Marjory Stoneman Douglas baseball coach wins Coach of the Year award for all baseball coaches in Florida
From David Volz
Todd Fitz-Gerald, the coach of the 7A State Champion Marjory Stoneman Douglas baseball team was voted Florida Dairy Farmers’ Coach of the Year. He was among seven candidates for the honor. This is the second time Fitz-Gerald has won the award. He received it in 2016.
Fitz-Gerald led Stoneman Douglas to a 28-2 record, a district championship and the 7A state championship. The Eagles are considered one of the best teams in the United States. The team had an overall batting average of .312 and an earned run average of 1.13.
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Pompano Beach to offer movie event
From David Volz
You can enjoy a movie in the pool. The City of Pompano Beach Parks and Recreation Department is introducing a summer movie event, Flick -N-Float, as part of their special events programming! Flick -N-Float is a free, family event. On Friday, July 17th, put your bathing suit on and cool off in the pool while enjoying the featured flick, Black Panther. The movie will be shown at the Houston Sworn Aquatic Center located at 901 NW 10th Street. The flick will begin at approximately 8:15 p.m. but if you arrive around 7:00 p.m., you will have a chance to meet the Black Panther in person and take your photo.
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Federal Judge rules in favor of the cruise industry
From David Volz
The federal district court in Tampa delivered a major victory for Governor Ron DeSantis against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its obstructionist No Sail Orders that have flatlined Florida’s cruise industry for over a year. Ruling in favor of Florida’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Judge Stephen Merryday concluded the CDC’s restrictions are likely unconstitutional and overstepping their legal authority. The Cruise Industry will soon be permitted to set sail again thanks to the lawsuit brought by Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Moody. The state fought on behalf of the cruise industry in Florida to secure the ability to resume operations without overly burdensome requirements that discriminate against children, leave most of the ships sitting in port, and disregard the freedom of Floridians to make decisions for their families.
Beginning July 18, the CDC’s orders will become mere “guidance,” and cruise ships will hit the open waters once again free from the CDC. As Florida continues to thrive while open for business, the return of the cruise industry marks an important milestone in the fight for freedom.
“The CDC has been wrong all along, and they knew it,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The CDC and the Biden Administration concocted a plan to sink the cruise industry, hiding behind bureaucratic delay and lawsuits. Today, we are securing this victory for Florida families, for the cruise industry, and for every state that wants to preserve its rights in the face of unprecedented federal overreach.”
Included in the ruling, the Middle District Court of Florida found that:
- The CDC cannot discriminately keep children and families from cruising;
- Neither the CDC, nor any federal agency, can require a vaccine passport; and
- The CDC must create an actual framework for businesses to resume operations, rather than forcing them to conduct burdensome and bureaucratic tests without any standard by which to be measured.
In its ruling, the court says “Never has CDC (or a predecessor) detained a vessel for more than fifteen months; never has CDC implemented a widespread or industry-wide detention of a fleet of vessels in American waters; never has CDC condition pratique as extensively and burdensomely as the conditional sailing order; and never has CDC imposed restrictions that have summarily dismissed the effectiveness of state regulation and halted for an extended time an entire multi-billion dollar industry nationwide. In a word, never has CDC implemented measures as extensive, disabling and exclusive as those under review in this action.”
Judge Merryday also cites a previous ruling stating, “When an agency claims to discover in a long-extant statute an unheralded power to regulate ‘a significant portion of the American economy,’ we typically greet its announcement with a measure of skepticism.”
