Why Florida is still dominating the space launch game

There are about two dozen launch pads along Florida's coast that have been abandoned for years. And the future of this area looked bleak when NASA's Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. But times are changing. Even as the spaceflight industry undergoes drastic changes, Florida is still a top launch destination. [Source: CNN Business]

Golf courses disappear as developers seek a new kind of green

With about 1,250 of the nation's remaining 15,000 or so golf courses, Florida still has the most of any state. However, it has lost many in recent years including ones in Boca Raton, Amelia Island and Delray Beach. Last summer, the 18-hole Tides Golf Club in Seminole closed despite a successful four-year battle to block an Arizona-based homebuilder from redeveloping it. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Despite confusion about Amendment 4, Florida is granting felons voting rights

Despite ongoing confusion about the roll out of a recent expansion of voting rights in Florida, county election offices across the state say people who rushed to register to vote when Amendment 4 went into effect in January have been issued voter information cards with no issues. [Source: WUSF]

Will 7th time be the charm? Industry makes big push for AOB reform in 2019

The push for assignment of benefits (AOB) reform in the 2019 Florida legislative session is in full swing, and the insurance industry and consumer advocates have pulled out all the stops to emphasize their contention that abuse of a policyholder benefit has led to a full-blown insurance crisis in the state. [Source: Insurance Journal]

Stage set for fight over recreational marijuana in Florida

Two Florida lawmakers have filed bills that would legalize recreational marijuana. State Reps. Michael Grieco and Carlos Smith filed bills that would allow those over 21 to purchase or possess of 2.5 ounces, and smoke it in private. Stores would take sales taxes and pay per-ounce excise taxes to a new department of alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. More from FOX 13, the Miami Herald, and the Orlando Sentinel.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Manatee to repay Sarasota millions for sales tax blunder [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Manatee County will reimburse Sarasota County for a state accounting blunder that inadvertently paid sales tax revenue to the wrong jurisdiction. Manatee County is set to repay Sarasota County roughly $3.7 million the Department of Revenue accidentally gave it since 2014.

› Orlando's own pawn star digs for gold again with new chain [Orlando Sentinel]
Two of Central Florida’s dominant pawn shop chains got their start under the guidance of serial entrepreneur John Thedford — and now he’s back for another round. The 56-year-old who helped build La Familia and Value Pawn have spent the past three years building a new company and acquiring stores across the country

› Max Planck Florida awarded $2.9 million for Alzheimer's research [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
A scientist at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter has been awarded a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. Ryohei Yasuda, scientific director at Max Planck Florida, received the five-year grant to continue funding his work with proteins on learning and memory, part of his research to help treat patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease and other brain disorders.

› Turkish developer Okan set to start Florida’s tallest tower [Miami Today]
The Okan Tower team is awaiting a final state OK on condominium documents, expected in the spring, and plans to break ground this year on a 70-story downtown mixed-use tower. The project is to rise at 555 N Miami Ave., where it will promise buyers a slice of what the developers say will become the tallest building in Florida, with a cap at 890 feet – taller even than Brickell’s new Panorama Tower, now the state’s tallest.

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› Lynx CEO Edward Johnson resigns amid turmoil at the public busing agency [Orlando Sentinel]
The Lynx bus service CEO Edward Johnson left his job Thursday amid a decline in morale among agency employees, rising concerns about budget shortfalls and questions about whether the agency draws enough support from local governments to be effective.

› Blacktip sharks begin annual migration to Florida's south Atlantic coast [Tampa Bay Times]
Thousands of blackfin sharks are making their annual migration to seek the warmer waters along south Florida's Atlantic coast. Data collected from will help to monitor the oceans and census populations, as well as the sharks' responses to climate change.

› Florida SpringsFest hopes to make a splash [Gainesville Sun]
It’s time again for the area’s annual celebration of all things springs as the Florida SpringsFest comes to Silver Springs State Park this weekend. Since 2000, the celebration promoting preservation of springs across the state has spread awareness to thousands.

› Brickell City Centre to produce fire station, riverwalk [Miami Today]
As Brickell City Centre prepares to grow again in the next couple of years, the next phase of construction will include a fire station and a public riverwalk. The fire-rescue station and the riverwalk are promised by developer Swire Properties Inc. and its affiliates, and are detailed in a new development agreement approved Jan. 24 by the Miami City Commission.