$35 million diverted to fight ballot initiatives.
Gov. Ron DeSantis allegedly diverted more than $35 million in child welfare and medical funds and used it to pay for ads to fight ballot initiatives. A grand jury in Tallahassee is already investigating how $10 million was diverted from a Medicaid settlement to a charity called Hope Florida Foundation. Now, according to a report in the Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times, it appears the total amount of diverted government funds was three times greater than earlier believed. The funds were used to fight ballot initiatives overwhelmingly approved by voters, but they fell short of the 60 percent needed to be enacted into law.
SpaceX may go public.
Elon Musk has confirmed that SpaceX plans to go public, maybe mid-to-late next year. An unnamed source said the Initial Public Offering was expected to generate more than $30 billion. That money could be used to establish a human presence on Mars. But Musk confirmed a story that the massive influx of cash might be used for AI projects and data centers in space.
SpaceX ignored last night’s strong winds to launch a Falcon 9 for the 100th time from the Space Coast this year. But ULA postponed its Atlas V launch due to the winds until 3:28AM Tuesday morning. SpaceX will also launch again tomorrow, with a four hour window opening at 7:45AM.
Florida promotes rolling back vaccine mandates.
Florida officials are moving forward with a proposal to roll back certain vaccine mandates for the state’s schoolchildren. Gov. Ron DeSantis called for the state to become the first in the nation to eliminate all school vaccination requirements. At a public hearing last Friday, parents and activists opposed to the mandates heralded the importance of personal freedom, while physicians warned that doing away with the mandatory vaccine could allow for a resurgence of preventable childhood diseases and deaths.
Florida’s Senators oppose ACA tax credits.
On Thursday, the US Senate voted down two proposals addressing ACA tax credits, and a developing House Republican health care package does not include an extension. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
Florida’s senators — Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody — voted with the majority to oppose the bills. Scott said the Affordable Care Act has failed and should be overhauled. If the subsidies are not extended, many consumers could see sharp increases in insurance costs in 2026, after the enhanced tax credits expire Dec. 31. “Allowing these enhanced premium tax credits to lapse would drive Florida’s uninsured population to levels not seen since before the Affordable Care Act,” said Erica Li of the Florida Policy Institute. “The consequences would be catastrophic, with Florida facing the most severe impact of any state in the nation.”
Florida still likes Trump.
Donald Trump's National approval rating is net negative, according to averages from multiple polling aggregators. In fact, Trump’s approval rating in the first year is lower than any other modern president at the same point. But Florida is among the 22 states where Trump has a net positive approval. 50% of Florida voters approve of Trumps job performance, compared to 46% who disapprove.
