Heat

While the House is trying to prevent both labor and heat regulations, the Senate’s bill is smaller in scope. It only preempts heat ordinances. Time is running out for both chambers to reach agreement.

Miami-Dade is set to again discuss landmark heat protections for outdoor workers, but the Legislature could preempt it before then with measures pushed by business lobby groups.

Excessive heat contributed to 1,670 deaths nationwide last year, according to federal data — the highest rate in at least two decades. An increase in drug use and homelessness, along with hotter temperatures, were among the reasons.

State and federal agencies are scrambling to find measures to combat rising heat deaths and injuries of people who work in triple-digit temperatures.

Where trees are growing — and who has access to their shade — affects health and well-being, especially in Florida, one of the hottest states in the country.

Amid multiple excessive heat warnings, the district is emphasizing heat protocols for athletes and students who do activities outside.

The facility received chillers over the weekend to help cool down inpatient units. Patients in long- and short-term care have been assigned to other rooms. Non-urgent procedures were postponed.

Many experts believe heat-related illnesses and deaths are almost certainly undercounted both in Florida and nationwide. One major reason is the way the medical industry keeps records.

A new report from NOAA and NASA confirms that last month was the hottest July ever recorded, driven to new heights by human-caused climate change.

Death certificates don’t always reflect the role that extreme heat played in ending a life, even when it seems obvious it was a factor. That imprecision harms efforts to better protect people from extreme heat.