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Friday's Daily Pulse

Gone with the wind: storms deepen Florida's beach sand crunch

Replacing sand swept away by waves and wind is critical work to protect seaside homes and businesses as well as the tourism dollars brought by northerners. Getting enough of it, for the right price and in time for the peak tourist season, has become much harder after a violent storm year. [Source: Reuters]

See also:
» U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Brevard County shore protection project underway

Florida Trend Exclusive
Florida Icon: Pedro José Greer Jr.

Pedro José Greer Jr.
Pedro José Greer Jr.

The professor of medicine at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, shares life stories and lessons learned along the way. "The disparities in this country are embarrassing," Greer said. "For example, there are some ZIP codes in Dade County and within a mile of another ZIP code, there’s a 20-year difference in survival.” Read more quotes in the full interview, here.

Florida governor on gun laws: 'Everything's on the table'

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says "everything's on the table" when considering tightening gun control laws in the state following the school shooting that took the lives of 17 people on Wednesday. Scott's message on Thursday goes farther than the Republican governor's past rhetoric on gun control. More from CNN and Politico.

See also:
» Florida said to have some of weakest gun laws in nation
» Gov. Scott: We must have a real conversation about keeping students safe
» Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam recommends postponing action on gun licensing change
Your turn:
» Are laws in Florida that control the sale of firearms adequate as they are, or should they be made more strict, or less strict? (quick poll)

Opioids bill headed to Florida Senate floor

A bill to combat Florida's opioid epidemic is headed to the state Senate's floor after passing its final committee. There has been some pushback from doctors because they think the three-day limit on most initial prescriptions and a seven-day supply for certain conditions are too arbitrary. See the bill here: SB8- Controlled Substances. Also read more at the AP.

Florida cities could lose freedom to choose election days

Florida's cities and counties wouldn't be able to completely choose when they hold local elections under a bill passed by the Florida House. The bill passed on a 70-45 vote Wednesday, despite opponents who said local government should be able to decide what days are best for their elections. [Source: WCTV]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Jacksonville doesn’t make cut for NFL Draft in 2019 or ’20
The NFL Draft will not be coming to Jacksonville until 2021 at the earliest. The league announced Thursday that Cleveland/Canton, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City and Las Vegas are the five finalists to host the draft in 2019 or 2020.

› Magic Leap teams with NBA to provide digital basketball 'experience'
If you’re a Miami Heat fan, get ready for a wildly enhanced experience through the magic of a Plantation-based technology company. Magic Leap said it has partnered with the National Basketball Association on a new “living room” experience to watch basketball. Also read more at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

› Futurist looks ahead at Florida education
Looking into the future no longer means gazing into a crystal ball. Futurist Mary O’Hara-Devereaux forecasts what is coming in the years ahead through analyzing trends, emerging markets and the workplace.

› Tropicana Field may be named for a Pepsi product, but it will now only serve Coke
The Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium may be named for PepsiCo’s Tropicana orange juice, but that’s not stopping the baseball team from switching its pouring rights to Coke.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› How a Florida wildlife biologist became one of the greenest mayors in America
There are 392 “climate mayors” in America today, all dedicated to upholding the Paris treaty’s goals for reducing our carbon footprint. South Miami mayor and wildlife biologist Philip Stoddard is one of the most outspoken and active among them.

Saft battery plant

› Florida dry season stuck in rain delay
Normally during the winter months, Florida lives up to its “Sunshine State” moniker as the dry season officially takes over. Apparently for this go-round, Mother Nature has not received the memo yet.

» Graphic is from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, showing their precipitation forecast for April-May-June. Click to enarge map.

› Not many Millennials have college degrees in South Florida
A new study considered the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the country. The South Florida region (Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach) ranked 62nd, with just above 32 percent of millennials having college degrees.

› Next Horizon eyes new corporate headquarters in Sanford, Florida
Next Horizon, a technology company, will expand to a new corporate headquarters in Sanford, with plans to create more than 20 jobs in in Seminole County, Florida.