Pop quiz! Test your knowledge on Trump oil-drilling plans, Shaq’s mansion, hurricane season, more | Commentary

Pop Quiz! Time to see how closely you’ve been paying attention to recent news. Anyone who aces the test can stick a gold star on their N95 mask or hurricane shutters.

We just passed peak hurricane season (Sept. 10) -- but don’t let your guard down. The National Hurricane Center says what percentage of Category 3, 4 and 5 storm days typically occur during the eight-week stretch from mid-August to mid-October?

A) 51%

B) 66%

C) 82%

D) 96%

Answer: D … which is uncomfortably close to 100.

Speaking of storms, did you see “Nana” hit Belize? I found that storm name unsettling. Normally when you hear the phrase “Nana’s coming!” you expect what?

A) A big hug

B) A handful of Werther’s hard candies

C) Questions about whether Picadilly’s is still open

D) Wind gusts of up to 90 mph

Answer: D. Thanks to the World Meteorological Organization, which names the storms, anyway. Listen, I know “Nana” is a common name in some parts of the world. But some names just shouldn’t be turned into storms. Nobody wants to be read headlines like: “Nana kills hundreds.”

State economists announced Thursday that Florida’s low-wage, consumer-driven economy may be slow to recover -- with unemployment rates not even getting below 6% until when?

A) Fall 2021

B) Summer 2022

C) Spring 2023

D) The twelfth of never

Answer: C. In other words, if Florida can hang on for three years, things will get back to not great.

Donald Trump visited Florida Tuesday to talk about his oil-drilling intentions. Trump has made a lot of headlines on this topic so far. In fact, all of the following headlines are real except which one?

A) “Trump administration plan would widely expand drilling in U.S. continental waters”

B) “Interior to push drilling in Florida waters after November election”

C) “Reversing Course Ahead of Election, Trump Extends Drilling Ban Off Florida”

D) “Trump praised for consistency on his oil-drilling plans”

Answer: D. On Tuesday, the president asked voters to forget about all those earlier drill-baby-drill headlines and believe him when he says he’s the environmental crusader Floridians want in the White House.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has also vowed to be an environmental crusader, especially when it comes to clean water. So what two people did the governor appoint to this region’s water-management board this week?

A) A hydrologist and an environmental scientist from two local colleges

B) A member of the Audubon Society and representative of the Florida Springs Institute

C) The head of a nature conservancy and a former secretary of environmental affairs

D) A timber company executive and a senator with the worst environmental record in the Legislature.

Answer: D. The two newest members of the St. Johns River Water Management District are Janet Price, an executive with Rayonier, a timberland real estate investment trust; and Sen. Rob Bradley, whom the Sierra Club gave a 0% score on environmental issues last session. (Though, to be fair, quite a few Florida legislators joined Bradley in the environmental bagel club.).

Wanna live like Shaq? Well, the former NBA superstar is having trouble unloading his Isleworth mansion. So he cut the $28 million asking price down to $19.5 million. What did Shaq pay for the 12-bedroom, 11-bathroom place back when he was playing for the Magic in 1993?

A) $2 million

B) $4 million

C) $6 million

D) $9 million

Answer: B … which is about what the king of endorsement deals scored just for promoting Papa John’s.

Florida’s unemployment system is such a dumpster fire that many legislators turned into makeshift caseworkers, trying to help citizens get benefits. But the Tampa Bay Times checked state records and found that one lawmaker’s office did way more than others -- making more than 16,000 citizen referrals out of the 60,000 handled by legislators statewide. Can you guess which state rep that was?

A) Scott Plakon

B) John Cortes

C) Anna Eskamani

D) Anthony Sabatini

Answer: C. The Orlando Democrat personally fielded constituent complaints at all hours of the day and night, often from Floridians outside her district.

Speaking of Sabatini, the Lake County legislator and new attorney has spent the first year of his legal career crusading against local mask ordinances and what he calls “mask nazis.” It hasn’t gone so well. Where have courts dealt Sabatini losses?

A) Orange County

B) Seminole County

C) Volusia County

D) Gadsden County

Answer: All of the above. Plus some more. I ran out of letters. Florida Politics cited six losses. Sabatini has racked up so many L’s that the judge in the Gadsden County case wrote: “The Court urges Mr. Sabatini to reflect on the possibility that, at some point, he could be sanctioned for filing frivolous lawsuits.”

The pandemic has taken a tough toll on Central Florida’s culture scene. But there was some good news this past week when which local artist and venue owner announced plans for a live performance and visual art space on Church Street?

A) Blue Star

B) Pink Triangle

C) Red Square

D) Chartreuse Octagon

Answer: A. Star, who had a long-running burlesque and cabaret theater in the Ivanhoe district, wants to mix art, dining and cocktails in her new space with a tagline: “Cuisanary. Libations. Amusement.”

Visit Florida, the state’s taxpayer-funded advertising bureau for Florida’s tourism industry, just announced it was launching a $13 million campaign to attract visitors from where?

A) Brazil

B) Canada

C) The Northeast

D) Florida

Answer: D. Yeah, not too ambitious. But Visit Florida knows most Americans aren’t making big vacation plans, and yet the agency still wants to spend its money. So this year’s campaign will essentially be: “Visit Florida, Florida.”

smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com

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