Florida Action Network (FLAN 35) - Statewide Coverage

TALLAHASSEE, Florida ( FLAN 35 ) —  A new assessment of Texas climate data is adding fuel to the national debate over whether recent drought, heat and severe-weather events demonstrate an escalating climate crisis. The report from The Heartland Institute ’s ClimateAtAGlance project examines more than a century of Texas weather and agricultural data from NOAA, USDA and other federal sources. According to the assessment, Texas has not experienced a sustained increase in days reaching at least 100 degrees. It also says there is no clear long-term trend in the state’s hurricane or tornado frequency. The report points to the 1950s as Texas’ worst long-term drought period in the modern record and argues that recent droughts remain within historical ranges. Agriculture is presented as another counterpoint. The assessment says Texas cotton yields per acre have increased 168% since 1900, while corn yields have increased 575%. The findings come as Florida and other states continue confrontin...

TALLAHASSEE, Florida ( FLAN 35 ) —  Florida ranks third nationally for the widest gap between DUI crashes and DUI arrests, according to a new 50-state analysis   Grigor Law Injury and Car Accident Lawyers . The analysis found Florida averages about 418 DUI crashes and 15,408 DUI arrests annually. Florida’s DUI crash rate is 1.87 per 100,000 residents, below the national average of 2.10. Florida recorded a crash-to-arrest ratio of 36.84 in the study, meaning the state’s annual arrest total is substantially larger than its annual DUI crash total. Only Louisiana and Delaware ranked ahead of Florida for the widest gap in the analysis. Texas ranked 10th, while several states recorded considerably higher crash rates but different enforcement ratios. The study compares annual averages across all 50 states. It does not identify specific reasons for the differences between states or establish whether higher arrest totals necessarily reflect stronger or weaker DUI enforcement. For Flori...

FORT LAUDERDALE, Flordia ( FLAN 35 ) — Fort Lauderdale ranks among the most dangerous U.S. cities for driving after dark, according to a September 2026 study examining nighttime traffic deaths in 280 cities. The study by Hines Law found 141 people were killed in nighttime crashes in Fort Lauderdale from 2020 through 2024. Pedestrians accounted for 68 of those deaths, nearly half of everyone killed in nighttime crashes. Nearly 7 in 10 fatal crashes in Fort Lauderdale occurred after dark, placing the South Florida city fourth nationally in the study’s ranking. Researchers examined fatal crashes recorded as occurring in darkness and compared nighttime deaths with population figures. The study also considered crashes on roads without street lighting and pedestrian fatalities. The findings highlight the heightened risks facing pedestrians and drivers after sunset, particularly when visibility is reduced. A legal expert with Hines Law said nighttime crashes can involve several factors, inclu...