Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
WFIT’s Rick Glasby reports that Florida does not want to debate the merits of having a state-wide bear hunt:
"Florida will be conducting a bear hunt again this year. But the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is not conducting public hearings to gather comments. Instead, applications to kill a bear will be accepted starting September 11th, with the hunt scheduled for between December 5th and December 28th. In the 13-county Central Florida area, 21 permits will be up for grabs. 1,400 bears call our area home. Once again, non-hunters are expected to flood the FWC with applications, under the Sierra Club’s “Bag a Tag - Spare a Bear” campaign. "
Last year Florida set the kill quota at 172 bears, but only 52 were shot, perhaps due to the Spare a Bear campaign.
Palm Beach County commissioners today unanimously advanced a moratorium on applications for new AI data centers. WLRN’s Wilkine Brutus has more.
"Palm Beach County is a step closer to officially approving a one-year moratorium on AI data centers …which would give county staff time to draft stricter land-use standards.
Under the new rule, a data center counts as "large-scale" if it uses 50 megawatts of electricity or more. To ensure cooperation from developers, the county will collectively measure power for the entire property, not parcel by parcel.
Beyond anxiety over electric grid capacity and water strain, commissioners also raised transparency concerns from AI data center owners and operators.
Here’s Commissioner Maria Sachs.
Sachs, Who owns these hyperscale data centers? We did not now that for Project Tango. I think it’s important. I think it’s important who owns the damn thing.
Over the next year, county staff will draft new rules for major power users, including potential ownership disclosures.
I’m Wilkine Brutus, in Palm Beach County."
The board meets September 24 to consider adopting the plan.
Monday night, hours after Florida revoked its approval for roadside Flock cameras, the Oviedo City Council told staff to end its contract with Flock Safety for the license plate recognition services.
The city’s decision came after several weeks of public comments in opposition, as Central Florida Public Media’s Sam Stockbridge reports.
"Flock cameras have attracted controversy in recent years as some police officers have used the services to stalk ex-partners. And errors in its processing software have led to wrongful arrests nationwide.
Members of the public on Monday also worried that the significant data collected by Flock cameras could make it easier to track innocent members of the public.
A Flock spokesperson answered questions from the council, but Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said she didn’t find the answers convincing enough to maintain the contract.
"There were some of the answers given that just, they, they didn't scratch that itch."
Oviedo had one month left in the first of its five-year contract with Flock. The city will not be reimbursed for the remaining month it paid for.
Earlier in the day, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered the removal of Flock cameras and other license plate readers on state right of way, including several in Oviedo.
In Orlando, I’m Sam Stockbridge."
The Lake County Commission discussed the future of Flock cameras along its roadways last night.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk