James E. "jim" Stapleton

If Florida ever allows the open carrying of firearms in the state, Broward Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott wants to make sure guns won’t be allowed in or near polling places. Legalization to allow open carry appears unlikely in Florida to become law in the foreseeable future. Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said in November he sides with law enforcement, which opposes allowing people to openly carry firearms in the state. “I stand with them today in opposition,” he said. But Scott told Broward’s senators and representatives that he wants to make sure that if open carry legislation becomes a possibility, it would include a polling place exception. Scott said he was “not coming from a position of being somebody who’s anti-gun.” He said and his wife are both gun owners “and did very well in marksmanship when we were in the Army.” But, he told the Broward Legislative Delegation, people openly carrying guns around polling places would be a terrible idea. “We’ve seen in other parts of the country where you have open carry laws that people will do things like dress in fatigues and carry an AR-15 outside of polling places and election offices,” he said. If open carry ever advances in the state, Scott said, it should include “some sort of provision that makes it clear that you cannot use your right to open carry to intimidate voters.” He said it would need to be wider than the current 150-foot zone outside polling places, inside of which people are prohibited from campaigning.

As electric cars get more popular, South Florida cities say they’ll be the ones paying the price. Westlake Mayor JohnPaul O’Connor has urged the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation to push for a new state bill to find an alternative to pay for transportation funding as electric cars evade the gas tax, and the idea has the attention of Tallahassee politicians. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)Electric vehicles being charged at a Tesla charging station in Plantation on Friday.

Despite the large numbers of rail safety improvement programs spearheaded by federal and state governments over the years, “rules of the road” for local police and fire rescue agencies appear to overlook the vagaries of operating in and around local railroad corridors. A case in point is a list of Standard Operating Guidelines for vehicle operations issued in 2022 by the Delray Beach Fire Rescue Department, which had one of its trucks demolished by a Brightline train at a Florida East Coast Railway crossing in late December.

As we move toward the transition of power, we must continue to shine our light by expressing and sharing our own unique talents and passions in ways that positively impact others. It’s no time for despair. It’s a time to look within to find our own light and to share it by being kind, showing compassion and looking out for each other.

Q: So with the message and rally of “focus on who we have with us,” isn’t it extremely difficult to then, as a team, mentally welcome back and include such a polarizing player as Jimmy Butler? Do you think there is any intention on Jimmy’s part to come back and give it his all?

General Daily Insight for January 13, 2025 Expect dynamic change! The confident Sun trines inventive Uranus, supporting personal change and providing eureka moments that change our outlooks. The Full Moon rises in sensitive Cancer at 5:27 pm EST, improving our work/life balance and magnifying our emotional connections, highlighting the paths we’re on and how we’re affecting them.