Not a great look. The worldwide outbreak of novel coronavirus hasn’t made it to Florida — and state officials hope it stays that way. There’s one kinda big problem though: Test kits given to Florida by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may not work. The CDC found some issues with the kits after they were sent out to other states, and they’re asking officials to hold off until they can make new kits and determine which states need new equipment. (Miami Herald)

Some major college news. Tallahassee lawmakers advanced a bill that could have a major impact on more than 20,000 college students who benefit from the Effective Access to Student Education program. The proposed law would make the program a need-based grant and could eliminate more than half of current recipients. That same bill also includes a plan to have Florida State University and the University of Florida merge with the smaller New College and Florida Polytechnic University, respectively. And that part of the legislation has raised plenty of eyebrows. (Tampa Bay Times)

More police at the party. There will soon be more cops on South Beach in the wee hours of the weekend. Miami Beach leaders approved a law that requires bars on a stretch of Ocean Drive to hire off-duty cops if they serve booze after midnight. The cops will be there from midnight until 30 minutes past the bar’s closing time. (Miami Herald)

Freebee finds a new home. The free shuttle service already operates in areas like Coral Gables, Doral, Miami Beach, and Coconut Grove, and now it will be expanding to downtown Miami. The city’s parking authority approved a one-year deal to bring a pilot program to the area, and the shuttles could hit the streets in the next few months. (Miami Today)

Walk into Walgreens during the month of February (or honestly even late January), and it’s hard to avoid the fact that Valentine’s Day has arrived. Red balloons! Sparkly cards! Heart-shaped boxes on display (and deeply discounted on February 15)!

This holiday, and the weeks leading up to it, can feel totally focused on romantic love — which is a wonderful form of love, don’t get us wrong. But we also want to celebrate a different kind of love this month: self love.

To help you best celebrate and grow the love you have for YOU, we came up with a list of self love activities in Miami, and it’s filled with suggestions that you all shared with us. Complete the whole list and you just might reach self-love nirvana. ❤️

Got other tips on how to spread some self love? Head to our Instagram and drop a comment.

We at The New Tropic love all things delicious and we love to go on delicious adventures with you! Join us at Adventures at Awash where we will have an authentic Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a full dinner, and dive into how this taste of Ethiopian cuisine made its way to Miami. Grab your ticket here.

Made possible by Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

If you’re over all the lovey-dovey talk, here’s some ways to get deals out of trashing your ex at businesses around town (you know, if you’re into that kind of thing). And you can laugh at or commiserate with these Valentine’s Day horror stories.

No matter what your love life or weekend plans look like, we hope you’re showing love to yourself above all. We’ll catch you tomorrow, Miami. ❤️

— The New Tropic