Here are all of the Florida laws going into effect Oct. 1, 2024
Next month, 34 new Florida laws are set to go into effect. More specifically, all of those laws will take effect on Oct. 1 after being passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year. In July, nearly 200 other laws from the 2024 Legislative Session went into effect. The new slew of legislation will cover issues like crime, state license plates, and public record exemptions. More from Click Orlando.
A Florida county’s plan to turn a historic ship into the world’s largest artificial reef hits a snag
A Florida county is in talks to acquire a storied but aging ocean liner in a proposed deal that could create the largest artificial reef in the world. But the plan hit a snag Tuesday, after local officials in coastal Okaloosa County in the Florida panhandle postponed a vote on the plan to buy and purposefully sink the SS United States. More from the AP.
John Fieldly on Celsius disrupting the beverage industry
John Fieldly arrived at Celsius Holdings in 2012 as CFO to help with the company's turnaround efforts. The energy drink company and its product had gone flat. It had been delisted from Nasdaq and lost its distribution, he said. A Tampa native previously in the publishing and drug sectors, he was named Celsius' CEO in 2017 – succeeding his mentor, Gerry David, who'd led the company’s resurgence. Today, Fieldly oversees a brand that has bubbled over with success. More from the South Florida Business Journal.
USF researcher led clinical trial for new Parkinson’s medication
A new medication that can stave off the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for longer than current drugs has just hit the market. And a researcher and professor from the USF Health Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center played a critical role in the drug obtaining its approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More from the Tampa Bay Times.
Kissimmee latest to join Osceola in rejecting tax exemptions for affordable housing
After Osceola County’s decision last month to opt out of offering tax incentives for affordable housing, Kissimmee has followed suit — joining others in Central Florida and around the state. On Tuesday evening the City Council unanimously and without discussion voted to opt out of offering property tax exemptions under the Live Local Act — enacted in 2023 and amended in May with the goal of incentivizing developers to keep apartment rents low and boost stock of affordable housing. More from the Orlando Sentinel.
Event
Babcock Ranch business expo set for Sept. 28
Babcock Ranch’s chamber of commerce, Biz@Babcock Ranch, will host a business expo to introduce dozens of businesses and professionals to the public at a family-friendly event Sept. 28. The participating vendors, which numbered about five dozen at last count, and members of the Hatchery, small business owners who use Babcock Ranch office space for their enterprises, will be on hand.
» More from Gulfshore Business.
Out of the Box
It cooks 700 meals a day and makes a mean chicken teriyaki. Meet your new robot chef
No matter what happens, the robot chef at Florida International University never gets frazzled. Not when the line for lunch grows long with students impatient to get to their next class. Not when they’re slow to choose between the chicken teriyaki or the penne with broccoli. Not even when they request individual modifications that aren’t on the main menu, an action usually guaranteed to send cooks spiraling into fits of frustration.
» Read more from the Miami Herald.