Manatees are a Florida hallmark, both to its identity and to its ecosystems. However, despite their population increasing over the last 50 years, 2021 has brought record levels of manatee deaths, with no sign of improvement. This Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has reignited criticism of…
While it may seem as though COVID-19’s grip on Sarasota has been weakening with the Doctors Hospital of Sarasota having no reported COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time in two years—and many Florida residents now getting booster shots—the community still remains affected by supply lines…
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has found a replacement for Dr. Scott Rivkees—whose contract as Florida Surgeon General recently expired—in Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a proponent of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, and an opponent of masks, vaccine mandates and lockdowns. As Florida Surgeon General, Ladapo will have primary…
Vaccination has become a hot-button topic in much of the United States, especially in Florida. With Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis threatening to pull funding from institutions that require vaccination, many Florida schools have elected to not require them, but to strongly encourage them. Being one…
As of Sept. 20, Florida has had a total of 3,503,976 COVID-19 cases and 51,884 COVID-19 related deaths, with a seven-day average of 7,227 cases and 376 deaths. Every county in Florida also qualifies as an “area of substantial or high transmission” of COVID-19 according…
Despite three bills currently sitting in the Florida Legislature to legalize recreational marijuana for adults and polls expressing a majority of Floridians would support the legalization of recreational marijuana, legal weed still faces serious opposition with the Florida government. Currently, Senate Bill 710 proposed by…
Two members of the New College Student Alliance (NCSA) executive cabinet traveled to Tallahassee to against Senate Bill 86 on Tuesday, March 16 at the Capitol. Among other changes to financial aid, the bill would cut Bright Futures scholarships for students studying topics that don't…
Despite a new rise in COVID cases, DeSantis has yet to act. Florida Governor Ron Desantis recently proposed an amendment to Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law, which would expand it to include any kind of criminal activity that interferes with business operations, such as looting or arson,…
The fight for a $15 federal minimum wage has been ongoing for several year, across several states. Image courtesy of Flickr. This November, the majority of Floridians approved Amendment 2 with 60.8 percent of the vote. The amendment will raise Florida’s minimum wage—currently $8.56—to $10.00…
Thesis students Conner Rupp and Steven Keshishian posing with cutouts of the next president and vice president. In the days following Nov. 3, all eyes were on the presidential race and the extended vote counting. After four and a half long days, former Vice President Joe Biden…
