Here's a local and state news update from Florida today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk
Local entrepreneurs and small business owners in Palm Bay now have access to free consulting resources. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the details.
"Palm Bay’s new Small Business Development Center, located in the UCF office at City Hall, provides free guidance for entrepreneurs and business owners. The center assists startups with forming LLCs, obtaining insurance, and securing local business tax receipts. It also supports established businesses with growth planning, marketing strategies, and business succession or sale planning."
Find out more at sbdorlando.com.
Three years ago the Argentine Football Association opened an office in Miami to great fanfare. But WLRN's Tim Padgett reports Argentina’s soccer governing body, known as the AFA, is reportedly being investigated by the FBI for fraud and money-laundering in the U.S.
"According to the Argentine daily La Nación, U.S. authorities are examining the A-F-A Miami branch’s transfers of more than $300 million through U.S. banks. Citing U.S. government sources, La Nación reports the probe involves a Miami company called TourProdEnter LLC, which manages the A-F-A’s foreign sponsorships.
The Miami Herald ALSO reports that the AFA and TourProdEnter are under U.S. investigation, citing U.S. law-enforcement officials.
Over the past decade, the A-F-A has become one of the richest national soccer organizations in the world, garnering especially lucrative sponsorships in Asia. Its directors declined to comment to La Nación about the reported U.S. investigation.
I’m Tim Padgett, in Miami."
Argentina over the weekend advanced to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
NASA is recruiting volunteers for the 2027 Moon and Mars simulation mission. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the details.
"NASA is seeking four volunteers for its next Moon and Mars Exploration Analog mission, scheduled to begin as early as August 2027 at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew will spend a year in isolation, simulating life on Mars by conducting mock spacewalks, rover missions, and daily operations under limited resources. The mission will help prepare for future Artemis missions and eventual human exploration of Mars. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with STEM backgrounds and be able to commit to about 14 months."
Here’s your chance to live like an astronaut—no launch required.
They rely on hundreds of Millions of dollars in local property taxes to care for low-income and uninsured patients.
But the ballot measure could minimize that revenue and limit how local governments can spend it.
The Florida Roundup spoke to Justin Senior, head of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.
He warns what could happen to patient care across the state if that money disappears.
“It's important in our state that no one have to leave the state of Florida to receive healthcare. But you do, if you're put under pressure, have to make decisions about what type of care you're going to continue providing and the level of care that you can provide. And it could potentially force some difficult choices.”
Senior says making due with less tax revenue could also ultimately mean fewer healthcare options for local communities.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk