Archives for May 2013

New Florida Law Bans Texting While Driving

May 29, 2013 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

Texting-Driving

A new law signed by Florida Governor Rick Scott on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 will ban manual texting and e-mailing while driving as of October 1st, 2013.

The first offense will get you a $30 fine plus court costs and a second offense will cost $60.

"As a father and a grandfather, texting while driving is something that concerns me when my loved ones are on the road," Scott said in a statement after signing the bill.

A preliminary report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recorded 257,912 reported crashes in 2012, but only 196 involved drivers who said they were texting at the time of the crash. Those crashes resulted in nine serious injuries and one death.

The ban will make the act of texting while driving a secondary offense, which means you would need to be pulled over for another reason in order to get a texting ticket, and you will still be able to text at stop signs and in stopped traffic.

How To: Make a Homemade Mosquito Trap

May 10, 2013 by I Love South Florida 2 Comments

In South Florida, especially in the summer, the mosquito can wreak havoc on the population.

Mosquitos reproduce by laying their eggs in stagnant water, which makes the Everglades a perfect breeding ground for them.

To make matters worse, they go beyond just being annoying. The relative of the fly can transmit certain viruses including yellow/jungle/dengue fever and malaria.

Here is how to make a Homemade Mosquito Trap:

Items needed:

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 gram of yeast
1 2-liter bottle

How:

1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.
2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.
4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.
5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.)

Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control.

This is just one method you can use for combatting mosquitos. Having bug repellent on hand is always useful also.

Too lazy or don’t have the time to make a homemade mosquito trap? You can always buy the Flowtron 80-Watt Electronic Insect Killer from Amazon for about $65, which will obliterate every mosquito within an acre of you.