DeSantis wants to eliminate all vaccine mandates in Florida.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis want to eliminate all vaccine mandates in the state. This would include school children, college students, and even nursing home residents. Ladapo said yesterday that all vaccine mandates were wrong, and likened vaccines to slavery. His actions have drawn criticism from public health experts and advocates. If successful, Florida would be the first state in the nation to do away with required vaccines. But it still requires approval from the Florida Legislature. Florida law currently requires immunizations for diseases like polio, measles, and tetanus for children attending school.
Get ready for more rocket rumble.
SpaceX got the ok to increase launches and landings at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Yesterday, the FAA said a SpaceX plan to more than double launches at the Cape would not need an environmental impact study. That effective allows the company to increase the rocket launches at the Space Force Station from 50 to as many as 120 a year. A similar environmental assessment is still pending for SpaceX’s operations at Kennedy Space Center.
NASA has new associate administrator.
NASA has a new associate administrator. Amit Kshatriya is a 20-year NASA veteran. He was most recently in charge of the Moon to Mars program. Promoting Kshatriya to the agency’s top civil service role reflects the importance of returning Americans to the Moon.
In other space news, the White House moved to eliminate employee unions at NASA citing national security. The executive order exempts NASA employees from federal collective bargaining rights. A union officials calls it “a bogus national security rationale.” The change eliminates collective bargaining protections, which could include how NASA employees are fired or laid off.
Randy Fine wants a Florida Springs National Park.
Republican Congressman Randy Fine wants to explore the possibility of creating a Florida Springs National Park, and he’s proposed a bill that would do just that. But some environmental stakeholders in the Sunshine State have concerns — including the Florida Springs Council, a nonprofit advocating for policy to protect the state’s freshwater springs. Ryan Smart is F-S-C’s executive director. He says he appreciates the intention of Fine’s proposed legislation — but that in reality, a national park wouldn’t help Florida springs.
“There's a lot of things that we can be doing, but primarily, they need to achieve one of two things. They either need to reduce the amount of pollution at the springs, or they need to increase the flow. And anything that doesn't do one of those two things isn't really going to benefit the springs.”
Congressman Fine says his bill would only initiate a study of whether a Florida Springs National Park makes sense — not create the national park itself.
Former Brevard Clerk of Courts, Mitch Needelman, has died.
Former Brevard County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, Mitch Needelman, has died. He was 72. Needelman was recently found to be competent to stand trial on bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, bid tampering, official misconduct, and unlawful campaign contributions. The charges stem from Needelman’s relationship with a software company that received millions of dollars in contracts from the clerk’s office in exchange for contributions to Needelman’s campaign. In announcing his death, Current Clerk of the Court Rachel Sadoff called Needelman’s tenure corrupt, disgraceful and deceitful.
