Florida News Archive

The U.S. Department of Labor released a report Thursday that estimated Florida had 5,946 newly filed unemployment claims during the week that ended July 3. Here is a comparison to numbers of claims filed in other states:

— California: 59,229

— Pennsylvania: 31,762

Tropical Storm Elsa remained poised to strike the largely rural Big Bend region by late Wednesday morning and bring the potential for flash flooding to rivers across North Florida.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, about 26,000 Floridians had lost electricity because of the storm. But Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a morning news conference that the outlook was much-improved from earlier forecasts that showed the system gaining strength as it moved from the Caribbean through the Gulf of Mexico.

Areas saturated by recent heavy rains might see flash flooding because of Tropical Storm Elsa, which could reach hurricane strength when it makes landfall early Wednesday on the Gulf Coast,  Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Tuesday.

At 8 a.m., Elsa was west of Key West, about 240 miles south of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. It was expected to move north Tuesday off the Gulf Coast, causing rain, wind and storm surge.

Warnings and watches stretched Monday morning from the Florida Keys up the state’s West Coast as Tropical Storm Elsa prepared to pummel the state with wind, rain and storm surge.

President Joe Biden issued a federal emergency declaration in Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties, the White House announced late Sunday.

The floodgates have opened for college athletes in Florida and across the country to make money based on their names, images and likenesses, as the first contracts started to be inked Thursday.

A Florida law allowing athletes to receive off-the-field compensation took effect Thursday, after being signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.