public records request to the Florida Department of Education to see which publishers it asked to change their books. Gavin Newsom is demanding textbook publishers hand over records to show if any companies making reading materials for the state had caved to Florida's demands to remove some topics about race and other historical subjects. Ron DeSantis and the DOE asking for all communication between them and textbook publishers that show all the revisions they requested in order to get a textbook approved by the state. One of the books rejected by the Florida Department of Education, "Social Studies Alive!

☆ The college student who tracks Elon Musk's private jet on Twitter is now monitoring the jet used by Ron DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The student who tracks Elon Musk's private jet is now doing the same for Ron DeSantis's plane. Jack Sweeney created a new Twitter account that he said will track the governor's state-owned jet. The college student who tracks Elon Musk's private jet on Twitter has decided to give Florida governor Ron DeSantis the same treatment. Jack Sweeney, a student at the University of Central Florida, has set up a new Twitter account, @DeSantisJet, to track the government-owned jet the politician uses. Sweeney made headlines when Musk offered him $5,000 to take down the Twitter account that tracked his private jet.

☆ Fact Check-Footage of empty Winn-Dixie store not linked to new Florida immigration law
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An old video of a supermarket emptied before a hurricane has been falsely linked online to Florida’s new immigration law targeting undocumented migrants. The video of the empty Winn-Dixie store, however, was shared on social media as early as October 2022 (here) as showing an out-of-stock market as Hurricane Ian made landfall on Florida (here). A spokesperson for Southeastern Grocers, the operator of supermarket chain Winn-Dixie, said in an email that the video is not current. The user who shared the video in October 2022 did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Video of an empty Winn-Dixie store is not related to the new immigration law in Florida.

☆ Disney Pulls Plug on $1 Billion Development in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Brooks Barnes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ron DeSantis of Florida “anti-business” for his scorched-earth attempt to tighten oversight of the company’s theme park resort near Orlando. Last month, when Disney sued the governor and his allies for what it called “a targeted campaign of government retaliation,” the company made clear that $17 billion in planned investment in Walt Disney World was on the line. “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, said on an earnings-related conference call with analysts last week. On Thursday, Mr. Iger and Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chairman, showed that they were not bluffing, pulling the plug on a nearly $1 billion office complex that was scheduled for construction in Orlando. It would have brought more than 2,000 jobs to the region, with $120,000 as the average salary, according to an estimate from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

☆ Florida teacher says she is under investigation after showing 5th grade class Disney movie with gay character
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Melissa Alonso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“I am the teacher that’s under investigation with the Florida Department of Education for indoctrination for showing a Disney movie,” Barbee said in a TikTok post over the weekend. In the post, Barbee explained she played the Disney movie to a class which was partially full after a day of standardized testing. Jordan also provided CNN with a copy of the announcement from the school district to parents. “Yesterday, the Disney movie ‘Strange World’ was shown in your child’s classroom,” the school district said. CNN has reached out to Rodriguez and Hernando County School District and the Florida Department of Education for comment.

☆ A Florida teacher says the state is investigating her for showing students the Disney movie 'Strange World,' which features an LGBTQ character
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A teacher in Florida says she is being investigated for showing her students "Strange World." "Strange World" features Disney's first openly LGBTQ lead character. Released in 2022, "Strange World" follows a family of explorers who travel through various jungles and other "uncharted" land. "Strange World" attracted backlash from conservatives after its release because one of the characters is Disney's first openly LGBTQ lead. Zee indicated in the tweet that his friend, a school teacher, was being investigated after showing their class "Strange World."

☆ DeSantis signs law to cover up records of his travel and visitors ahead of anticipated 2024 presidential run
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis signed a bill into law that will hide his travel records from public view. DeSantis signed the bill into law unceremoniously on Thursday afternoon, among more than 35 other bills. The security argument was nonsensical to Ben Wilcox, research director and co-founder of the good government organization Integrity Florida, given that the new law will apply to past travel records. "It strains credulity to suggest that hiding travel records could somehow prevent a security breach in the future," Wilcox told Insider. Another elections related bill is headed for DeSantis that will allow him to maintain his seat as governor while running for president.

☆ Florida is trying to oust an elected school superintendent who publicly criticized DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Florida Department of Education is investigating an elected superintendent who is a fierce critic of Gov. Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna publicly criticized DeSantis for the governor's ban on mask mandates at schools during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a letter to Hanna, Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. said the department had cause to "justify sanctions against your Florida educator certificate," according to the outlet. Hanna told The Daily Beast that he believes the state's investigation stems from a letter sent by a Moms for Liberty leader to DeSantis last year. The letter the group sent to DeSantis complained about the email Hanna sent to school staff at the beginning of the school year.

☆ Florida surgeon general appointed by DeSantis cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Associated Press | Sarah Gray | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo cut data from a COVID-19 vaccine safety study, per multiple reports. Ron DeSantis in 2021 to head the Florida Department of Health. The nonbinding recommendation made by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last fall ran counter to the advice provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ladapo said that the risk of men ages 18 to 39 having cardiac complications outweighed the benefits of getting the mRNA vaccine. "(The vaccine) has done a lot to advance the health of people of Florida and he's encouraging people to mistrust it."

