The Point, May 2, 2022: Felony charges follow UF students caught with fake IDs, but few result in convictions

The Point, May 2, 2022: Felony charges follow UF students caught with fake IDs, but few result in convictions

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• WUFT News: University of Florida students caught with fake IDs endure lengthy, costly legal process. “UF police have forwarded nearly four-dozen felony complaints to state prosecutors against students caught with fake IDs over the past four years, according to an analysis of court records conducted by reporting students at UF. Outcomes varied, but of the 45 total cases analyzed, all charges were either dropped or reduced to misdemeanors.”

• WUFT News: Four Alachua County public schools are not meeting state class-size requirements. “The Florida Constitution states that the class-size maximum for classes per teacher at public schools for fourth through eighth grade is 22 students, and the maximum for ninth through 12th grade is 25 students. The class-size amendment only applies to core courses, according to the state education department.”

• WUFT News: The teacher shortage in north central Florida continues. “In north central Florida, Alachua County schools still need teachers despite the historic amount of $10.5 million in additional funding the state allocated for teachers’ salaries.”

• WUFT News: Gainesville City Commission hopes residents come around to idea of new affordable apartment complex. “Two months after a tense Gainesville City Commission workshop, construction has begun on the affordable multifamily housing development off Newberry Road. While residents of the surrounding area are still dissatisfied, members of the Gainesville City Commission hope that sentiment changes as the development progresses.”

• Mainstreet Daily News: City redistricting goes to first vote with new map. “The city has been looking at potential maps of new district boundaries since February. It has made several adjustments to those maps over that time period, including preserving the historically black District 1 and creating a second minority-majority district in District 3.”

• Gainesville Sun ($): Gov. Ron DeSantis stops in Levy County to award local governments with funding. “Gov. Ron DeSantis stopped in Williston on Friday to announce millions in infrastructure funding going to Levy County and surrounding areas. He was quick, however, to blast the Biden administration in his opening remarks, as well taking time to speak about Elon Musk, Twitter, the pandemic, the Trump-Russia investigation, gas prices, student debt and inflation, while also praising his administration’s financial controls.”


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• Politico: Florida lost 70,000 people to Covid. It’s still not prepared for the next wave. “A report by the (Florida Hospital Association) estimates 70 percent of Florida hospitals are facing a critical staffing shortage, and the state will be short 60,000 nurses by 2035. The fresh warnings come as the worries over Covid-19 and its variants have generally receded, even as cases rise across the country. The seven-day average of positive cases through April 25 increased more than 20 percent nationwide, to 44,416, with hospitalizations up 6 percent from the previous week.”

• WFTS-Tampa Bay: DeSantis promises ‘constitutional carry’ in Florida. “A ‘constitutional carry’ law allows residents to carry weapons with or without a permit because of protections from the Second Amendment. Florida currently doesn’t allow that type of policy.”

• News Service of Florida: Hearing set in North Florida redistricting fight. “Republican lawmakers passed the plan during a special legislative session (in April), after DeSantis vetoed an earlier redistricting proposal from the Legislature. Several groups, such as the League of Women Voters of Florida, and individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit April 22 and then requested the temporary injunction.”

• USA Today Network ($): DeSantis vs. Disney: Five ways the only-in-Florida political drama could play out. “The USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida asked legal experts, pollsters, politicians and historians, how they think the DeSantis-Disney feud will end. Here are five possible scenarios.”

• WFSU: Florida’s jobless numbers are low amid staffing shortages, giving workers unprecedented leverage. “Florida’s jobless rate is 3.2 percent. The unemployment report for March shows the number of jobless Floridians keeps decreasing, even as businesses struggle to find and hold on to workers.”

• Florida Politics: Justice Alan Lawson to retire from Florida Supreme Court. “Justice Alan Lawson is retiring from the Florida Supreme Court after six years on the bench, the court announced Friday. The retirement is effective Aug. 31, and means Gov. Ron DeSantis will name his replacement, making it the sixth appointment to the Florida Supreme Court in his first term in office.”

• New York Times ($): Disney’s top communications executive is out after less than four months. “Disney parted ways with its most senior communications and government relations executive on Friday after a tumultuous two-month period in which Disney became a political punching bag, particularly for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. Geoff Morrell, who joined Disney in January as chief corporate affairs officer, will leave his job immediately, the company said.”


• Climate: Vacuuming carbon from the air could stop climate change. Not everyone likes the idea

• Politics: A second Oath Keeper pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 riot

• Health: Connecticut looks to expand abortion rights in response to out-of-state restrictions

• National: Oyster reefs in Texas are disappearing. Fishermen there fear their jobs will too

• Business: Here are 3 reasons why stocks are tanking

• World: A Russian naval base is defended by dolphins. It’s not as unusual as it sounds

About today’s curator

I’m Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I’ve found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today’s edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to [email protected].

The Point, May 2, 2022: Felony charges follow UF students caught with fake IDs, but few result in convictions