The Point, Aug. 16, 2022: The history of Black beaches in Florida

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• WFTS-Tampa Bay: Final week, final pitches for candidates in Florida’s primary. “Whether by mail or at an early voting location, nearly 1.3 million Floridians have voted ahead of the election. Both parties have highly-contentious primary races helping drive turnout.”

• The Alligator: UF Board of Trustees fires longtime Honors Program director allegedly with no reasoning. “Mark Law sent the email Monday morning to Honors students, writing he was made aware of the decision around a month ago. ‘I haven’t been provided a reason for [The Board of Trustees’] action,’ Law said in his email to Honors students and staff. ‘I am bitterly disappointed by the Board’s decision.’”

• Mainstreet Daily News: UF lands grant for natural resources building. “The U.S. Forest Service Wood Innovation Grant Program is funding the initial planning efforts with a $238,564 grant. The grant will fund the concept design of the new building and study whether the university can build it using mass-timber materials. … UF is planning the building for the space between the Reitz Union/Constans Theatre and McCarty Hall A.”

• WUFT News: Jim Crow and the coast: For Black Floridians, getting to the beach wasn’t always easy. “The story of how Black Americans navigated around segregated beaches and enjoyed those like American Beach in Nassau County is the subject of this short audio documentary. This story also explores how the history of Black beaches is preserved.”

• City & State Florida: Orlando gets ready to open new $2.8 billion airport terminal. “Terminal C will act almost as a relief valve to the old terminal that opened in 1980 and is overrun with passengers. The new terminal is one of the most expensive public works projects in Orlando history.”

• WUSF-Tampa: New Florida laws creating ‘confusion’ and ‘chaos’ in schools, says teachers’ union president. “The passage of the Stop Woke Act and Parental Rights in Education laws are causing some educators to ‘err on the side of caution,’ says Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.”

• WMFE-Orlando: Long process to repair Lake Okeechobee dike, revamp water management rules nears completion. “The dike repairs are expected to be complete this year and are aimed at addressing safety concerns for the more than half-century-old dike. Col. James Booth with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the repairs mean that the lake can be managed differently for the communities around it and Everglades to the south.”

• News4Jax: FBI Jacksonville locates and identifies victims of human trafficking. “Over a two-week period in August, FBI Jacksonville, with the support of ten law enforcement agencies across North Florida, arrested three people for investigation of human trafficking-related offenses. The agency also identified six adult potential human trafficking victims and contacted another 46 people for further investigation to determine if they are being trafficked.”

• FLKeysNews ($): Why sharks attack — and why they don’t. In Florida, the waters are complicated. “People are far more dangerous to sharks than the other way around, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC, which enforces laws in state waters, says an increase in people using the water causes more bites.”

• Associated Press: School shooter’s brain exams to be subject of court hearing. “…the trial took last week off to accommodate some jurors’ requests to deal with personal matters. The jury will also be absent this week as the sides argue before (Circuit Judge Elizabeth) Scherer, who will decide whether brain scans, tests and other evidence the defense wants to present starting Aug. 22 is scientifically valid or junk, as the prosecution contends.

• News Service of Florida: An appeals court says Rebekah Jones can remain a North Florida congressional candidate – for now. “The stay effectively means that Jones can remain a candidate while the Tallahassee-based appeals court considers whether she is eligible.”

• NPR News: A python challenge hasn’t done much to reduce impact of Florida’s invasive species. “Between contractors, novice hunters and the state-sponsored competition, more than 17,000 pythons have been removed over the last 20 years. That could be good news if we had some idea how many pythons were still out there.”

• National: FBI, Homeland Security warn about threats to law enforcement after Trump search

• Health: Buy a rural hospital for $100? Investors pick up struggling institutions for pennies

• Health: The U.K. approved omicron-specific booster shots. They’re coming to the U.S. soon

• Politics: Sarah Palin faces Alaska voters again in a special election for Congress

• Politics: Liz Cheney is facing a likely primary defeat in Wyoming. Here’s why