School vouchers strain budgets.
Florida’s expansion of private school vouchers is straining public school budgets statewide. In 2023, the Republican-led Legislature removed income limits for families seeking vouchers, allowing more public education funds to be redirected to private school tuition. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
State funding diverted to vouchers has grown sharply—from 12% of public education dollars in 2021 to 24% in 2025, according to the Florida Policy Institute. And nearly 69% of students newly using the vouchers were already attending private schools, data from Step Up for Students shows.
Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, says the shift is leaving public schools with fewer resources. “Our public schools are struggling to make ends meet,” he said. “That means fewer programs, larger class sizes, and impacts on teacher pay.”
Florida ranks 50th nationally in average teacher pay, at $54,875, according to the National Education Association.
Florida tourism hits record impact.
Florida’s tourism industry generated a record-breaking $133 billion in economic impact in 2024. According to a study by Visit Florida, spending by out-of-state visitors increased 3.0% over 2023. For every dollar spent by a visitor, 99 cents remained in Florida, with 59 cents supporting worker salaries. Visit Florida claims that Florida households saved nearly $2,000 a year because of the tax revenues generated by tourism.
Kroger shutdown hits Rockledge.
The decision by Kroger to stop home food deliveries has impacted a Brevard town. Kroger had a fulfillment center on Barnes Blvd in Rockledge. It will shut down along with the huge Groveland Florida fulfillment center in January 2026.
Rocket launch scheduled for Tuesday.
In case you didn’t catch the overnight rocket launch, SpaceX has scheduled another for Tuesday afternoon. A Falcon 9 will boost more Starlink satellites to orbit. The four hour launch window opens at 3:16PM tomorrow.
Hurricane season ends without a landfall.
The hurricane season has come to its official end without any landfalls in Florida. Is that a first? Not really, in fact there was a nine-year streak from 2006 to 2015 without a hurricane hitting Florida. That was the longest run since record-keeping began in 1851.
Electric trucks may now receive Florida funds.
After initially excluding them, the state is now including electric trucks in Florida’s plans to reduce harmful emissions. The money comes from the Volkswagen trust fund, created after the car company’s alleged violations of the Clean Air Act. Florida still has about $48 million from the fund left to spend. But initially, the state’s plans for that money did not include electric vehicles. Now the state’s added electric trucks as one option for fleet operators to upgrade to lower-emission vehicles.
Stan Cross with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says out of all the options, electric vehicles are best for the environment.
“EVs are also the most affordable vehicles in the long term … So an EV might be the best tool for the job, and having EVs eligible for the funding empowers fleet operators to make that decision.”
Local governments can use the funds to purchase lower-emission vehicles. Applications are due to the state by December 23rd.
High school football.
In local high school football, Cocoa has advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals. That game will be this coming Friday. Eau Gallie High fell just short in its match against Bishop Moore in the 3A regional final.
