NEW: @GovRonDeSantis annoyed with USF students—
"You do not have to wear those masks. Please take them off. Honestly, it's not doing anything. We've gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you wanna wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous."
bit.ly/3vx0DaJ@WFLA
NEW: I was able to get some great ground video in Chimney Rock, NC this afternoon — a gorgeous mountain tourist town near Lake Lure that was all but washed away by Hurricane #Helene
This will be a sad thread for everyone who loves WNC
🧵 @wsoctv@WLOS_13
NEW: Statement from @HillsboroughSch Superintendent Addison Davis —
"It is a student and parents' choice to protect their health in a way they feel most appropriate. We are proud of the manner in which our students represented themselves."
wfla.com/news/politics/…@WFLA
Correction: I believe these students are in high school.
Hillsborough School District says some of their kids from Middleton HS in Tampa were involved in the presser, so I believe these are those students.
BREAKING: Florida House passes bill banning nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Vote was largely along party lines, with 1 D and 1 R switching sides.
Senate version of the bill still has another committee stop.
The damage to the village of Chimney Rock itself is catastrophic. Mayor Peter O’Leary told me “Our economy is 100% tourism, and it’s 100% gone.”
He says every single structure in the town is either destroyed or severely damaged.
Mayor O’Leary says he’s committed to bringing Chimney Rock back to life, but it’s too early to say when that might happen
But he’s hoping when it’s time, everyone will come back
He tells me they are putting up a gofundme in the meantime — I’ll share it here when I have it
/end
NEW: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mocks new @cdc mask guidance at @ALEC_states event
"We say no to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions, and no mandates.
[We] should not be consigned to live...in a Faucian dystopia."
JUST NOW: @FLSurgeonGen Dr. Joseph Ladapo goes off about masks.
"These are hard to find in Florida... People across the political spectrum, including doctors, think these things are saving lives. These are not saving lives."
WATCH LIVE:
wfla.com/news/florida/d…@WFLA
We saw from @WSOCChopper9 SkyZoom that the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge was washed out.
The memorial highway bridge next to it was covered in logs that looked like matchsticks sticking out of a box
But up close it was even more overwhelming
Florida police just entered a home guns drawn to ... recover computer equipment.
State needs to answer immediately what threat they believed was inside the home that warranted guns drawn.
We are checking protocols and procedure @WFLA
