Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
Gas prices in Florida continue to hover around the found dollar per gallon mark, while diesel prices in the state are near record highs, similar to the early stages of the ongoing conflict with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Coming out of the Labor Day weekend, Triple A says the state's average gas price was three dollars and 90 cents per gallon on Tuesday, down five cents from last week.
Prices have remained around the four-dollar mark for more than a month.
Triple A spokesman Mark Jenkins says gas prices tend to drop this time of year, as demand falls, but tensions in the Middle East continue to affect the cost of fuel.
“Gas prices have been somewhat volatile. They’ve been up and they’ve been down, but ultimately kind of holding around an average price of three dollars and 90 cents per gallon for the past 45 days. There doesn’t really seem to be a clear signal of strong relief in sight.”
Geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, driving volatility in global energy markets, pushed the cost of diesel nationally to an all-time high of five dollars and 90 cents per gallon on Tuesday, up more than two dollars per gallon since last year.
The least expensive gas in Florida is being sold in the Panhandle, while drivers in the Florida Keys are paying the most money to fill their tanks.
A leak on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is delaying the launch of a crew of four to the International Space Station.
As Central Florida Public Media’s Brendan Byrne reports, it’s also delaying a Florida man’s first trip to space.
"The leak was discovered in the capsule’s propulsion system as SpaceX was preparing it for the mission.
Teams from NASA and SpaceX are investigating what caused the leak and what work needs to be done to fix it.
The capsule is set to carry four people to the space station from Cape Canaveral. They are two NASA astronauts, one from Canada and a Russian cosmonaut.
The mission was set to lift off mid-September, but NASA has pushed the start back until later this month at the earliest.
This will mark the first trip to space for Florida native and mission pilot Luke Delaney. The NASA astronaut considers DeBary his hometown. He graduated from Deltona High School in Volusia County in 1997."
Miami and Copenhagen are an ocean apart. But they share one big problem: rising sea levels.
The University of Miami recently [SEPT. 4] hosted the Embassy of Denmark to discuss how coastal cities can adapt to climate change through smarter waterfront design and infrastructure.
WLRN’s Zoey Thomas reports.
"Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Moller Sorensen, told a crowd at the Perez Architecture Center the visit was about sharing ideas and building stronger ties with Florida.
"I actually think that we can do a lot more together, Florida and Denmark. That's essentially why we are here: we are on a little bit of a fact-finding mission."
Both Florida and Denmark are facing effects of climate change. South Florida has seen sea levels rise by several inches over the past two decades, while Europe is warming faster than the global average.
Researchers say restoring mangroves, expanding waterfront parks, and redesigning neighborhoods to better absorb floodwaters can help communities become more resilient.
Miami resident Yeraldine Ordonez says she’s grown used to “sunny-day flooding,” when puddles gather without rain. She hopes the city can learn from Denmark’s experience.
"We’re not doing the water and sewer infrastructure, but we are demanding more of the infrastructure that is already failing us"
The conversation comes as both Florida and Denmark invest in long-term resilience projects … an acknowledgement that adapting to rising seas is no longer a future challenge but one coastal communities are facing today.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk