Gov. Scott budget could face legislative squeeze

The governor's plans have run into a wall when it comes to math: Scott wants about $800 million in new spending and tax cuts. And while getting a fix on the state surplus in the arcane world of Florida budgeting is always slippery, the difference between expected revenues and projected spending is likely less than $200 million. More from the Gainesville Sun and WKMG.

SpaceX has planned busy February in Florida

SpaceX has scheduled a busy February in Central Florida. For the first time since an explosion crippled the company’s Florida launch operations, the company will launch a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, followed closely by a commercial launch in February. More from the Orlando Sentinel and Florida Today.

Term limits for Florida judges proposed again

A Florida lawmaker is once again pushing a proposal that would place a two-term cap on Florida’s state appellate and Supreme Court judges, despite facing opposition from the state’s legal community. [Source: Florida Record]

How the Mormons plan a city for 500,000 in Florida

Everything about the Deseret cattle and citrus ranch, in central Florida, is massive. Now there are ambitious, far-reaching plans to transform much of this land into an entirely new “city”, home to as many as 500,000 people by 2080. [Source: The Guardian]

Gas prices continue to get cheaper across Florida, country

Increased oil production and reduced demand in the winter continue to push gas prices down. The national average for a gallon of regular gas fell 9 cents in the past week to $2.22, according to AAA. The average in Florida fell 4 cents to $2.31. See update from AAA, "Gas prices fall for twenty consecutive days."  Also read more at the Florida Times-Union, and the Palm Beach Post.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Senate President Joe Negron resigns from law firm job [Tampa Bay Times]
Four days after Republican Gov. Rick Scott suggested lawmakers should be prohibited from working for law firms that lobby the Legislature, Florida Senate President Joe Negron says he is "stepping away" from the law firm he works for.

› Port Everglades receives approval for a new logistics center [News Release]
Broward County's Port Everglades will move forward with a public-private partnership with the Port Everglades International Logistics Center, LLC (PE-ILC) for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of a new logistics center at the Port.

› Hospitals team up to offer free mental health training [WJXT]
Several hospitals have come together for a new campaign offering free mental health training in the Northeast Florida area. One in five adults in the United States experience mental illness every year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

› Florida researchers probe shark genes for clues to cancer [NSU News Release]
A new study of shark DNA shows unique evolutionary changes in immunity genes may explain how sharks' open wounds heal so fast and why the ocean's top predator rarely gets cancer.

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› Q&A: President of Manatee Chamber has pursued goal of 'a quality community' for 35 years [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Since Bob Bartz took over as president of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce in July 1982, the chamber has grown to 2,155 members, the largest organization of its kind in the Tampa Bay area.

› After 21 influential years at helm of Florida High Tech Corridor, Randy Berridge steps down [Tampa Bay Times]
Randy Berridge, a long respected name in economic and development circles across the I-4 Corridor, will retire Wednesday from the council after serving as its head since 1996.

› Scholarships available for Florida women in agriculture [Osceola News-Gazette]
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is providing $2,000 in scholarships for women in farming to attend the Women’s Leadership Conference, March 2-4 in St. Augustine.

› Famous Florida ‘escape room’ is opening a location in Las Vegas [Las Vegas Review Journal]
An Orlando-based operator of entertainment venues where players are trapped in a room and let out after solving a series of puzzles has opened in the Las Vegas Valley.