Florida’s new abortion law will not take effect today. A federal judge has blocked the measure that would have required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and barred state funding to clinics that do abortions.
Scores of new Florida laws will take effect today. Tax breaks for property owners and manufacturers, children can transfer to any school where there’s space, rape kits must be submitted for testing within 30 days and tested within 120 days, and clergy with religious objections don’t have to marry same-sex couples.
It will soon be easier to park in downtown St. Petersburg. 400 solar powered meters are going up on Beach Drive and Central Avenue. Drivers will be able to choose between using coins, swiping a credit card, or using the ParkMobile app.
Williston Florida is home to the first ever fatal accident involving a car that was driving itself. Tesla says it immediately notified federal regulators. The company says a driver had what Tesla calls Autopilot turned on, which controls much of the driving, close to an autonomous vehicle, and was on a highway when the car hit a big rig that was driving across the road perpendicular to the 2015 Tesla Model S. The Autopilot, nor the human driver, saw the white truck because of a brightly lit sky. Now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it will investigate the crash, which killed the driver.
The Englewood father who sat on his 6 year old son to keep him quiet so he could keep playing video games pleads guilty to manslaughter. 31 year old James Dearman could get 20 years in prison. The boy’s mother, 22 year old Ashley Cole, has also pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is worth 415 million dollars, the third largest in the game’s history. Florida is one of 44 states offering Mega Millions.
