The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments Friday challenging the state’s 15-week abortion ban.
Each side will have half an hour to make their case to the state supreme court justices then there will be time for questions and rebuttal.
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If the court rules to allow the 15-week abortion ban to become law that would give a green light for the six-week ban to go into effect a month later.
Gov. Ron DeSantis already signed the 6-week abortion ban into law back in April.
For the fourth straight month revenue from Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax is down year-to-year.
Comptroller Phil Diamond said the county collected $27 million from visitors in July, down more than 5% from July 2022.
Diamond said extreme heat may have played a role in the decline this summer.
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“I think part of it is that it was so hot during July, and I think a lot of people may have said, ‘You know what, it is so hot — why don’t we postpone this? Why don’t we go when it cools down a little bit,’” Diamond said.
Diamond says travel demand spiked last year after many covid restrictions were lifted leading to months of record-breaking revenue.
And today is your last chance to buy certain disaster preparedness supplies without paying state sales tax.
The tax holiday covers several products — including generators up to $3,000, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, packages of batteries costing up to $50 and pet supplies like food and cat litter.
It marks the first year the state has held two sales tax holidays to help Floridians prepare for hurricanes.
Random Florida Fact
Located in the center of one the largest islands in the Florida Keys, the Blue Hole is a rare oasis of fresh water.
The Blue Hole was formed in an old limestone quarry, carved out of the ground to build many of the original roads on Big Pine Key in the 1930s and ‘40s.
Its existence is dependent on rainfall and from saltwater that flows through the porous limestone.
The freshwater floats on top providing a vital resource to many animals, including the Key deer, American alligators, turtles and many species of birds as well as some saltwater species.
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