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Anderson or Richardson? Nesta or Mock? Election Day in Apopka is here!
Welcome to Election Day 2024, Apopka! The polls open at 7 am and close at 7 pm, but The Apopka Voice will be here all day with updates and breaking news once we have the final results.
UF vegetable garden.
Starting a farming business? UF/IFAS hosts virtual English and Spanish workshops for beginners 
“Farming is a Business” is designed for entrepreneurs interested in starting a farm business and for new farmers looking to expand their operations.
Agricultural workers in Immokalee, FL.
New Florida development aims to give rent-burdened workers a leg up
The project will build 180–200 single-family homes on 50 acres with gridded streets and sidewalks. The units will be targeted to be affordable to residents at 30–80% of the area median income, with rents as low as $674 for a two-bedroom house.
The house looks like it’s from an era that never happened.
How America’s affordable house of the future failed
Would today’s America, reeling from a yearslong housing affordability crisis, be better off if the experiment had worked?  
AAA: Florida gas prices rose 10 cents last week
The state average rose 10 cents, setting a new 2024 high of $3.48 per gallon on Friday. Sunday's state average was $3.47 per gallon.
Local News
More than a thousand Florida children under five lost Medicaid coverage in February, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
As Florida winds down Medicaid eligibility review, more children under 5 are losing coverage
Despite the increase in the number of people enrolled in Medicaid, Florida removed more than 3,000 fewer people from the program, according to the February report.
Solar eclipses happen because of a few factors, including the Moon’s size and distance from the Sun.
Solar eclipses result from a fantastic celestial coincidence of scale and distance
On April 8th, millions of Americans across the United States will have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to view a total solar eclipse.
Apopka Police Department asking for help in solving weekend shooting incident
At approximately 11:36 am on Saturday, the Apopka Police Department responded to calls reporting shots fired and, upon arrival, discovered a 33-year-old male inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds.
2650 Foundation sponsoring 1st Annual First Responders Mental Health Fair
The 2650 Foundation strives to continue Austin’s legacy by raising awareness of the importance of safety and training through educational scholarships and opportunities. Equally important to the foundation’s efforts are mentorship and mental health.
Outdoor workers in a field in Miami-Dade County.
The Florida Legislature doesn’t care how hot outdoor workers get
Some Florida lawmakers have proposed bills requiring everyone who employs outdoor workers to educate them about heat illness and provide workers with adequate drinking water, access to shade, and 10-minute recovery breaks in extreme heat.
Guest Readers Month engages residents, champions Early Childhood Literacy
Observed annually throughout April, the campaign champions early childhood literacy by inviting area residents to Head Start centers for classroom reading.

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Election Day Voting Locations will be open on March 19, 2024 from 7 AM to 7 PM. Voters must vote at their designated Polling Location on Election Day
Business
Orlando Regional Realtors Association endorses Nesta in Seat #4 re-election campaign
The Orlando Regional Realtor's Association has endorsed Commissioner Nick Nesta in his re-election bid for Seat #4 on the Apopka City Council. 
Apopka gets new U-Haul dealer
Kroner USA owner Alex Prado Barrios is proud to team with the industry leader in do-it-yourself moving and self-storage to meet Orange County's demands better.
Apopka City Hall
Apopka Chamber Board calls for local and minority businesses to receive 10% bid preferences
The Apopka Area Chamber of Commerce Board voted 36-0 to implement a new policy to increase local and minority bid preference opportunities from 3% to 10%.
The thought of attending a typical “networking” event often congers thoughts of fingernails scraping a blackboard or lemon juice being poured into a paper cut!
The proposal also exempts flood insurance policies enacted or renewed after July from premium taxes for one year, according to the analysis.
Here’s what to know about ongoing construction shortages, high-interest rates, where housing prices are climbing, and what policymakers could do about it.
Increases greater than 50% on homeowner policies by two insurance companies will be considered in hearings by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation later this month.

