TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Dan Daley, member, Florida House of Representatives. While there is still certainly room for improvement with the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, the Florida Division of Emergency Management has launched a statewide preregistration system for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. People 65 and older and frontline health care workers can visit myvaccine. fl.gov to preregister for vaccine appointments that become available in their area. Those who have registered will be contacted by phone call, text or email when appointments become available. A phone number has also been established for those without internet access. The Broward County scheduling phone number is 866-201-6313, and the Palm Beach scheduling number is 866-201-6754.

Melissa McKinlay, member, Palm Beach County Commission. The rural-urban divide issue isn’t going away. Panhandle state Sen. Loranne Ausley noted of the 11 counties in her Senate district, only one has Publix — Leon, home of Tallahassee. Florida will need to find additional partners to help our rural areas. And they’ll need to push more vaccines into these communities that are receiving 300-500 hundred vaccines a week, much lower than urban areas but gobbled up by vaccine shopping customers from other counties desperately seeking a way to get the coveted shot. It’s a difficult maze to navigate and all of Florida’s counties stand by ready to assist.

Tim Ryan, member, Broward County Commission. Historic voter turnout in the 2020 election has led to a disturbing national trend. An analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice shows state lawmakers have introduced 106 bills that would restrict voting access. Many are in swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, where state legislatures are targeting voting methods such as vote-by-mail that fueled increased voter turnout. At a time when our country is still dealing with a deadly pandemic, restricting ways that voters can cast their ballot is a mistake. Elections should be won by the best candidate, not voter suppression.

Howard Simon, retired executive director, ACLU of Florida. Gov. DeSantis is weighing in on the battles involving social media. There doesn’t seem to be any consistent application of First Amendment principles in his approach. Rather, it appears he just wants to defend what he calls conservative speech. But when did speech that incites mob violence or spreads lies that undermine our democratic system become conservative speech? The governor also ignores the fact that the social media companies he dislikes because they de-platformed former President Trump have a First Amendment right against the government compelling them to provide a platform for speech they don’t want to be associated with.

Andy Thomson, member, Boca Raton City Council. I’m one month into my mission to run and clean all 475 miles of roads in Boca Raton. So far, I’ve run 40 miles and cleaned 94.34 pounds of trash from our streets. I’ve also seen a disturbing trend: More and more PPE (mostly masks) littering our roads — 120 so far. Littering PPE is particularly disrespectful and dangerous because used masks are a potential biohazard. That’s why I’ve been working to increase the penalties for littering PPE, both in Boca Raton and statewide. Keep wearing masks, but please leave them on your face and not in our public space.

Dean Trantalis, mayor, Fort Lauderdale. We’re asking Fort Lauderdale residents to visit the new FTLParksProjects.com, so that neighbors can keep track of and participate in the voter-approved Parks Bond Program. With the Parks and Recreation Master Plan being approved in 2016, the city recognizes that the needs and priorities of each community and their parks may have changed. We are committed to implementing these park projects through a process that is open, transparent and inclusive. FTLParksProjects.com showcases proposed improvements of each individual park and gives neighbors the opportunity to provide their feedback and suggestions. Bookmark the site and visit it often for the latest updates.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, member, U.S. House of Representatives. Our national budget declares our national values. The House Budget Resolution will rescue Americans from this pandemic and those suffering its worst economic impacts. It will save lives and livelihoods, and ward off recessionary forces once we slay this virus. Republicans object because it takes bold, decisive action. What they don’t say: They spent roughly this much stuffing tax breaks into wealthy pockets. This budget resolution will put children back in school, workers back to work, ramp up vaccines and blunt PPE shortages. It also delivers nutrition and housing assistance, plus $1,400 checks per person to households who need it.

Matt Willhite, member, Florida House of Representatives. The odds are you will be one of the millions that will tune into the 55th Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Many look forward to Super Bowl parties with their friends and family, cheering for your favorite team. But this year, the biggest game of the year is going to appear a little smaller. Thousands of fans won’t fill the stadium, and our Super Bowl parties will be much more subdued. That doesn’t mean you won’t have fun. This Sunday, Tampa Bay will make Florida the home of Super Bowl champs. Go Bucs!