☆ DeSantis-picked board seeks new taxes and affordable housing at Disney after the company's 'blatant and hostile' grab for control
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DeSantis' board overseeing Disney is considering new taxes, public transit, and housing. The board met for the first time since Disney's surprise maneuver. The five-member board met Wednesday for the first since Disney stealthily arranged a deal that would allow the theme park and resort to maintain control of its land, virtually in perpetuity. Much of the meeting made the legal case for the new board moving ahead, despite the maneuver Disney pulled last month. Firefighters who work for Disney's district said the previous board failed to give them the resources they needed to do their jobs, including new ambulances, even as Disney grew.

☆ Gun lobby celebrates 'historic' win in Florida after DeSantis signs bill eliminating permit and training requirements for concealed carry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The NRA is praising a new Florida law that eliminates concealed-carry permit requirements. A majority of states have now made it legal to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Ron DeSantis after the Republican on Monday made Florida the 26th state to eliminate permit requirements for concealed carry of a firearm. The signing comes not only as DeSantis weighs a run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but as Florida is struggling to combat violent crime, in particular gun violence. In terms of gun violence, Florida is also slightly more dangerous than the national average.

☆ AOC said the story of Rosa Parks is 'too woke' for the GOP after mention of her race was removed from teaching materials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Her comments came after a publisher in Florida removed mention of Parks's race from draft teaching materials. Look at these books that have already been banned due to Republican measures," Ocasio-Cortez said before holding up several books. "'The Life of Rosa Parks' — this apparently is too woke by the Republican Party," she said, referencing a book by Kathleen Connors. In another incident, a textbook publisher used in Florida schools removed references to Parks's race in a draft lesson plan in an effort to comply with the state's Stop WOKE Act, legislation pushed by Florida Gov. The Florida Department of Education later said the publisher was wrong to remove mention of Parks's race.

☆ Florida moves to expand teaching ban on sexual orientation, gender identity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Sharon Bernstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Hillsborough High School students protest a Republican-backed bill dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" that would prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity, a measure Democrats denounced as being anti-LGBTQ, in Tampa, Florida, U.S., March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File PhotoMarch 22 (Reuters) - Florida is looking to expand its ban on teaching young children about sexual orientation and gender identity issues to include all students in its public schools under a new rule set for a vote by the state Board of Education next month. Last year, DeSantis signed a Republican-backed measure that banned classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for students in kindergarten through third grade. The Florida Department of Education's new proposal, which would not require legislative approval, would extend the ban through the 12th grade. "There is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education.

☆ DeSantis administration sent undercover agents to an Orlando drag show and they found nothing wrong with it. The state is still trying to punish the venue.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Undercover agents were sent by the DeSantis administration to spy on a drag show, the Miami Herald reported. Still, Florida is moving ahead with a complaint against the venue to strip its liquor license. Ron DeSantis to spy on an Orlando drag show — and they found nothing "lewd" about it, according to the Miami Herald. A Florida drag queen told Insider before the Miami Herald report was published that they were concerned about rumors of undercover state agents showing up at performances. The DeSantis administration recently targeted the Hyatt Regency Miami after one of its facilities hosted "A Drag Queen Christmas" with minors present in the audience.

☆ A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of its textbook to comply with Florida's laws, NYT reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A publisher removed references to Rosa Parks' race in a draft of a Florida textbook. Studies Weekly changed the language to comply with the Stop Woke Act, The New York Times reported. The publisher told the Times that it withdrew from the state's review. DeSantis signed into law the Stop Woke Act and the Don't Say Gay Act in 2022. The FDOE has also amended the Stop Woke Act to ban critical race theory from being taught in schools.

An Insider review found that his company has sold to foreign governments, including a $228 million dollar contract. What Mills didn't advertise was Pacem's munitions contracts with foreign governments. The company's chief legal officer Joseph Schmitz said all of Pacem's foreign munitions sales are approved by the Department of State. Mills's influence over American military spending while having ties to a munitions company poses the potential for conflicts of interest, an ethics watchdog said. In Congress, Mills sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, which oversee military spending and foreign weapons sales.

☆ Florida's DeSantis presses prosecutor over suspect in fatal shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during his 2022 U.S. midterm elections night party in Tampa, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2022. DeSantis, widely thought to be weighing a 2024 presidential campaign, has been accelerating efforts to build his national profile. In August, DeSantis suspended a state's attorney in Hillsborough County who had pledged not to bring criminal cases against people seeking or providing abortions. The letter noted that Moses was arrested in 2021 for possession of cannabis, but Worrell's office did not pursue charges against him. DeSantis' office is seeking from Worrell's office all documents and information regarding Moses, adjudication of his previous cases and his lengthy criminal record.

☆ Dozens of civil rights groups are demanding the company that runs AP classes stand up to Ron DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

30 civil rights groups demanded the College Board stand up to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The College Board is facing criticism over the rollout of the AP African American studies course. Ron DeSantis after the botched rollout of the company's AP African American Studies course. DeSantis initially rejected the AP African American Studies course in January. But according to reporting from The New York Times, the College Board had repeated contact with DeSantis' administration to discuss the AP African American Studies' course curriculum.

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