Hope Florida warned about not-for-profit status.
A top Florida Republican warned Thursday that the Hope Florida Foundation could lose its tax exempt status if a $10 million payment the foundation made wound up with a political committee opposing legalization of marijuana. Rep. Alex Andrade made the remarks to board members during a virtual meeting Thursday. He also said he was glad the foundation board was addressing its delinquent paperwork, including making its IRS form 990 available for the public to review. Andrade claimed that more than 80% of all funds received by Hope Florida were used for political purposes. That could jeopardize its tax exempt status unless the funds are recouped. Hope Florida is an initiative launched by First Lady Casey DeSantis to help steer people off public assistance programs.
Two people dead, six injured, after FSU shooting.
The 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire Thursday at Florida State University with his mother’s former service weapon, killing two people and wounding at least six others. The shooter, identified by police as Phoenix Ikner, is believed to be a Florida State student. Officers quickly arrived and shot and wounded Ikner after he refused to comply with commands. The two people who died were not FSU students. According to the Gun Violence Archive, this is the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year. A mass shooting is defined as four or more people being shot in one incident.
Second DeSantis DOGE letter wants more info from local government.
Local governments across Florida are grappling with a response to a second letter from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ DOGE team. The letter requests detailed information to help the DOGE squad in their hunt for cost savings and operational inefficiencies. Eric Soskin is listed as a senior advisor to DeSantis and DOGE’s team leader. He was hired by DeSantis after President Trump fired Soskin and other government watchdogs in January. The Soskin letter asks local government officials to provide budget and spending reports for each department; job descriptions, salaries and hours worked for employees; and all contracts and grants with total costs.
More than 40% of Florida under drought conditions.
There's no rain in sight yet for Florida as drought conditions worsen and the number of wildfires increase around the state. NOAA reports that Florida has the only area of extreme drought east of the Plains, with more than 40% of the state under drought conditions. Conditions in Brevard County range from abnormally dry to moderate drought.
Two rocket launches scheduled for Monday.
SpaceX has scheduled a double-header for Monday. A Falcon 9 will deliver cargo to the space station after a 4:15AM launch from the Cape. Then the second launch will be a ride-share mission after sunset Monday.
Driverless car breaks speed record at KSC.
A Maserati reached just shy of 200 mph while zooming down the center of NASA’s old space shuttle landing strip - with nobody in the driver’s seat. The sensor-equipped car shattered the autonomous-driving speed record, aided by AI software. The shuttle landing strip is America’s fourth-longest runway, and has been increasingly used by industry for vehicle testing.
High risk of rip currents.
There will be a high risk of rip currents along Brevard beaches this Easter weekend. The National Weather Service in Melbourne predicts life threatening conditions from Saturday through next Tuesday. Swimming is not recommended, but if you must, stay in front of a lifeguard stand.
