The Tallahassee Reports Daily Briefs: Wednesday, May 15, 2024

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LOCAL NEWS

As of 5/15/2024 8:16 am, the current view of the power outage map shows 503 outage orders affecting 5,630 customers. Updates are provided approximately every 5 minutes.

On Tuesday, the Leon County Commission voted 6-0 to adopt an ordinance creating the Citrus Grove Planned Unit Development (PUD) for 149.35 acres located between Apalachee Parkway and Old Saint Augustine Road between their intersections with April Road. 

More than $10,000 has been raised to help the tenants of the Railroad Square (RRSQ) Art District following the May 10 thunderstorm and tornado that hit the Capital City in the early morning hours. Railroad Square is an outdoor venue off Railroad Avenue near Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University where artists collaborate.

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

Florida State football’s first two games of the 2024 season will be showcased on ESPN, it was announced Tuesday during the Disney Ad Sales Up Front presentation. The Seminoles open their season in Dublin, Ireland, against Georgia Tech on Saturday, August 24 at noon Eastern Time and 5 p.m. in Dublin. FSU’s Labor Day home opener, on Monday, September 2 against Boston College, will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Florida State University’s Department of Athletics has completed an exhaustive assessment of all aspects of Dick Howser Stadium and the facility has been approved for readiness for this weekend’s three-game baseball series with Georgia Tech. The Seminoles (37-12 overall; 15-11 in the ACC) and Yellow Jackets (30-19 overall; 14-13 ACC) are set for a first pitch for the series opener on Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. ET.

FLORIDA NEWS

The governing body that oversees high-school athletics in Florida could soon approve a proposal that would lead to high-school athletes getting paid through business agreements such as endorsement deals.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday issued an Executive Order that expands the ongoing State of Emergency to encompass 15 counties in response to the series of tornadoes and inclement storms that swept through North Florida on Friday. The initial order declared a state of emergency for several counties following the severe weather event that caused extensive damage, power outages, and widespread debris. The amended order extends this declaration to include Baker, Columbia, Escambia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, and Wakulla counties

Gov. Ron DeSantis reacted to months of rumors and hopes that his wife, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, is mulling a bid for the governorship in 2026. “I would say – if I had to characterize her interest in getting into the political thicket as a candidate, I [would] characterize it as zero,” the governor said. “She’s had a front row seat of all the nonsense that’s gone on.”

NATIONAL NEWS

The Biden administration announced increased tariffs yesterday on Chinese products, the latest expansion of US duties on goods manufactured in the world’s second-largest economy. Imports of electric vehicles will see the steepest increase in tariffs, quadrupling from 25% to 100%. Former President Donald Trump first implemented heightened tariffs on solar panels, metals, and more in 2018 (see tracker). 

National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on March 26 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge reveals tripping of electrical breakers on cargo vessel Dali caused propeller to shut down before impact; vessel lost power four times within the 12 hours before crash (More)

US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq +0.8%) despite news of higher-than-expected wholesale prices in April, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell comments indicating interest rates to remain steady (More)

TALLAHASSEE WEATHER