Stick a fork in it. It’s done.
Florida’s regular legislative session ended Friday — without a state budget and with just 12% of the nearly 1,900 bills sent on for Gov. DeSantis’ signature. Lawmakers return to Tallahassee in April to hammer out specifics for the next fiscal year.
Restrictions on voter registration and renaming Palm Beach County’s airport after Donald Trump passed. Others, like eliminating vaccination mandates, fell by the wayside.
Professors with pistols.
Legislation allowing state college and university staff to carry weapons has now passed both houses of the Florida legislature. The Florida House gave final approval to legislation that would allow professors and other people appointed by a university president to pack arms on campus. The bill was crafted in the aftermath of the shootings at Florida State University last year. Gov. DeSantis is expected to sign it into law.
Data center bill passes Florida Senate.
A greatly weakened version of a data center regulation bill championed by Gov. DeSantis passed the Florida Legislature with senators reluctantly voting for final approval Friday. The bill would ensure that AI data center companies pay for their own utilities — not nearby ratepayers. Next stop: the Governor’s desk.
Brevard seeks funding for Brightline station (again).
Brevard County leaders went to Washington to ask for $57 million in federal grant funding to build a Brightline station in Cocoa. Funding for the project also includes contributions from Brevard County, the city of Cocoa, and the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization. County Commissioner Thad Altman said the large number of applicants from across the country will make it challenging for Brevard to secure a portion of the $5 billion available.
Spring breakers go wild.
It was a chaotic weekend for spring breakers in Daytona Beach. Four shootings occurred in the tourist areas beachside, and a thousand beachgoers stampeded after a loud noise panicked them.
DeSantis signs death warrant for Palm Bay man.
Gov. DeSantis has signed a death warrant for a man convicted of murdering his Palm Bay neighbor during a burglary more than three decades ago. Chadwick Willacy is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection next month.
TSA airport delays vary.
About 50,000 TSA officers are working without regular pay as spring break travel increases and the partial federal government shutdown continues. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares wait time details.
At some major airports nationwide, TSA checkpoint lines have stretched beyond an hour, with waits in some cases exceeding three hours. Across Florida, however, most airports continue to report checkpoint wait times under 15 minutes, even as more TSA officers nationwide have resigned or called in sick. At Orlando International Airport, officials expect more than 600,000 passengers and recommend travelers arrive three hours before their flight.
Before you fly you can check TSA wait times via Airport websites, social media or The MyTSA mobile app.
Rocket launch possible for Tuesday AM.
SpaceX has scheduled a Starlink mission for early Tuesday. The four-hour launch window opens at 6:26AM.
In other space news, it was 100 years ago today that Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. The rocket flew up 41 feet, and fell back to earth in 2.5 seconds.
