Florida legislators approve redistricting map.
The Florida Legislature gave final approval on Wednesday to an aggressive new map of the state’s congressional districts sought by Gov. DeSantis. The map could give Republicans as many as four new seats, improving its chances of keeping control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Republicans remained largely silent about the map, leaving the debate to the Democrats. And those like Senator LaVon Bracy Davis had a lot to say.
“This map doesn’t just tilt the scale - it shatters them.”
Several voting rights groups have said that they plan to challenge the map in court once DeSantis signs it into law.
The redrawn districts would eliminate four Democratic-held seats — one in the Tampa area, one in the Orlando area, and two in the Fort Lauderdale area — effectively slashing the number of Democratic-leaning seats in half. Florida has 28 congressional districts; seven are held by Democrats after an eighth Democrat resigned last week.
Florida teachers trail the nation in pay.
For the third consecutive year, Florida ranks last in teacher pay nationwide. WFIT’s Terri Wright has details:
The average teacher salary in Florida public schools was $56,600 in 2025, compared to the national average of $74,400. President of the Florida Education Association, Andrew Spar, says low pay makes retention challenging.
Every time you have that turnover, students lose out… The bottom line is it's really hard for teachers and people to work in our schools without having to work two and three jobs.
The report also found that teacher salaries haven’t kept pace with inflation.
Outro: According to the report, teachers earn 24% more on average in states with collective bargaining.
Could it be arson?
A series of suspicious fires have burned about 160 acres in Palm Bay's abandoned Compound development. And officials believe the nine separate fires reported on Tuesday may have been deliberately set. Fire crews quickly put out the blazes, but police are searching for possible arson suspects.
And a Melbourne man was arrested in Martin County to our south after setting a motorcycle on fire and then igniting a blaze in a state park. Morgan Lentz, 22 of Melbourne, was dressed like a pirate armed with a tiki torch and a samurai sword. He’s currently in Martin County jail.
Florida’s unemployment rate increases.
Florida’s unemployment rate has jumped from the mid-3% range one year ago to the mid-4% range as of February. The January report showed Florida experienced one of the biggest year-over-year increases in unemployment in the nation. Most states’ rates rose a fraction of a percentage point. February’s preliminary report showed some relief, with the rate falling to 4.6%.
Next rocket launch from the Cape.
SpaceX is targeting Friday afternoon, May Day, for a Falcon 9 launch. The four hour launch window opens at 1:33PM tomorrow afternoon. With a northeast trajectory toward a drone shop landing, no sonic booms are expected along the Space Coast.
Another sloth dies.
A Central Florida lawmaker is calling for a criminal investigation into Sloth World, the planned Orlando attraction tied to dozens of animal deaths. State Representative Anna Eskamani sent her request in a letter Wednesday to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. She said Florida Fish and Wildlife reports raise, quote, "serious concerns regarding potential violations of Florida law.” Meanwhile, another sloth has been reported dead. Of the 13 sloths relocated to the Central Florida Zoo, another died yesterday.
