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Friday's Daily Pulse
What you need to know about Florida today
Why Florida is still dominating the space launch game
There are about two dozen launch pads along Florida's coast that have been abandoned for years. And the future of this area looked bleak when NASA's Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. But times are changing. Even as the spaceflight industry undergoes drastic changes, Florida is still a top launch destination. [Source: CNN Business]
Golf courses disappear as developers seek a new kind of green
With about 1,250 of the nation's remaining 15,000 or so golf courses, Florida still has the most of any state. However, it has lost many in recent years including ones in Boca Raton, Amelia Island and Delray Beach. Last summer, the 18-hole Tides Golf Club in Seminole closed despite a successful four-year battle to block an Arizona-based homebuilder from redeveloping it. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Despite confusion about Amendment 4, Florida is granting felons voting rights
Despite ongoing confusion about the roll out of a recent expansion of voting rights in Florida, county election offices across the state say people who rushed to register to vote when Amendment 4 went into effect in January have been issued voter information cards with no issues. [Source: WUSF]
Will 7th time be the charm? Industry makes big push for AOB reform in 2019
The push for assignment of benefits (AOB) reform in the 2019 Florida legislative session is in full swing, and the insurance industry and consumer advocates have pulled out all the stops to emphasize their contention that abuse of a policyholder benefit has led to a full-blown insurance crisis in the state. [Source: Insurance Journal]
Stage set for fight over recreational marijuana in Florida
Two Florida lawmakers have filed bills that would legalize recreational marijuana. State Reps. Michael Grieco and Carlos Smith filed bills that would allow those over 21 to purchase or possess of 2.5 ounces, and smoke it in private. Stores would take sales taxes and pay per-ounce excise taxes to a new department of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. More from FOX 13, the Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Manatee to repay Sarasota millions for sales tax blunder
Manatee County will reimburse Sarasota County for a state accounting blunder that inadvertently paid sales tax revenue to the wrong jurisdiction. Manatee County is set to repay Sarasota County roughly $3.7 million the Department of Revenue accidentally gave it since 2014.
› Orlando's own pawn star digs for gold again with new chain
Two of Central Florida’s dominant pawn shop chains got their start under the guidance of serial entrepreneur John Thedford — and now he’s back for another round. The 56-year-old who helped build La Familia and Value Pawn have spent the past three years building a new company and acquiring stores across the country
› Max Planck Florida awarded $2.9 million for Alzheimer's research
A scientist at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter has been awarded a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Ryohei Yasuda, scientific director at Max Planck Florida, received the five-year grant to continue funding his work with proteins on learning and memory, part of his research to help treat patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease and other brain disorders.
› Turkish developer Okan set to start Florida’s tallest tower
The Okan Tower team is awaiting a final state OK on condominium documents, expected in the spring, and plans to break ground this year on a 70-story downtown mixed-use tower. The project is to rise at 555 N Miami Ave., where it will promise buyers a slice of what the developers say will become the tallest building in Florida, with a cap at 890 feet – taller even than Brickell’s new Panorama Tower, now the state’s tallest.
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