Builders and developers are constantly chafing at how long it takes them to acquire the permits they need. They don’t like waiting for local and state government approvals, and so Esposito’s bill is designed to alleviate that concern.

But meeting these accelerated deadlines “would be a challenge for local government,” Kim Dinkins of 1000 Friends told me.

Let’s call Esposito’s bill what it really is: The Rush It Through No Matter What Law.

It doesn’t trim the amount of time local government has to review builders’ plans to make sure they comply with the rules. It provides a radical cut, not unlike giving shaggy-haired Keanu Reeves a Marine Corps high-and-tight buzz.

Right now, state law says cities and counties can take 30 days to review building permits for single family homes and up to 120 days for larger projects such as condominiums.

They have 45 days to determine if the application is complete. And if it’s not, they can ask the developer for additional information three times, each time stopping the clock on the review.

Esposito’s bill would reset every deadline. All building permits — condos included — would have to be issued by that same 30-day limit. If the builder or developer hires their own permit reviewer, then the city or county would have even less time — a mere 15 days.

Under the bill, the amount of time to determine if the application is complete would be cut to only 10 days. And the cities and counties could ask for more information only two times, not three.

If they fail to meet those accelerated deadlines, then the permit is approved automatically.

Florida abortion rights advocates, who have seen access to the procedure erode in the state and nationally in recent years, reached a major milestone that could shape abortion access throughout the south.

Groups seeking a constitutional amendment protecting abortion on Friday secured enough state-certified signatures by the Feb. 1 deadline to put a referendum on the 2024 ballot.

If successful, voters in the country’s third-most populous state could undo Florida’s abortion bans, keeping access open to thousands of patients throughout the South who travel to Florida from neighboring states — and from as far away as Texas — to avoid more restrictive prohibitions.

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Federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max jetliners after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.

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An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff three miles above Oregon late Friday, creating a gaping hole that forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.

No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed, but the airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will also investigate.

Aftershocks threatened to bury more homes and block roads crucial for relief shipments, as the death toll from the earthquakes that rattled Japan's western coastline this past week rose to 126 on Saturday.

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Officials warned that roads, already cracked from the dozens of earthquakes that continue to shake the area, could collapse completely. That risk was growing with rain and snow expected overnight and Sunday.

The death toll on Saturday rose to 126. Wajima city has recorded the highest number of deaths with 69, followed by Suzu with 38. More than 500 people were injured, at least 27 of them seriously.

In his ruling, Welte said the plan approved by the state Legislature to redraw voting districts in accordance with the latest census data “prevents Native American voters from having an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice” - a violation of the landmark civil rights law.

Welte gave the Republican-controlled Legislature and the secretary of state until Dec. 22 “to adopt a plan to remedy the violation.”