FL Attorney General green lights immigration arrests.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is flipping his directives to law enforcement over immigration arrests. He now says local and state police don’t have to abide by the order of a federal judge regarding the state's recently-enacted immigration law. The judge has blocked the law that makes it illegal for an "unauthorized alien" to enter Florida. Uthmeier late last week instructed law enforcement to follow the judge's order. Now that's changed. Not all law enforcement is on board with continuing enforcement despite the judge’s order. The Pinellas County sheriff says nothing could make him disobey the judge’s order.
Legislative news from Tallahassee.
The Florida House and Senate are eyeing sweeping changes to the hotel tax that tourists pay. The House is considering using money collected from tourists to give Florida homeowners a break on their property taxes. Representatives of the tourist industry argue the hotel tax is vital to keep Florida competitive with other destinations. Florida House and Senate negotiators will hammer out the details as the legislative session nears an end.
Here’s a summary of how proposed legislation is faring in Tallahassee:
- The Florida House passed the e-Verify measure, but the bill looks dead in the Florida Senate.
- The Florida Senate ok’d a ban on oil exploration and drilling near the Apalachicola River.
- The Florida House passed a condo bill despite criticism from Gov. DeSantis.
- The Florida Senate is backing away from a proposed bill that would increase speed limits on Interstates.
The Florida legislative session is scheduled to end May 2nd.
How treed is Brevard?
Some cities and town in the country feature a lot of tree cover - others are mostly bare. Researchers at the Arbor Day Foundation have mapped tree cover across the US using aerial imagery. They found Atlanta GA had 51% tree cover, while Phoenix AZ had only 8%. Trees offer distinct health advantages. On a hot summer day, temperatures in a treeless neighborhood tend to be 8 to 11 degrees higher. Conservation organizations recommend a tree cover goal of 40 to 60%. The study estimated tree cover in Brevard County at 30.4% with the areas beachside with less trees.
Rocket launch tonight.
SpaceX has scheduled a rocket launch for this evening. The 4.5 hour launch window opens at 9:32PM. The Falcon 9 will head on a southeasterly trajectory, with the first stage aiming for an at-sea landing.
Brevard Zoo opens manatee rehab center.
The Brevard Zoo opened its new Manatee Rehabilitation Center and welcomed its first two patients. The center’s focus is to provide immediate care to stable, non-critical manatees. With the recent wave of manatee deaths over the years, the zoo rehab center looks to help those manatees in need.
In other zoo news, the future aquarium at Port Canaveral has received a $250,000 gift. Bank of America East Central Florida donation supports Brevard Zoo’s 100 million community fundraising effort.
Port Canaveral sets record.
Port Canaveral broke $100 million in revenue in just the first six months of its fiscal year. March was a record month, with nearly 926,000 cruise ship passengers.
Indialantic police dispatcher receives award.
State Senator Ashley Moody awarded 911 dispatcher Ashley Willis with the inaugural Florida Finest award for her life-saving actions. Willis, with the Indialantic Police Department, answered a hang-up 911 call that led to the rescue of a pregnant domestic violence victim.
