The Tallahassee Reports Daily Briefs: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

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LOCAL NEWS

On Tuesday night, the Leon County Commission voted 5-2 (O’Keefe, Proctor against) to adopt an ordinance that would make it easier for private property owners to request help from law enforcement related to panhandling.

Tallahassee gas prices are headed back up after a five month decline. Since early January gas prices have increased from $2.95 a gallon to approximately $3.25 – a 10% increase. Before the increase, prices dropped from $3.75 a gallon to $2.90 over a period of five moths, from August, 2023 to December, 2023.

A Korean steakhouse is having a grand opening today in Tallahassee. The Chow Won Korean Steakhouse has moved into 1107 Apalachee Parkway and officially opens its doors at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

In a game that featured 10 ties and 20 lead changes, Florida State’s Jamir Watkins earned his fifth double-double game with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Seminoles over Boston College, 84-76, at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Relief pitcher Carson Dorsey struck out 10 batters in 3.2 innings as Florida State (3-0) scored three runs in the ninth inning to beat Jacksonville (2-1) 7-4 Tuesday night at John Sessions Stadium.

FLORIDA NEWS

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz rejected the notion he plans to run for governor in 2026. The seat will be open for the 2026 election, with Gov. Ron DeSantis being termed out and exiting office in January 2027. Rumors have intermittently floated around the idea of a Gaetz for governor run, but he has so far denied the rumors – now more than once.

Christina Pushaw is back working in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive office after previously helping spearhead the governor’s political operation. Pushaw was previously the rapid response director for Team DeSantis, the name for DeSantis’ political operation and his previous 2024 presidential campaign.

The school safety group – Stand with Parkland – has formally endorsed HB 1 that would ban minors under 16 from social media. “As we’ve seen in numerous reports over the years — exposure to screen time and social media platforms has a direct correlation to mental health issues,” a statement from Stand With Parkland President Tony Montalto said.

Florida Democrats believe Gov. Ron DeSantis’ grip on the legislature is loosening. Democratic legislative leadership during a Monday press conference pointed to DeSantis backtracking his policy allowing books bans in schools and Republican leadership refusing to pursue certain culture war bills as evidence that his influence has slipped after his failed presidential run.

NATIONAL NEWS

The US Supreme Court yesterday declined to review a case challenging the use of socioeconomic factors in the admissions criteria at a prestigious northern Virginia high school. A group of parents claims the policy discriminates against Asian Americans. 

Retail giant Walmart is set to purchase TV maker Vizio for $2.3B in a bid to expand its advertising business, according to the two companies yesterday. The move is expected to allow the worldwide operator of 11,000 department stores to better compete with Amazon’s and Google’s ad businesses.

US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.6%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq -1.0%); stocks dragged down by Nvidia, which fell 4.4% and is set to report earnings after the bell today (More). 

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