🧵(1/6) La comunidad empresarial puertorriqueña estará de fiesta el sábado, as the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida celebrates its 25th anniversary.
@ParrandaPR (2/6) The entity will commemorate the date with the El Josco Awards and Gala at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista South in Kissimmee.

🧵(1/4) Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ move to end Walt Disney World’s 55 years of self-government in retaliation for opposing his “Don’t Say Gay” law, the entertainment giant has released a new LGBTQ-themed clothing line for young children promoting inclusion and pride. (2/4) The collection includes T-shirts, baby wear, socks, and backpacks in the rainbow colors of the Pride flag, and many items include Mickey Mouse and other fictional Disney characters, as well as Pride-themed Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar designs.

🧵(1/4) Eligible seniors in Central Florida have until May 31 to apply for energy bill assistance through the Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP). (2/4) Seniors who meet the requirements can receive up to $5,000 in assistance to pay multiple energy bills, purchase materials or make repairs.

The utility categories eligible for heating or cooling bill assistance include electricity, natural gas, propane, wood, coal, & fuels.

🧵(1/6) Rep. Anna Eskamani @AnnaForFlorida(D-47) opened her legislative office for the donation of unused and unexpired baby formula this week to help parents struggling with the shortage of this essential product. (2/6) Parents who have unexpired formula that their babies will not use can go to drop it off at the representative’s office this week during normal business hours, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

🧵(1/4) US Rep @valdemings, who is running to defeat Sen. Marco Rubio in November, issued a statement strongly condemning reports of Venezuelan-led negotiations with the United States government & the possible lifting of some sanctions on the oil-rich South American country. (2/4) We don’t help anybody by appeasing socialist dictators. We must focus on lowering the cost of gas for Florida families without enriching a murderous regime,” said the first woman police chief in Orlando, where she drove down violent crime by 40%.

🧵(1/4) Pain has been felt across the country in recent days after shootings in New York, Texas, Illinois, and California left 65 shot, 17 of them fatally.
Access to weapons has put an end to collective safety in everyday places such as the supermarket and church. (2/4) But instead of passing laws that restrict access to firearms, Republicans across the country have been working to make guns even easier to get.

🧵(1/7) Gov. Ron DeSantis was questioned on Monday for his decision to appoint state Republican Rep. Cord Byrd as the new secretary of state, following the resignation of Laurel M. Lee.
@CarlosGSmith (2/7) The question follows allegations from Democratic lawmakers that Byrd has connections to QAnon and supports conspiracy theories.

🧵(1/6) After a mass shooting in Buffalo, NY, left 10 dead on Saturday, Florida Democratic lawmakers are blasting state GOP leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, for their inaction on gun violence. @DebbieforFL (2/6) The FBI is investigating Saturday’s attack on predominantly Black shoppers and workers at the Tops Friendly Market as a potential federal hate crime or act of domestic terrorism.

🧵(1/4) One of the most serious effects of climate change is the intensification of hurricanes, which grow bigger each year as they enter warmer waters. Many Boricuas who lived through the devastation caused by #HurricaneMaria left the island and are now living in Florida. (2/4) But they are aware that continuing to ignore the effects of global warming and climate change will be catastrophic for the planet and for our communities. It is time, they say, to demand action from our elected officials.

🧵(1/6) People in the United States are paying 10% more for food at the grocery store than a year ago, according to a US Bureau of Labor Statistics report. (2/6) The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as rising energy, transportation, and labor costs are some of the reasons why the prices of food, gas, and other basic expenses are on the rise in the US.

