Richard Corcoran seeks to pull plug on public financing of statewide elections

House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, may not be running for governor — not yet anyway — but his latest idea will get the attention of those who are. On Wednesday, Corcoran called on the Constitution Revision Commission to put a ballot question to voters in 2018 to repeal Florida's system of partial public financing of statewide elections. More from the Tampa Bay Times and WJXT.

Your turn:
» Do you agree with Speaker Corcoran, that Florida's system of partial public financing of statewide elections should be stopped? (quick poll)

Florida set to carry out execution with drug not previously used in lethal injections

Florida is scheduled on Thursday to put to death an inmate by lethal injection that includes a drug never before used in a U.S. execution. Mark James Asay, 53, would be the first Florida inmate executed since January 2016, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty process was unconstitutional. More from Reuters and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida struggles to keep up with medical pot demand

The cannabis boom is under way in Florida, and government is struggling to keep up. Thousands of new patients have sought access to medical marijuana this summer following the passage of a new law expanding the list of maladies that qualify for treatment. [Source: Times/Herald]

Florida jobs marketing takes a hit

In scaling back marketing efforts after a cut in state funding, the public-private Enterprise Florida has outlined a $3 million marketing plan for this fiscal year that will reduce national newspaper ads and limit what the agency does at Major League Baseball spring-training games and with NASCAR. [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Florida matters: The sinkhole state

Imagine leaving for work in the morning and finding out a few hours later that your home and every possession within it has been swallowed by the earth. Sinkholes in Florida make that a real possibility. [Source: WUSF]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Vern Buchanan to U.S. Wildlife Service — protect Florida panther [Commentary]
Sarasota-area Congressman Vern Buchanan is contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with a request: Keep intact vital protections for Florida panthers, the official state animal.

› Palm Beach County chamber fields flak over Mar-a-Lago [Palm Beach Post]
It’s not us. That’s the social media message from The Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, which wants to remain non-political in the debate surrounding charities leaving President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

› Printing, direct mail companies to converge at Clearwater conference [Florida Business Daily]
Printing and direct mail companies will meet in Clearwater for Market-Edge 2017, an event aimed at discussing the latest developments in direct mail marketing integrations.

› Coast Guard approval will allow boat loading of Liquefied Natural Gas for TOTE at Jacksonville’s port in 2018 [Florida Times-Union]
Jax LNG has been approved to begin waterfront Liquified Natural Gas operations at the Jacksonville Port in early 2018.

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› Elephant, part of Zoo Miami's Golden Girls, dies at 44 [AP]
One of four older elephants brought to Zoo Miami to live out their "retirement years" has died. Zoo spokesman Ron Magill tells local news outlets that Lisa, a 44-year-old African elephant, died Tuesday after lying down in her barn.

› Sarasota airport receives $7 million grant for projects [Business Observer]
The Federal Aviation Administration awarded the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority a $7 million grant for two projects at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

› Harvey reforms in Gulf of Mexico; could strengthen into hurricane [Florida Times-Union]
Former Tropical Storm Harvey has restrengthened into a tropical depression forecast to dump heavy rains on the Gulf Coast and become a hurricane by the time it hits Texas on Friday.

› Brickell tunnel under the Miami River gets a unanimous OK [Miami Today]
The push to bore a tunnel underneath the Miami River got a boost when the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO)’s Transportation and Mobility Committee voted unanimously to add the tunnel to a 2040 long-range transportation plan.