In fact, if you're in a work or school zone, you shouldn't have your phone in your hand at all, according to Florida's new distracted driving law.
Oh, yeah, did I mention we did it? We passed a law to make texting and driving a primary offense in Florida! 👏 That's something to celebrate this Friday.
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🚘📵 Driving Change ✅
It's been nearly three years since News 6 anchor Matt Austin was hit by a driver who admitted to using their phone behind the wheel, sparking our station's Driving Change initiative. Today, our hard work paid off when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law making texting and driving a primary offense and making all school and work areas hands-free zones. See when law enforcement officers will begin enforcing the law and how it will affect you.
🖋️ Legislation breakdown
You may still have lots of questions about when you can and can't use your phone, and what the consequences would be if you break the law. We know it's a lot to think about. But we may be able to answer some of those questions with this list of five things to know about the new texting and driving legislation.
Thank you, Central Florida, for helping us get results for you.
Besides us passing a law today, here's what else you should know:
🌀 Pinpointing tropics
I'm the last person who wants to talk about this because with it comes the possibility of having to sleep at work (Just kidding, boss! I love this place), but you should know that forecasters with the National Hurricane Center are monitoring the potential development of a system in the Atlantic. Find out where it is and what they're saying about it.
🗳️ Russian hacking
I first told you a few days ago that the governor said two Florida counties had their voter registration databases hacked during the 2016 election. Today, a new report identifies one of the counties. See where the hacking took place and what the governor had to say about the Russia breach.
🛩️ Plane on I-4
We always make jokes about I-4 being the worst road, but then a plane landed right near it and hit a car on its way down and, welp, we were right. Only on I-4 would that happen. Find out what caused the emergency landing and when the plane is expected to be removed from the side of the road.
😾 RIP, Grumpy Cat
It is with a heavy and stone cold heart that I share the news of Grumpy Cat's passing. The face of the internet's favorite sourpuss will always be remembered as adorable and extremely relatable. Read the announcement from the cat's family, detailing the complications that led to her death. May you give all the mean looks and be the face of every viral meme in kitty heaven, Grumpy Cat. Thanks for all the laughs.
🌕 NASA taps companies for moon mission
It's Space Friday, which means we have a very important space-related message from ClickOrlando.com's space expert, Emilee Speck:
This week, you probably heard that NASA’s program to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 now has a name, Artemis, for the Greek goddess of the hunt. But you may not know how NASA plans to execute this accelerated plan.
On Thursday, NASA announced that 11 U.S. companies were awarded a combined $45.5 million grant to conduct studies and produce prototypes of spacecraft that could shuttle humans to and from the lunar gateway and the moon. The awardees include companies you most likely know. Click here to read more about the 11 companies and what they have been tasked with building.
🏖️ Beach forecast
In Earth-related news, Central Florida specifically, the weather this weekend is looking ideal for a beach trip, aside from a moderate risk of a rip current. If you're worried about that, find the nearest pool to enjoy. Find out how long this beautiful stretch of weather will continue.
We made it through another week, my friends. Feel free to email me at bvolz@wkmg.com if you have any ideas about stories you'd like to see in this newsletter. 📧 If I don't hear from you before then, I'll talk to you Monday afternoon.
Cheers to the weekend!✨