Your Florida Daily: Storms slam state, Netflix announces additional tax for Florida subscribers

ORLANDO, Fla. – Powerful storms slammed Florida on Sunday including a possible tornado through Jacksonville.

Crews have been inspecting damage not far from the city’s airport. Officials say dozens of homes were impacted with roofs and awnings torn off.

Power outages have also been an issue.

“There’s trees, a lot of trees down in there right now that came down on the power lines,” said Fire Chief Keith Powers. “JEA has cut the power actually on this pole right here to feed this whole area. So they can get in there and get in we can get this cleaned up where they can start putting the lines back up.”

Conditions were rough in Central Florida as well.

Several areas saw a bunch of hail and heavy wind come through. Fortunately, there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries.

Netflix subscribers in Florida will soon be charged additional state tax

Florida Netflix users will soon see a new charge on their monthly bills starting mid-February.

The streaming giant emailed users this week to alert them about an additional “state service tax.”

The tax — specifically Florida’s communication services tax — applies to sales including cable and satellite television, video and music streaming, mobile services and the like.

According to the Florida Department of Revenue, the total rate for Florida’s communication tax is 7.44%.

The new tax comes after Netflix announced last fall it was raising the price of its subscription plans.

Netflix didn’t explain why the charge is going into effect now.

The price of gas in Florida slowly going back down after jumping above the national average nearly a week ago.

New numbers from AAA show Florida drivers paying $3.23 per gallon, up eight cents from a week ago.

But that’s also down from $3.27 last thursday.

Analysts say the price of crude oil dropped 7% last week after significant increases largely blamed on fighting in the Middle East.

Random Florida Fact

Green Iguanas are thriving in South Florida thanks to its warm subtropical climate and a lack of natural predators.

In 1966, the first scientific report on invasive iguanas in South Florida was published. It seems likely that many individuals reached the Floridian peninsula by stowing away on boats and in shipping crates.