Your Florida Daily: Judge strikes down Florida trans treatment law, teen survives gator bite

Plus: Florida’s underwater cemetery

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses attendees during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit, Friday, July 22, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. An historically high number supermajorities in state legislatures has pushed laws further to the edge on abortion, climate and transgender issues. Twenty-eight states have legislatures with majorities so large they could override a gubernatorial veto without any help of the opposing party. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) (Phelan M. Ebenhack, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Floridians seeking healthcare for gender dysphoria will continue to be covered under Medicaid, for now.

In a ruling issued Wednesday, a federal judge in Tallahassee said blocking Medicaid payments for things like puberty blockers and hormone therapy is illegal.

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It’s the latest blow to Florida’s new law restricting transgender treatments in the state.

The judge later went on to accuse Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers of passing the bill quote “for political reasons.”

Supporters say the new rules are needed, questioning both the science and safety of the treatments.

FILE - (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Leaders in Central and South Florida are celebrating a major milestone: the end of construction for Brightline’s new high-speed rail expansion.

It will connect Orlando International Airport to Miami at speeds up to 130 miles per hour.

“I believe the intercity connectivity will allow us to sustain good visitation from throughout Florida, but throughout the world because we’re talking about the two busiest airports in the state of Florida,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

Service is set to start later this summer.

One-way fares range from $79 to $149 for adults and start at $39 for kids.

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Gabriel Klimis (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

A huge scare for a 13-year-old in Seminole County after he was bitten by an alligator.

Gabriel Klimis said he was playing with friends in Howell Creek in Winter Springs when this happened on Tuesday.

“I just felt the tug on me and I already knew what it was from the start,” Klimis told News 6 in an exclusive interview. “I just grabbed onto a stick by the sand and pulled on it as hard as I could and thankfully he just let go.”

Klimis was able to get away and now traps have been set in the area to try and catch the gator, which could be as big as seven or eight feet long.

Random Florida Fact

Neptune Memorial Reef is an undersea cemetery located about 3 miles off the coast of Key Biscayne.

Cremated remains are cast into concrete memorials and placed within the sunken city, where divers can explore or visit with loved ones.

The memorial reef also serves as a marine environment for fish and coral with large concrete gates and lion statues.


About the Author

Katrina Scales is a producer for the News 6+ Takeover at 3:30 p.m. She also writes and voices the podcast Your Florida Daily. Katrina was born and raised in Brevard County and started her journalism career in radio before joining News 6 in June 2021.

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