200 days after Hurricane Michael, Florida Panhandle still waiting on Congressional action

Within 10 days of Hurricane Katrina, Congress has passed supplemental disaster relief funding. For Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Gustav, it took 17 days. For Hurricane Andrew, the last Category 5 storm to strike the United States, it took 34 days. For Hurricane Sandy, which sparked bitter debate in Congress, it took 74 days. Sunday marked the 200th day since Hurricane Michael decimated the Florida Panhandle and still no supplemental disaster funding has been passed. [Source: Panama City News Herald]

Meet Florida’s chief science officer. He’s a surfer dude, academic and water expert

Florida’s new chief science officer didn’t start out as a scientist. Instead he was a surfer dude. Thomas Frazer, named to the post created by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, was born and raised in the quintessential surf city of San Diego. When he was 8, he bought his first board — a Lightning Bolt — and spent as much time riding the waves as he could. That’s what led him to become an expert on water pollution. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Opinion: Canada and Florida are indispensable business partners. We need to expand the relationship.

It behooves Florida government (state and local) and the private sector to expand and deepen our commercial relations with Canada. For there are a number of Southeastern states that would love to lure away business from our northern neighbor and reap the rewards that Floridians have enjoyed and continue to do so. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida joining the Age-Friendly network is a big deal, advocates say

When Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that the Sunshine State had enrolled in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, becoming the fourth and largest state in the nation to do so, age-friendly advocates rejoiced. That’s because it’s more than just a symbolic gesture, they said. Florida means business. “It’s more than jumping through hoops to get a plaque on the wall to forget about,” said Jeff Johnson, the state director of AARP Florida. “This is very much an invitation to get to work.” [Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune]

Big shift in thinking about red tide cause

Causes of the devastating red tide that took a bite out of Gulf Coast tourism revenues last year are more complicated than first thought, according to new findings by University of South Florida researchers. Originally blamed on runoff of land-based fertilizers, the presence of Karenia brevis, the red tide algae that kills fish and causes human breathing problems, was exacerbated by natural circulation of Gulf of Mexico waters, the researchers reported in an article published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans. [Source: Business Observer]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Sarasota examines water taxi service [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
City officials are hopeful residents and tourists will someday cruise the waterways and unclog Sarasota streets to shuttle back and forth between some destinations. The city is moving forward with a feasibility study conducted by an outside firm to examine the best locations where water taxis could potentially operate and dock and determine which size vessels could work in certain water depths.

› Visit Florida could get a reprieve for at least a year [St. Augustine Record]
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desire to look at the effectiveness of the state’s tourism-marketing arm could save Visit Florida for at least a year. House Speaker Jose Oliva, a Miami Lakes Republican who is among the leading critics of the tourism agency, signaled Friday he may be willing to go along with the governor’s request as time runs down on the legislative session.

› Port Canaveral won't charge for parking for latest SpaceX launch viewing [Florida Today]
Port Canaveral won't be charging a parking fee for those coming there to view the SpaceX launch scheduled for early Wednesday morning. That's a change from the April 11 SpaceX launch, when the port charged launch viewers a $15 nonrefundable fee to park there, and initiated a special parking and traffic plan for the launch.

› Second Harvest teaches aspiring cooks the ropes, job search skills [Orlando Sentinel]
The program, which is funded by donations and grants, is free to participants. Recently, the American Hotel and Lodging Association gave $25,000 to the program, which costs about $5,000 per student.

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› Conservative hopes for new Florida Supreme Court fading in Senate [St. Augustine Record]
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s appointment of three new, conservative justices to the Florida Supreme Court raised expectations that an array of red-meat policies would swiftly emerge from the Republican-controlled Legislature. But as lawmakers enter the final scheduled week of the 2019 session, only a dramatic expansion of private school vouchers, using taxpayer dollars, appears poised to win approval and then face a likely legal test before the new-look court.

› AutoNation's profits are better than expected in weak auto market [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation reported better-than-expected profits in its first quarter, earning more on vehicles sold. But revenues were down year-over-year. The nation’s largest auto retailer, facing a weaker auto market, said it sold fewer vehicles at a higher profit, a strategic move to counter weaker sales in the industry, said new CEO Carl Liebert.

› Sanford-based World Housing Solution takes a different approach to disaster shelters [Orlando Sentinel]
World Housing Solution manufactures insulated, non-biodegradable panels that can be deployed and assembled quickly. The panels fit together with a proprietary connection system. The buildings also have a proprietary foundation the can be placed on uneven grounds.

› The St. Pete Pier, now with a price tag of $87 million, has a new opening date in the spring of 2020 [Tampa Bay Times]
Taking the path of many construction projects, the 26-acre Pier District has meandered past its original completion date, buffeted by the vagaries of weather, surprise encounters with long-buried pilings and seawalls and other unforeseen circumstances.