1. ‘Apartment Demand Proves Costly’
There
is an increasing demand for apartments since owning a home and taking on a
mortgage is so expensive. U.S. home ownership is the lowest it has been in over
50 years while the renter population is at an all time high. However, renting
isn’t inexpensive either; 52 percent of the nation’s renters are considered
cost burdened (they spend over 30 percent of their income on housing.) Modest
income growth compared to rising apartment demand is to blame for the issue,
and low income families are struggling to find affordable housing, especially
in Florida, California, and Hawaii.
2. ‘Gun lobby’s proposals won’t make
Florida residents safer’
Florida
is one of the worst states for gun deaths and violence. Over 70 percent of
homicides involve use of a firearm. Despite all this, pro-gun lobbyists and
legislators are pushing for fewer restrictions on gun use. There is legislation
to allow weapons on college campuses and public meetings as well as a bill to
legalize open carry in the state. Our forefathers who drafted the 2nd
Amendment did not envision a country where mentally ill citizens would be
guaranteed the right to bear arms. The NRA is pouring money into politicians’
hands, hoping for some influence, even though 73 percent of Floridians think
fewer gun restrictions is a good idea. These laws affect every single citizen
in the state.
3. ‘Number of homeless is inaccurate,
report says’
The
number of homeless people in Broward County is significantly higher than stated
in last year’s enumeration. This is because of flawed and incomplete surveys
that didn’t properly take into account unsheltered citizens. It is tough to
keep track of all of the homeless because they could be living in abandoned
foundations or in isolation. Also, if a homeless person doesn’t indicate where
he/she woke up in the morning (or if the response indicates non-homelessness),
they cannot be considered homeless by the federal government. Without proper
documentation, there isn’t enough funding for shelters, and over 1400 people
will continue to suffer on the streets.
4. ‘High winds knock out power for
thousands in Miami-Dade, Broward’
A
windy January 23rd afternoon left 5,000 customers across 2 counties
without power. Florida Power and Lights spokesman Chris McGrath said power
lines fell due to winds 45-50 miles per hour. Safety is a priority for the FPL
employees working to restore power. Therefore, there is no estimate for when
the power will be fixed in either county because ‘it’s such a fluid situation’.
The National Weather Service predicts that the wind will die down by the end of
Sunday. Until then, 3,000 Miami-Dade residents and 2,000 Broward residents will
be in the dark.
5. ‘Uber to halt at midnight in Tampa’
Uber
slashed local fares by 32 percent this month in order to attract more
customers. Drivers are unhappy about this because it is hard for them to do
their job without losing money. 65 members of the Tampa Bay ride-share steering
committee are organizing the protests. They drove around Ybor City and other
districts with signs complaining about the new 65 cents/mile standard. Uber
takes 20-25 percent of that, leaving drivers with around 50 cents per mile.
Cabs are still $2.40 a mile, and the protest organizers are urging customers to
look into such alternatives.
Hey Ryan!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post! The Uber post was very intriguing for me. I have a lot of people complaining lately about the rising costs of Uber rides, leading people to explore other options, such as Lyft. It's hard for the drivers to understand that even though they may be making a bit less money, they are ensuring that they have a job in the future. I think with all of this drama with Uber, Lyft may see its influence dramatically increase. Here's a link to my post!
http://adventuresofentrepreneurship.blogspot.com/2016/01/identifying-local-opportunities.html
Hello Ryan,
ReplyDeleteIt is terrible that so many people in the United States do not have the means or the credit to own their own home. With the cost of rent soaring as it has been over the last several years it is not going to get any easier for them to ever purchase a house of their own. They will just keep getting further behind not having the means to actually save for a down payment. I live in Jacksonville, and we seem to have a large number of homless people in the Jacksonville Beach area. There is a mission house there that at least helps out with feeding them on a daily basis. I hope the city can do something to help address this issue and help these people get some kind of help. I know that some of the churches around here also help them out too.Thanks for your insight on these topics. If you would like to see my lists check out my link below.
http://9to5isoverrated.blogspot.com/2016/01/worlds-biggest-problems.html
James Farris