Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
A Chinese tourist was arrested for flying a drone in restricted airspace over NASA's Kennedy Space Center. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the story:
"The drone captured footage of pads 39A and 39B before KSC police seized the device. The man faces two federal charges, including violation of national defense airspace. The event happened in July at Playa Linda Beach. The man was accompanied by three family members, and one told police they were vacationing in the United States and flew the drone to capture scenery. In August, federal prosecutors issued an arrest warrant charging him with violation of national defense airspace. Department of Homeland Security agents arrested him at a hotel next to Laguardia Airport in New York City. He is due to be arraigned next week in Orlando."
he Pinellas County School District wants to close seven schools and combine others due to lack of enrollment.
Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Dull addressed the school board during a recent workshop.
"Some trends that look at Pinellas County population and not just Pinellas County schools, and the future enrollment projections have played a role in what has led to this plan coming together."
She says birth rates in the county were at ten thousand back in 1990. Now, they're less than half that.
"Young people age five to 17 in Pinellas is expected to decrease or plateau through 2050."
This plan already includes input from the community. But more meetings are being held at affected schools starting this week [Monday].
The school board will also take public comment in Largo September 22nd with a vote expected in October.
A luncheon with the Perry Chamber of Commerce Friday brought together community partners who have questions about Amendment 3. The ballot proposal that will go before voters in November would greatly reduce homestead property taxes, as Alaijah Cross reports.
"Tallahassee Republican Senator Corey Simon supported the move to put the amendment on the ballot, but he says the legislature must make sure rural communities like Taylor County are protected.
"When you look around at some of the waste and abuses that are happening in some of our larger counties, these rural counties, you don't see as much as that because you don't you don't have the money that comes in to be as wasteful, and so we'll do all that we can to make sure that these rural counties can stand on their feet once is all done.”
Amendment 3 will change how local governments are funded. It would reduce property taxes for homeowners but potentially put a strain on local budgets that depend on the funding for operational costs.
For WFSU, I'm Alaijah Cross."
The city of Miami’s first budget hearing was a breezy affair that saw commissioners approve many department budgets in less than an hour.
The meeting was not without concerns raised by the public, however.
Downtown Miami resident Chris Watson spoke during public comment at last week's [Sept 10] hearing to ask city officials not to fund automatic license plate reader cameras.
" These systems open the door to widespread abuse from local, state, and federal authorities and can lay the groundwork for a surveillance state."
The state of Florida recently suspended contracts for license plate readers on state roads. Meanwhile, the Miami police department is asking for more than $150 thousand dollars for more investigative tech including those same cameras.
City commissioners will finalize the budget for police and other departments at the next hearing on September 24th.
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk