Stet NewsTuesday on a short week. Let’s get it! Today: More on FAU’s brain building; a notorious doctor dodges prison; the state of the plagues; keeping track of Cat 5’s; and hurricane-hardened homes.
🦉 Tropic handled the air
We now know that Tropic Mechanical of Miami installed the air-handling system at the $35 million FAU Jupiter building that shut down July 30.
FAU provided that information under state public records law to Stet collaborator Jessica Abramsky, editor-in-chief of the University Press.
The Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute opened in January but closed because of problems with air pressure that threatened “entrapment” for those inside, according to an FAU memo first reported Aug. 28 in Stet and the FAU student paper, the UP.
FAU hurriedly evacuated the building over the July 30 weekend and made no public announcement, befuddling students and faculty and leaving the taxpayers who paid for the building in the dark.
Stet called Tropic Principal Jerry Fernandez but did not get a call back.
We looked to confirm Tropic’s involvement on the company website. Under its extensive portfolio of hospitals, labs, condo towers and even a turnpike plaza, we found no mention of the FAU building.
Yes, but: An internet search showed Tropic had once touted the building on its website, a listing now gone but discovered on the internet Wayback Machine, archive.org.
“Tropic is proud to be working at FAU with their latest Educational and Research Facility,” the website proclaimed March 30.
Tropic listed its share of the work at $5 million.
“The Mechanical System includes an independent Chilled Water/Steam/Hot Water system with full Supply and Exhaust Valves for finite control of all spaces,” the listing said.
Tropic worked under DPR, a California-based contractor that signed a $27.6 million “guaranteed maximum price” in December 2020.
A month after the closure, FAU is beginning to answer questions but a request for inspection reports concerning the issues that led to the building shutdown came back 10 days later: “There are no responsive documents.”
We’ll keep trying.
➡️ Convicted pill mill doctor Michael Ligotti still isn’t behind bars. Here’s why.
When pill mill doctor Michael Ligotti was sentenced to 20 years in prison last January, the Department of Justice heralded his conviction and sentence.
Ligotti, they said, had been at the center of a $746 million addiction treatment fraud.
His arrest and conviction represented the largest such case ever charged by the Department of Justice, DOJ wrote in a press release.
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Then they let him go.
Court filings reveal Ligotti remains out of prison because he has turned informant, providing evidence in other investigations.
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Ligotti is not home free: Prosecutors have added a $127 million fine to his two-decade-long sentence.
Yes, but: He is free for limited travel. A federal judge last month cleared the way for Ligotti to go to Universal Studios next month for a family vacation.
You can read the original case against Ligotti here and ESPN’s story on the death of Detroit Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels’ son Jamie, who was treated by Ligotti, here.
😷 Plague? Don’t panic! (But don’t play with the armadillos)
🏥 COVID and its cousins are worrisome enough, but the screaming headlines of pop-up plagues resurfacing in Florida feel downright biblical: leprosy, dengue fever, malaria.
The good news? It’s not all that bad.
🩺 1. Leprosy: Nope, the CDC did not issue a travel warning for people thinking about visiting Florida. Nope, people’s limbs are not going to fall off.
Affected counties: Central Florida, especially Brevard.
Cases: 27 statewide since 2020; about 15 a year since 2015.
Why these cases matter: Although leprosy continues to be rare in the United States, Florida ranks among those states with the highest number of cases. In 2020, one of every five in the nation was in Central Florida.
The numbers suggest leprosy may have crossed a line from being an occasional outbreak in Florida to being endemic.
Endemic means there are enough sources of infection in an area to allow the disease to keep spreading, even if no new cases are brought in from elsewhere.
Spread by: Prolonged contact through respiratory droplets — think sneezing and coughing. Many cases in the South carry the same strain as found in armadillos. In about one-third of cases, there’s no clear explanation.
Yes, but: About 95 percent of people are naturally immune. For others, there are antibiotics.
🦟 2. Malaria
Misconception: You only become infected after traveling to another country.
Counties primarily affected: Sarasota (7), Miami-Dade (7), Broward (5), Hillsborough (5).
Cases: 42 involving travel; seven locally contracted cases in Sarasota County.
Why the seven cases matter: Most U.S. cases are brought in by travelers to areas where it is common.
These mark the first time in 20 years that malaria was contracted locally.
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The last time that happened? Palm Beach County in 2003, where eight locally acquired cases were diagnosed.
Spread by: Mosquito bite.
Good to know: Florida summertime basics of warding off mosquitoes — loose long-sleeved shirts, repellent, emptying standing water — go a long way toward repelling the malaria and Dengue they may carry, too.
💉 3. Dengue fever
Misconception: Dengue is always lethal.
Cases: 244 cases involving travel, almost all involving travel to Cuba; 16 cases transmitted locally.
Local county cases: Miami-Dade (154), Broward (21), Palm Beach County (8), St. Lucie County (4).
