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What you need to know about Florida today
Florida hasn’t used race in college admissions since 1999. How did that go?
The U.S. Supreme Court has settled a decadeslong debate over affirmative action, ruling Thursday that public and private universities may no longer use race or ethnicity as a factor when deciding who gets in. The decision will reshape admissions at many of the nation’s top universities, but will have little impact in Florida, where race-conscious admissions have been banned at the state’s public universities since a 1999 executive order signed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush. Florida is just one of a handful of states that prohibit race-based admissions. So, what can the Sunshine State tell us about the future of college admissions nationwide? The answers are mixed. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
Business Beat - Week of June 30th
Get top news-to-know with Florida Trend's headline-focused video newsbrief, hosted by digital content specialist Aimée Alexander.
‘It’s going to save lives.’ Florida legalizes fentanyl test strips
Florida has legalized fentanyl test strips, allowing people to buy the inexpensive strips to detect the presence of the deadly substance. “It’s such a good thing,” said state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland. “We may never hear about the lives it saves, but it’s going to save lives.” The legislation, sponsored by Hunschofsky and state Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. It goes into effect on Saturday. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A Florida agriculture land broker is 'puzzled and perplexed' at DeSantis' veto of conservation funds
Agriculture property owners in Florida lost out on millions of dollars in land conservation deals for the next fiscal year when Gov. Ron DeSantis recently vetoed funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. "I'm puzzled and perplexed,” said Dean Saunders, a former state legislator who's now in real estate, brokering deals through the land acquisition trust fund. He said he doesn't understand why DeSantis vetoed the $100 million for agriculture conservation easements, which was a priority of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. [Source: WFIT]
Florida student scores hold steady as schools switch testing system
Florida’s final round of testing this spring showed that students in third grade through high school made significant progress throughout the year in their math and language arts performance. The percentages of students achieving proficiency did not grow, though, still hovering around 50% to 60%. Gaps remained among demographic groups, as well, with lower percentages of Black students reaching expectations than white or Hispanic students. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› South Florida’s smaller airports top the country in lead emissions, but nearby residents remain unaware
For decades, thousands of residents have lived just over the fence from the airport, largely unaware of the possibility that the air they breathe could be contaminated with lead. The leaded gasoline that powers the planes over their heads was banned from cars in the 1980s because the lead additive, a neurotoxin, was deemed a threat to public health, particularly in children.
› Satellite Beach looks to rise above other Florida cities in prepping for sea level rise
Samsons Island goes half in the drink. Most city roads swamp, too, as stormwater ponds overflow into homes. The sea and lagoon won't stop there: Lansing Island's sewage lift stations would submerge along South Patrick Drive and in the heart of Satellite Beach, where a quarter of the city's current 3.4 square miles would flood. That would all happen by 2100, or sooner, if sea level rises four feet or higher. It was already predicted in a 2010 study of Satellite Beach and echoed by a consultant's recent flood analysis of the city.
› Jeff Vinik leaving firm that developed Tampa’s bustling Water Street
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik just sold his stake in the company that developed an unremarkable corner of downtown Tampa into the bustling Water Street neighborhood of upscale high-rises and trendy restaurants. Vinik announced this week the sale of his interest in Strategic Property Partners to his partner in the project, Bill Gates’ Cascade Investment.
› JEA approves $160 million agreement for water services in Wildlight
JEA is moving forward on a $160 million infrastructure deal with the developer of the master-planned, mixed-use Wildlight community in Nassau County to build out water, sewer and reclaimed water services over 40 years. The JEA board of directors voted 6-0 on June 27 to enter into an agreement with Wildlight LLC, controlled by Raydient Places + Properties, a taxable subsidiary of real estate investment trust Rayonier Inc.
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