🧵More than 22,000 Floridians with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Alzheimer’s, dementia are on the state’s waiting list to receive services, according to the Orlando Sentinel. (1/5)
@HealthyInFla @DemCastUSA Nearly half of them have been waiting for services, including respite care, day activities, and transportation, for more than a decade.
#Florida currently ranks 34th in serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (2/5)
@demvoice1

🧵There has been some unexpected monkey business happening in the #Santurce neighborhood of San Juan... literalmente.
A rhesus macaque monkey has been drawing attention from the public & putting the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in a tight spot. 1/5
#MonoDeSanturce The rhesus macaque is native to South, Central and Southeast Asia. Ramón Luis Marcano, a lieutenant with the island’s DNR, said the situation wasn’t normal because in #PuertoRico, these monkeys live on Cayo Santiago, a tiny island off the southeastern coast of the island. 2/5

🧵Hardworking Florida families are reaping the benefits of the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP) expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which rose from $2,000 per child to up to $3,600 per child under age 6 and $3,000 per child 6 and older. 1/4
@SumterFLDems In Florida, 3,647,000 children qualified for advance CTC payments in October, data from the Treasury Department shows. Households received a total of $938.6 million in payments, with an average payment per household of $411. 2/4
@DemCastUSA

🧵The Hispanic Federation @HispanicFed along with other organizations from the US and Puerto Rico called on the US Department of Justice and the Biden-Harris administration to stop denying Puerto Rico residents Supplemental Security Income (#SSI) benefits. (1/5)
@Pwr4PuertoRico According to #SocialSecurity data in Puerto Rico, there are 387,570 beneficiaries who do not receive the SSI portion. (2/5)
@hispanicfedPR

🧵A new report shows what we can already see—or better yet, what we can't see: Latino representation in the media and in Hollywood. 1/6 @PoderLatinx Last October, Texas Rep @JoaquinCastrotx, asked the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the situation. The report showed a significant exclusion of #Latinos in newsrooms, TV and film. 2/6
@LatinosUnidosLA

🧵A group of Democrats, led by the Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer @SenSchumer, joined the Hispanic Federation's call to give equal treatment to Puerto Rico. (1/4) @HispanicFed Puerto Rico must have equal access to social programs such as #Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and food assistance, Schumer said. (2/4)
@misionboricua

🧵On Aug. 31, Florida Rep. @CarlosGSmith filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Health Department for allegedly withholding COVID data—and now several media outlets and other groups are joining his fight. (1/5) @floridawatch "I just filed a lawsuit against the DeSantis administration for refusing to lawfully comply with my public records request for critical COVID-related public health data. Floridians deserve transparency and accountability and I'm not taking NO for an answer," Smith tweeted. (2/5)

Amazon is looking to hire an estimated 8,000 people in Florida. The megacorporation is expanding its warehouses and setting up new locations nationwide.
The job opportunities at Amazon come with an average starting pay of $18 up to $22.50 per hour in some locations. (1/4) While it’s no secret that Amazon has had its fair share of complaints from workers about unsafe working conditions and regulations, experts say that the corporation will have no choice but to improve the working lives of their employees. (2/4)

🧵After getting dropped from the endangered species list four years ago, Florida’s manatees are dying in record numbers. So far this year, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has logged 832 deaths out of an estimated 6,300 manatees. (1/4) @ChispaFlorida The reason is that seagrass, which they eat, is dying due to fertilizer runoff from agriculture and residential sources that is polluting the waterways, which can cause #BlueGreenAlgaeBlooms. These, in turn, block sunlight that seagrass needs to survive. (2/4) @flconservancy

🧵Today marks four years since Hurricane María devastated our islita. The shadows of destruction are still evident in #PuertoRico, mainly in the thousands of homes that were damaged or completely destroyed.
But the rebuilding process has been slow for a variety of reasons. (1/4) According to William Rodríguez, the Housing Department secretary, one of the main reasons for the delay in reconstruction is the restrictions imposed on the island by former President Donald Trump that made it difficult to access the emergency funds. (2/4)
@Pwr4PuertoRico

🧵Buenas noticias para los Floricuas: The Working Floridians Tax Rebate (WFTR) would increase economic stability and opportunity, boost local economic activity, and improve child and community well-being, a new report claims. (1/4)
@floridawatch A state tax rebate of this size would have an estimated average rebate of nearly $500. It would also offer a multigenerational investment, increasing family income, reducing child poverty, and improving health, education, and career outcomes. (2/4)
@ForOurFutureFL