See ya later, Alligator!

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed five bills Thursday aimed at growing the health care workforce, expanding access and fostering innovation in the industry.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said 1 million Abbott COVID-19 rapid tests that expired in a warehouse in December are now “going out” to testing sites after their usage date was extended to March 2022 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“I was petrified.”The race to vaccinate millions of Americans is off to a slower, messier start than public health officials and leaders of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed had expected. Overworked, underfunded state public health departments are scrambling to patch together plans for administering vaccines. Army Gen. Gustave Perna, Operation Warp Speed’s chief operating officer, said Wednesday that 14 million doses had been shipped around the country so far. In Tennessee, health officials had hoped to reach a goal of dispensing 200,000 doses by the end of the year, but delays in shipments might prevent that from happening. Health officials said the state received 20,300 doses on Tuesday that had been expected to arrive last week.

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Someone in southwest Florida purchased a winning Powerball ticket worth almost $397 million, officials with the Florida Lottery said Thursday. The winning ticket was bought from a convenience store in Bonita Springs, Florida. The winner has six months to file a claim for the jackpot. However, if the winner wants a lump sum payment of $276.5 million, the claim must be filed within two months. Wednesday night’s drawing also produced a $1 million winning ticket that was purchased in Coconut Creek, Florida, according to the Florida Lottery.

One person in Florida is a whole lot richer Thursday morning. The winning $396,900,000 Powerball lottery ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, according to lottery officials. The winning numbers for Wednesday’s drawing were 9, 12, 15, 31 and 60, with a Powerball of 2. The jackpot is now back to $40 million, with the next drawing taking place Feb. 1.