Private astronauts may fly today.
A crew of private astronauts are set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center this evening, weather permitting. A cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Chinese-born Chun Wang of Malta, is paying for the flight for himself and three friends. The Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to make the first polar orbit for humans in history. Lift off from Kennedy Space Center is set for 11:20 p.m. with backups extending until after 2AM tomorrow morning.
DeSantis faces political roadblocks.
For six years, Gov. Ron DeSantis got nearly everything he wanted from the GOP-led Legislature in Tallahassee. Now that beginning to change. Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Republican, is clashing with DeSantis on several issues, including tax cuts and property insurance reforms. Perez wants to cut the state sales tax, while DeSantis wants to eliminate property taxes, potentially setting up a conflict over revenue sources. DeSantis wants a bill to fix a looming condo affordability crisis; Perez doesn’t see the urgency. In the meantime, the House is voting to override some of DeSantis’ budget vetoes, threatening to withhold the salary of one of his agency heads, and moving forward with a bill to require department leaders to live in Tallahassee.
Tuesday is election day.
Brevard County residents can vote in two special elections tomorrow to fill vacancies in the Florida Legislature. The elections will be held for Florida Senate District 19 and Florida House District 32. Republican primary elections for both seats will be held on Tuesday, April 1, with the general election on June 10. Florida Senate District 19 includes Central and South Brevard County. The Republican candidates in the primary are Marcie Adkins, Mark Lightner, Debbie Mayfield and Tim Thomas. The primary winner will face Democrat Vance Ahrens in the June 10 general election. The Florida House District 32 seat is now held by Debbie Mayfield. It covers parts of central Brevard. The Republican candidates are Terry Cronin, Brian Hodgers and Bob White. The primary winner will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa in the June general election.
Florida jobless rate up again.
Florida’s unemployment rate ticked up again in February. The jobless rate increased to 3.6 from 3.5 percent. The Florida Department of Commerce also reported that it’s too early to tie the increase to ongoing federal job cuts. The national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
NASA adds SpaceX Starliner to contract.
Even though SpaceX’s Starship has suffered major setbacks on its past two flights, NASA is adding the still-experimental rocket to its contract with SpaceX. This opens the possibility of Starship flying future NASA science missions — that is once Starship reaches a successful orbital flight. The announcement is simply makes Starship an option to NASA. The launch provider contract runs through 2032.
No good news for Florida’s citrus industry.
Orange juice consumption has plummeted over 50% since 2000. And Florida’s orange crop is facing a 30% decline for this season. While the citrus greening disease is killing citrus trees faster than they can be replanted. There’s some possible good news for consumers though, the prices for orange juice are dropping in the grocery store.
