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Staff ReportsSeptember 17, 2016

Miami Beach’s Zika zone just grew. The Florida Department of Health expanded the area of believed active transmission of the virus from 8th Street to 63rd Street in Miami Beach Friday night. The revised zone is now around 4.5 square miles. “While we’ve learned that we’re expanding the impacted area in Miami Beach, the good […]

Joe HendersonSeptember 12, 2016

There was an interesting news release Monday on the Florida Department of Health website. The agency issued a lengthy rebuttal to a Miami Herald report last month that its data on the state’s Zika problem was wrong, late or both. “This story is misleading and the claims made in it are inaccurate,” the agency said. […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterSeptember 8, 2016

Sen. Marco Rubio is taking steps to make sure U.S. troops are protected from the Zika virus. The Miami Republican introduced legislation Wednesday to provide troops with additional resources to protect against the spread of Zika. Among other things, the bill — dubbed the Servicemembers’ Zika Protection Act — would make funding available to send insect […]

Michael MolineAugust 24, 2016

State health officials have confirmed a new non-travel-related case of Zika in Palm Beach County, bringing the total number of locally transmitted cases in the state to 43. The new case was not related to a locally acquired case already identified in Palm Beach County, Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday during a conference call. “We’ll be […]

Jim RosicaAugust 17, 2016

Florida might put babies in boxes to prevent child deaths. And it’s not as wild as it first sounds. A Health Department official discussed “baby boxes” during a Wednesday conference call of the state’s Child Abuse Death Review Committee. “It’s not a current practice, at least in Florida,” said Mike Mason, director of the Office of […]

Jim RosicaAugust 16, 2016

Matt Gaetz will “host a medical marijuana delivery to a Northwest Florida family,” his legislative office announced Tuesday. And the Fort Walton Beach Republican invited reporters to join him as he tags along for the ride. Surterra Therapeutics will deliver the first shipment of medicinal pot Thursday morning to an as-yet-undisclosed location in the Panhandle. Gaetz, a candidate for the 1st Congressional […]

Staff ReportsJuly 27, 2016

Thirteen people have been named to the state’s new Telehealth Advisory Council, according to a Wednesday joint news release from the Agency for Healthcare Administration and Department of Health. The members are: — Elizabeth Miller, CRNP of Tampa (Chief Operations Officer of WellCare Health Plans) — Dr. Ernest Bertha of Sunrise (Medical Director of Sunshine […]

Jim RosicaJuly 26, 2016

For medical marijuana in Florida, the future is finally now. Trulieve, the approved provider in northwest Florida, on Tuesday officially opened the first medical cannabis store in the state, in a strip mall in northeast Tallahassee. “This is a historic day for the state of Florida,” CEO Kim Rivers told a roomful of reporters and medical cannabis advocates. […]

Anne LindbergJuly 23, 2016

A Pasco County man suffering from Dystonia with Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms became the first Florida patient to receive a delivery of medical marijuana today from Trulieve, a medical cannabis dispensary. The delivery came days after Trulieve became the first dispensary to receive formal authorization from the state Department of Health to both grow and dispense low-THC medical cannabis. “Honoring our commitment to […]

Scott PowersJuly 20, 2016

President Barack Obama and Florida Gov. Rick Scott talked about Zika Wednesday and the president said Florida can expect another $5.6 million to help combat the potentially devastating disease that now appears to be spreading through Florida mosquitoes. The White House released a statement late Wednesday that said Obama and Scott spoke by phone about […]

Tag: Florida Department of Health
Image via James Reyes.

Rick Scott announces expansion of Zika transmission zone

Joe Henderson: Cutting through the maze of political blame over Zika

Marco Rubio pushes legislation to protect servicemen and women from Zika

Locally acquired Zika infection identified in Palm Beach County

In Florida, babies may one day come in boxes

Matt Gaetz goes out for pot

13 appointed to new Telehealth Advisory Council

First medical pot dispensary opens its doors

Pasco County man receives first delivery of medical marijuana in Florida

Barack Obama talks Zika with Rick Scott, offers Florida $5.6 million more in CDC help