LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK

Wael Barsoum, M.D., president and CTO, Healthcare Outcomes Performance Co. The yearly rate of children’s battery-related ER visits has more than doubled in the last decade compared to the previous two. From 2010 to 2019, children 18 and younger made more than 70,000 ER visits related to batteries that were swallowed or inserted into the mouth, the nose or the ears. Button and lithium batteries are particularly dangerous due to the fact that when they come in contact with body fluids, a current is generated and produces a small amount of sodium hydroxide which can burn a hole through tissue. Dead batteries also contain enough residual charge that, if swallowed, can cause tissue damage.

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. Eating raw shellfish in Florida between May and October can be risky, especially with raw oysters. Oysters served in Florida and traced back to Louisiana are infecting people with vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that lives in warm seawater. Six people died this year in Florida from eating raw oysters and 28 people became sick. This bacterium can get into mussels, clams and scallops. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea and fever and usually occurs within 24 hours for 3 days. After two days of feeling ill, it’s important to seek medical attention as antibiotics are responsive, but must be taken quickly.

Jason Hughes, executive director, ArtServe. Last month’s Broward County Film Summit punctuated a new beginning for our local film and television production business spearheaded by Broward County Commissioner Steve Geller. With the addition of highly experienced and connected Film Commissioner Sandy Lighterman to the effort, a new permitting and incentive process was created, together with hiring an experienced Film Commission staff who will be the point of contact for film, television and production companies wanting to do business here. Plans to build a 350,000-square-foot soundstage complex and film school on the Fort Lauderdale Wingate property are in the works.

Marty Kiar,

property appraiser, Broward County. With many private insurance carriers leaving Florida, raising rates and dropping customers, the state-run Citizens Property Insurance is the only option for many homeowners. Unfortunately, the rising cost of inflation has pushed the replacement value for many homes over the $700,000 eligibility cap set by Citizens. While the $700,000 cap applies to Broward and Palm Beach, property owners in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties are eligible for coverage up to $1 million. The Office of Insurance Regulation indicated it will decide by next month whether to raise the eligibility cap for all 67 counties.

Daniella Levine Cava, mayor, Miami-Dade County. As the residents of Miami-Dade County struggle with rising prices, my priority is making sure families can work, live and thrive here. My proposed county budget for 2022-23 sets the lowest tax rate since 1982, offers much needed relief, and invests in key priorities like housing, public safety, resilience and transit while also ensuring the financial health of the county for future years. Our budget is a smart, fiscally responsible and compassionate one, and getting it passed can be a multifaceted process. I invite everyone to join our ongoing budget conversations on Sept. 7 at South Dade Regional Library and Sept. 14 in Miami Lakes Branch Library. Learn more at miamidade.gov/ budget.

Frank Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines. Florida is suing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alleging it hasn’t complied with a public records request related to importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and seeking records about drug-importation proposals from Florida and other states. Our vulnerable residents who are chronically ill and paying exorbitant amounts of money for their prescriptions need help now. While government bureaucracy is making them wait, outpatient prescription drug prices have increased exponentially and continue to rise. Florida submitted a proposal in 2020 and still we wait. Come on, FDA, it’s time to help citizens get the treatment they need at a reasonable cost.

Eleanor Sobel, former member, Florida Senate. Missouri announced a revival in student paddling. Corporal punishment remains legal in many southern states, including Florida. Efforts to eliminate paddling from preschool to high school seniors have failed statewide in the Florida Legislature. The Broward school board does not allow for spanking. State law 1006.07 allows for local school board discretion. Nineteen Florida counties allow for whacking. Some districts require parental and principal approval prior to physically hitting the child. No state guidelines are provided as to the type of instrument used. Is this child abuse? Does violence beget violence? Will children who are whacked become future whackers?

Dean Trantalis, mayor, Fort Lauderdale. Please join me on Wednesday, Sept. 14, as I present the 2022 Fort Lauderdale State of the City address. This event is free, open to the public, and will take place at The Parker, 707 N.E. Eighth St., beginning at 7 p.m. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, we will come together to discuss Fort Lauderdale’s recent accomplishments and preview the exciting projects and initiatives that are coming to the city. Everyone is welcome to attend this informative event.