Federal court greenlights Everglades detention center.
A federal appeals court decided Thursday that the immigrant deportation center in the Everglades does not need to shut down by the end of the month. The 2-to-1 decision stayed federal judge Kathleen Williams’ order to the state to stop bringing people to the site and to dismantle much of it by September’s end. The decision temporarily blocks Williams’ ruling ahead of an appeal.
Meanwhile, the second immigration detention center in Florida, Deportation Depot, has opened in Baker County, west of Jacksonville.
Dengue Fever increases in Brevard.
Brevard County has the most cases of locally acquired dengue fever in Florida. The health department reports that are 14 cases of the dangerous mosquito-borne disease along the Space Coast. Dengue fever can be a painful disease but is rarely fatal. Symptoms appear 3–14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito and include sudden onset of fever, severe headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain and bleeding.
FAA warns Starship launches could delay airline flights.
Future Florida airline flights could face delays lasting 40 minutes to two hours during a launch of SpaceX's massive Starship rocket. That’s what the FAA projects. SpaceX is looking to bring Starship from Texas to Florida for launches, but needs FAA approval. Aviation officials and a pilots union say each launch could trigger rerouting and delays at major Florida airports. SpaceX would like to launch Starship from Kennedy Space Center up to 44 times a year.
Update on Palm Bay sewage spill.
It’s been three months since a broken pipe released three million gallons of raw sewage into a Palm Bay neighborhood. In a statement yesterday, the city says it’s coordinating with state officials, and expects to pay modest, if any, fines. Just over a third of the wastewater was released near Turkey Creek and required an extensive cleanup effort. Palm Bay reported no impacts to the City’s drinking water supply.
DeSantis opposes Renner entering race for Governor.
Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner announced his candidacy Wednesday for Governor. But he doesn't have the support of DeSantis who called Renner's decision to run "ill advised." DeSantis has yet to formally announce who he does support as a successor.
Meanwhile, he’s only been in the job for a few weeks, but Florida’s Lieutenant Governor, Jay Collins, is considering a run for Governor next year. Collins was appointed on August 12th to replace Jeanette Nuñez as Lieutenant Governor.
Citrus Land Continues to Dwindle
Florida's once-dominant citrus industry is being squeezed for land at an accelerating rate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week reported that the industry is entering the 2025-2026 growing season with just over 200 thousand acres for producing oranges, grapefruit and specialty fruits, 24 percent fewer acres than a year ago. That follows a 17 percent reduction in acreage last year, which was the worst for production in a century.
Spirit collapses - Frontier expands.
Florida-based Spirit Airlines is struggling financially. It just announced it will cut routes to 11 cities. Meanwhile, Spirit’s competitor in the low-fare airline industry, Frontier, is adding 22 new routes. That’s in addition to the 20 routes Frontier added last week, including from Spirit’s hub in Fort Lauderdale. Frontier will debut flights from Orlando to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala this November and December.
