Florida News Archive

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could increase residential rates by an average of 7.2 percent this year, as the state-backed insurer contends with a flood of new policies and troubles in the private insurance market.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday released a December unemployment report. Here are the county-by-county unemployment rates:

— Osceola County: 8.7 percent

— Miami-Dade County: 7.3 percent

A Senate Republican on Friday filed a bill that would provide a sales-tax “holiday” around the start of hurricane season for people who buy disaster-preparedness supplies.

More than 25,000 Florida residents have died since the COVID-19 pandemic hit early last year, according to numbers released Friday by the state Department of Health.

The department reported a major increase Friday of 272 resident deaths, bringing the total to 25,011. Florida also passed another troubling milestone this week, when it topped 9,000 deaths of residents and staff members of long-term care facilities — with the vast majority involving seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Former President Donald Trump’s administration gave Florida’s health-care system one last parting gift before he left office Wednesday to return to his adopted home state.

Businesses will remain open for the economic well-being of the state even as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, the head of a Senate select committee on the pandemic said Thursday.

With Georgia swinging the U.S. Senate to Democratic control, DeSantis expressed disappointment but acknowledged the change could mean more federal aid for Florida.

Hours before Wednesday’s presidential inauguration, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz sent social media aflutter by trolling toward the 2022 election cycle.

Through Tuesday, Florida totaled 1,122,405 COVID-19 vaccinations. Here is a breakdown of vaccinations by the recipients’ counties of residence:

— Miami-Dade; 130,156

— Palm Beach: 100,575

After preparation for potentially large-scale protests, only about 10 supporters of President Donald Trump waved signs to motorists outside Florida’s Capitol on Wednesday as President Joe Biden was sworn into office in Washington, D.C.