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In today’s newsletter:
🗳️ Florida’s ballot measures are written at a graduate school reading level
🥳 Out of Towner: Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, Space Coast State Fair, Dirty Dancing at the Kravis
🎃 Spookyville, Boo at the Zoo, and Boynton Beach Pirate Fest this weekend
🚁 Flying police are coming to Florida, with final FAA approval expected by late December
💸 Florida drivers see auto insurance cuts, averaging about 7% for USAA customers
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: Florida's ballot measures this year are written at a graduate school reading level
Election Day is November 3rd and there are ballot measures you will need to vote on. I found this interesting and I am not sharing it to push anyone in any direction. I just had never considered the reading level of ballots before and this report made me think about it 🗳️.
A new report from Ballotpedia found that this year’s statewide ballot measure titles are written at a reading level that requires about 17 years of education on average. That is the equivalent of a first year graduate student. The summaries average about 15 years of education.
For context, about 42% of U.S. adults between 25 and 54 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. A lot of people will be reading language written well above their everyday reading level and making decisions based on it. Research has also found that voters are more likely to skip ballot questions entirely when the language is more complex, and many people do not read beyond the title before deciding how to vote.
What about Florida: Nearly 1 in 5 Florida adults lacks basic reading skills, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. That is over three million Floridians who may struggle with basic prose comprehension. Asking voters to parse ballot language written at a graduate school level against that backdrop is worth sitting with.
Amendment 3 is on Florida’s ballot this year and it has real financial consequences for every local government in St. Lucie County. We have covered what a yes vote could mean for county revenue extensively. The language on the ballot may not make any of that easy to understand at a glance.
What some states are doing about it: Maryland passed a law earlier this year requiring ballot questions to be written in plain language. Arkansas now requires titles to be written at no higher than an eighth grade level. Florida has no such requirement.
🥳 Out of Towner: Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1
Friday, October 30
🎡 Space Coast State Fair, Fairgrounds, 5775 Stadium Pkwy, Viera. 5PM to midnight Friday, 1PM to 11:30PM Saturday, 1PM to 10PM Sunday. $10 admission, veterans free. Unlimited ride armband $30 Friday through Sunday. Details
👹 Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds (final night), 9067 Southern Blvd, West Palm Beach. 6PM to midnight, haunts open at 7PM. $48.50 general admission, parking $10. Details
💃 Dirty Dancing: The Musical (Kravis On Broadway), Kravis Center, Dreyfoos Hall, West Palm Beach. 8PM Friday, 2PM and 8PM Saturday, 1PM and 7PM Sunday. From $36 with fees. Details
🎃 Spookyville in Yesteryear Village, South Florida Fairgrounds, West Palm Beach. 5PM to 9PM Friday and 11AM to 9PM Saturday. Adults $10, kids $15, family 4 pack $45. Details
Saturday, October 31
🦓 Boo at the Zoo, Brevard Zoo, 8225 N Wickham Rd, Viera. 10AM to 3PM. Included with zoo admission. Details
🎬 Not So Spooky Movie Marathon, Mandel Public Library, 411 Clematis St, West Palm Beach. 11:30AM to 4:30PM. Free. Details
🛹 Jupiter Halloween Skate & Scooter Contest, Jupiter Skate Park, 1501 Frederick Small Rd, Jupiter. From 2PM, with the scooter contest at 3PM, costume contest at 5PM, and skateboard contest at 6PM. Free to watch, $10 to enter a contest. Details
🏴☠️ Boynton Beach Pirate Fest, Centennial Park & Amphitheater, 120 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Noon to 10PM Saturday, noon to 6PM Sunday. Free. Details
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💧 The Last Drop: Florida Flying & Space
🚁 Flying police are coming to Florida – Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland added an electric, piloted vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to its campus police department for nearly $150,000. It still needs final FAA approval, expected by late December, so it is not flying patrols yet. Details
💸 Florida drivers see auto insurance cuts – State regulators approved rate decreases for USAA policies affecting more than 498,000 Florida customers, averaging about 7%. Individual changes range from a 0.4% decrease to 11.2%. Details
🚀 Space Coast workers face possible layoffs – Aetos Systems warns that NASA insourcing could eliminate up to 126 contractor jobs at Kennedy Space Center by Dec. 31. The affected workers are on NASA’s AEGIS communications and IT contract. Details
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