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Health

Florida social services call center has 2nd longest wait times in the country; $12 million might help

Paper cutout family with house under a Medicaid umbrella

Hoping to alleviate the problem, lawmakers agreed to put $12,261,444 for the call center in the state budget for 2024-25, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign off on it, and he can veto various budget items.

Apopka launches vaccination initiative amid rising measles concerns

Apopka is partnering with the FDOH Orange County, OCPS, the Farmworker Association of Florida, Hope CommUnity Center, and the Apopka Fire Department to provide MMR vaccinations.

Unlocking the heat in mosquito modeling: Exploring disease transmission under climate change

The study contends that if mosquitoes undergo thermal adaptation in their local environments, it could lead to variation in how different populations respond to temperature. Matthew Thomas, a UF/IFAS professor and UF/IFAS Invasive Science Research Institute …

Measles is one of the deadliest and most contagious infectious diseases – and one of the most easily preventable

Young children, pregnant people, and the immunocompromised are among the most vulnerable to measles.

In 2022 alone, there were over 9 million measles cases and 136,000 deaths worldwide, an 18% and 43% increase from the year before, respectively.

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain

Research shows that even mild COVID-19 can lead to the equivalent of seven years of brain aging.

There is now abundant evidence that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can affect brain health in many ways.

Government
The Apopka Voice publishes a weekly burglary report from the Apopka Police Department that includes reported burglaries of businesses, residences, and vehicles. 
To determine your opinion, you will want to watch the previous meetings. Then, attend the March meeting to speak during the public comment period. 
For decades, journalists and civic activists have lamented the increasing secrecy of government – the times, they were denied government information, particularly from public records requests.
The Apopka Voice publishes a weekly arrest report that includes arrests, crashes, calls for service, and traffic citations. This report is for the week ending March 9th.
Clerk of Courts reminds public of their right to know during Sunshine Week
While Sunshine Week is only once a year, Clerks uphold government transparency with accurate recordkeeping and efficient reporting every day.
How Florida’s home insurance market became so dysfunctional, so fast
Florida insurance premiums cost homeowners an eye-watering $6,000 a year. That’s more than triple the national average.
Photo of a deer on the Lightsey Family Ranch, via a Conservation Florida press release. The state recently secured a conservation easement on the ranch.
Florida conservation easements preserve land – until a developer needs it
These lucrative land deals are supposed to preserve the property in perpetuity. But Kimberly Buchheit, a Central Florida land surveyor and environmental activist, told me, “Perpetuity has reached an expiration date: as soon as it is no longer convenient to protect land or restrict development.”
Opinion

Three statements that can resolve conflict

While ideally, in a perfect world, conflict would never occur – it does. So when it does, how can it be nipped in the bud so everyone can play well in the sandbox together?
The county is committed to the federal Vision Zero Plan, which states as its goal, that even one traffic fatality is too many. The plan lists adding sidewalks as the most effective the lowest cost remedy for saving lives.
You can tell your city council, the mayor and commissioners, how you want the charter improved. Don’t wait. The next meeting is less than two weeks away.
It's rare when an elected official or candidate talks about why it's important to weigh investment and critical needs with tax rates and reserves, but I, for one, applaud any of them who do.
Bonus Content

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

U.S. airlines carry more than 800 million passengers per year. Lasha Kilasonia/iStock via Getty Images Plus Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If …

San Francisco's burning question: Are we ready for Waymo Google cars?

After an incident with one of Google's driverless vehicles in San Francisco, Way.com explores whether the city is ready to adopt these vehicles for service.

Can background checks show whether your identity was stolen?

Money.com offers tips and information to consider when conducting a background check on yourself.

Safest and most affordable cities in the US

MoneyGeek analyzed cost data from the Census Bureau's one-year American Community Survey and MIT's Living Wage Calculator, focusing on the top cities from our safest small and mid-to-large city studies.