FWC Votes To Reestablish Oyster Industry In Apalachicola Bay

(Tallahassee, FL) -- You can count the governor as one of those happy with a change coming to Apalachicola Bay. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday he supports the FWC's decision to reopen commercial oyster beds in the bay. Oyster harvesting in the bay was banned five years ago to allow the oyster population to grow. The season will reopen January First, and it'll run through February. DeSantis says Apalachicola's oyster industry has been the cornerstone of Florida's seafood economy for generations, and no place knows oysters better than Apalachicola.

Scott Reintroduces Bill To Stop China From Exploiting Surrogacy Laws

(Washington, DC) -- Rick Scott is behind an effort to stop China from exploiting US surrogacy laws. Senator Scott reintroduced his SAFE KIDS Act yesterday. Its goal is to prevent China from using American surrogates to obtain US citizenship for their children and traffic infants abroad. Scott says the bill is the first of its kind to curb this practice. He says the bill was inspired by terrifying reports on the abuse of newborns, and US surrogate mothers being deceived into giving birth for foreign nationals.

Sheriff credits community support and new tech for 53% homicide drop in Escambia County

In a year where many communities are seeing violence rise, Escambia County is moving in the opposite direction. So far this year, 15 homicides have been reported. That's down from the 32 cases last year. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons says many cases tie back to drug activity or domestic violence, two issues Simmons says his office is trying to tackle. He adds -- support from the community also helped lower the numbers. Sheriff Simmons says the number of calls into the dispatch center is slightly up this year-- which he says is due to the increasing population.