Spread by: Mosquito bite.
Need to know: The CDC has multiple travel warnings identifying countries where Dengue is common, which you can find here.
Think caution, not crisis. As for the armored four-footed leprosy carriers, we endorse sage advice from The Economist magazine: “Floridians should avoid wrestling armadillos unless necessary.”
📰 The juice
Fresh-squeezed news from all over
⛳️ ⛸️ Two huge proposals have the potential to change the recreation landscape in Palm Beach Gardens. The city is negotiating with developers with ties to Topgolf and Drive Shack for a mini-golf-centered athletic complex in the Gardens North County District Park. A proposal for two ice rinks from the Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation has shifted to Plant Drive Park. (The Palm Beach Post $)
🚊 Brightline through the eyes of The Washington Post’s transportation reporter. (Gift link)
🖌️ A profile of Keith James, mayor of “the other Palm Beach.” (The Bitter Southerner)
👮♂️ What does detention company GEO Group know about unannounced federal detention policies? In an earnings conference call, Seeking Alpha reports Chairman George Zoley expressed confidence that the number of people in the government’s supervised release program would stabilize and then grow. Zoley said only that the company was aware of policy shifts, but was not allowed to discuss Department of Homeland Security operations. (Seeking Alpha )
🎨 Hideous! Satanic! Or: “An elf-like Asian figure balancing on a globe.” Coastal Star reporter Tao Woolfe’s story on the uproar over a WXEL-commissioned statue proves once again art is in the eye of the beholder. Boynton city commissioners decided they would be doing the beholding, getting final say over any future public art. (The Coastal Star)
⚾️ Not to be outdone by Airbnb-listed Brazilian treehouses and California yurts, Minor League Baseball’s Pensacola Blue Wahoos are renting out their entire stadium for $5,143 per night. Why we are paying attention: The Wahoos are affiliated with the Miami Marlins. And the Marlins have a much closer spring training playing field should they ever decide to follow suit: Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Dare we hope? (Smithsonian Magazine)
☔️ Quiz answer: The weight of air
Last week, we asked you to name the most intense of four Category 5 hurricanes, based on barometric pressure: Wilma, Andrew, Katrina and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Here’s how you voted:
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39 percent: Hurricane Andrew 1992
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24 percent: Labor Day Hurricane 1935
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21 percent: Hurricane Katrina 2005
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16 percent: Hurricane Wilma 2005
The answer: Wilma.
We were surprised, too. Hurricanes, though, are dangerous in multiple ways.
When it came ashore, Wilma fell short of the Labor Day hurricane’s estimated sustained 185 mph winds. And it did not generate Katrina’s lethal storm surge.
But the intensity of a storm is also measured by the low pressure of air in the hurricane’s eye. Low pressure strengthens a storm. And Wilma had the lowest barometric pressure of almost any Atlantic hurricane.
Finally, a word about Hurricane Idalia and our fellow Floridians who found themselves in its path.
For those wanting to help, options among reputable charities working in the area include the Florida Disaster Fund, CARE, Mercy Chefs and Save the Children. The American Red Cross offers the option of donating directly to those impacted by Idalia by using the drop-down menu for Disaster Relief contributions.
🪟 We tried it: My Safe Florida Home
👋 Hey, Carolyn here. When I learned the Florida Legislature put money into a program to help homeowners hurricane-proof their property, I thought it was a great idea and decided to try it.
My Safe Florida Home is designed to reduce losses, lower insurance rates and maybe even lure insurers back to Florida.
Context: Florida has the highest property insurance rates in the country.
How it works: The program provides a free wind-mitigation inspection to homeowners who qualify. After that, the state will pay $2 for every $1 spent on new windows, doors or roofs up to $10,000.
Yes, but: People quickly claimed the first $115 million. Another $100 million became available in July, and state officials report the money is going fast.
What happened: I applied for the program thinking that at least I had a shot at an inspection.
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I booked the first available appointment, about a month out. The inspector was on time, and he checked my home’s windows and doors. He climbed into the attic and on the roof.
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Within a week, I had a report with recommendations on how to make the house more secure and cost estimates for improvements.
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The report also predicted the insurance savings for each upgrade.
Of note: Hurricane-resistant doors and windows are exempt from sales tax until June 30, 2024.
What’s next: I can apply for a grant to help replace a door and a window that isn’t hurricane-rated. I’ll do more research before I decide.
Ask us: Do you have questions about my experience? Reply to this email or write to me at stetmediagroup@gmail.com.
🍽️ Life in PBC in September has its perks. It’s restaurant month, people! The 2023 Flavor Palm Beach participants.
☕️ Pat has embarked on her annual pumpkin spice latte taste test and ranking. Extra points for real whipped cream.
🖼️ Joel honored Labor Day by painting a bathroom ceiling.
❄️ Carolyn is off looking at glaciers.
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