Florida’s expanding population applies pressure on water supplies

The Florida Office of Economic & Demographic Research says the statewide daily demand for water, 6.4 billion gallons as of 2015, is projected to increase by 17% in the next 20 years to more than 7.5 billion gallons as the population climbs to 25.2 million. That demand could be higher and the availability of that water lessened if climate change increases the frequency of droughts. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and the Daily Commercial.

Florida economists, open primary supporters clash over projected costs

State economists say that a proposed amendment to allow all registered voters to participate in a single, open primary listing all candidates for statewide office would have little fiscal impact on the state but would cost counties $5 million or more for each of the first three election cycles. Supporters of the amendment dispute the estimate from the Financial Impact Estimating Conference, saying it shouldn’t cost more and may even cost less – pointing to other states that have turned to the “top-two” style of open primaries. [Source: Tallahassee Democrat]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Oil drilling in the Everglades

In Florida, the big issue is offshore drilling. Florida’s land, however, is dotted with sites permitted for oil and gas wells — some dry holes, some never drilled and others plugged and abandoned. All but a few of the producing wells lie in Collier County and near the Alabama border in Santa Rosa County although applications are pending for drilling in Calhoun County in the Panhandle. Existing wells largely date to the 1970s and 1980s. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida startup aims to train doctors with virtual reality

Tampa-based Immertec creates software for physicians and medical device companies, and connects them through virtual reality. Instead of traveling to spend days inside an operating room observing a new surgical technique or learning how to use a new device, the software allows surgeons to watch others perform live while wearing virtual reality headsets from anywhere in the world. See Florida Trend's profile of Immertec and read more from the Tampa Bay Times.

NASA’s first SLS core stage fully assembled, will be used on Artemis 1 launch to the moon

The pieces are coming into place for NASA, even if it has taken longer than expected. The first core stage for what will be the most powerful rocket to launch from Earth has been assembled. While it still has to be attached to engines and transported to NASA’s test facility in Mississippi before it ever gets to Kennedy Space Center, NASA and partner Boeing now have completed the first core stage of the Space Launch System that will be used to launch an Orion spacecraft on the Artemis 1 mission to the moon. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Online voter registration system restored after Florida Democrats complain [Orlando Sentinel]
The Florida Online Voter Registration site was offline over the weekend, angering Florida Democrats who accused Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration of orchestrating the maintenance days before a national voter-registration mobilization effort. Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, which encourages local organizations and businesses to conduct voter registration drives.

› St. Petersburg accepting grant applications for business revitalization [Tampa Bay Times]
The city is accepting applications for its Commercial Revitalization Program. The city has allocated $175,000 for the program this year. The grants are matching, and are awarded for work on new or existing commercial buildings that improve business districts and decrease vacancy rates. The money is paid out upon a project’s completion.

› Food Network filming episode of ‘Restaurant Impossible’ in Florida [Palm Beach Post]
Theresa’s Restaurant, a downtown Bradenton breakfast and lunch spot dating back more than three decades, will again be hosting a crew from Food Network for what will likely be an upcoming episode of “Restaurant Impossible” starring Robert Irvine. The celebrity chef visited Theresa’s four years ago and will be revisiting the restaurant.

› MOSI the favored site as Hillsborough takes steps to establish film studio [Tampa Bay Times]
Visitors once walked among dinosaurs and took trips to the stars at the Museum of Science & Industry’s main exhibition center. The 400,000-square-foot hall — hit by hard times and now empty, except for the hurricane supplies stored there — might teem with wonders again. This time, through the magic of movies.

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› It’s time to declare a state of emergency for Biscayne Bay, advocates say [Miami Herald]
Biscayne Bay is in a health crisis. It’s gasping for air. It’s at a tipping point. It’s doomed. Environmentalists have been sounding these alarms for at least two decades, warning that the bay’s placid turquoise waters and rich marine life would soon succumb to contamination from failing septic tanks and stormwater runoff, plastic pollution, overfishing, a warming ocean and the ever-growing pressure of development.

› St. Pete-Clearwater airport wins $19.7 million in runway grants [Tampa Bay Times]
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport has won $19.75 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants to rehabilitate its weathered and cracked main runway. The airport, a division of Pinellas County government, will commit $3.43 million of its own funds and is getting another $900,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation for a project expected to cost a total of $24.1 million.

› Investigation of Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO near end [Florida Times-Union]
A 10-month investigation that caused the Jacksonville Housing Authority board to put CEO Fred McKinnies on paid leave is drawing to an end and could issue its findings in the coming weeks. An attorney with the city’s Office of General Counsel told the housing authority board at its meeting last Monday that a report by the Office of Inspector General would be released before the next meeting of the board in October.

› Motorworks Brewing replaces Orange County Brewers in downtown Orlando [Orlando Sentinel]
Bradenton’s Motorworks Brewing is opening its second location in the downtown Orlando spot that formerly held Orange County Brewers. An exact opening date for the brewery at 131 N. Orange Ave. wasn’t available, but sales and marketing director Barry Elwonger said Friday the business is targeting later this year.