Long legal fight lies ahead over the Florida law dubbed ‘don't say gay'

A legal battle over a new state law that restricts teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms could continue well into the upcoming school year. The law, which passed during this year’s legislative session and has drawn heavy national attention, will take effect July 1. Public-school classes start in mid-August in much of the state. [Source: News Service of Florida]

'Unprecedented' Florida bird flu outbreak is killing bald eagles

At least 23 bald eagles have died from a highly infectious new bird flu strain spreading through Florida's wild bird populations, according to state wildlife data. Eagles make up just a fraction of the "several thousand" estimated cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) among Florida's wild ducks, vultures, owls, pelicans and several other species, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute spokesperson Carly Jones. [Source: Florida Times-Union]

Auto insurance costs Floridians more than nearly everywhere else in the U.S.

Floridians on average pay the second-highest share of their incomes on auto insurance premiums, according to a tally of data from price comparison website Bankrate.com. The tally, based on the website’s True Cost of Auto Insurance in 2022 annual report, compared what 40-year-old drivers with clean driving records and good credit pay across all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. In Florida, the average driver spends 4.42% of their income on auto insurance. That’s behind only Louisiana, where drivers must spend 5.26% of their incomes. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

$676 million available to struggling homeowners in Florida

Help has been around, but not many Florida homeowners may know about it. That's why congressional and state leaders are promoting a program that aims to prevent the loss of 20,000 homes to foreclosure. Just like rental assistance exists for tenants who can prove financial hardship during the pandemic, there are funds provided by the American Rescue Plan that allotted $676 million to help homeowners in the Sunshine State. The money can be used to help with mortgage payments, utilities, and even taxes. [Source: WTVT]

Florida’s permit plan would speed up wetlands destruction, critics say

Florida lawmakers have created a fast-track for wetland destruction that will speed up an already streamlined process that has drawn warnings from federal regulators and a lawsuit from environmentalists. Thw new pay-to-play arrangement is tucked into SB 2508, Senate President Wilton Simpson’s signature water quality bill approved by the Legislature earlier this year. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Next Blue Origin space tourism flight to feature 1st repeat flyer [Orlandno Sentinel]
Blue Origin is gearing up for what’s becoming business as usual, so much that it’s allowing its first repeat customer. The New Shepard space tourism flight has previously flown the likes of company founder Jeff Bezos, Star Trek’s William Shatner and NFL Hall-of-Famer Michael Strahan. The upcoming launch isn’t flying with such a big name headliner, but NS-21, as in the 21st flight of the rocket, will have on board multimillionaire Evan Dick, who already flew alongside Strahan last December on NS-19.

› A new group allows young professionals to connect with their community in Gainesville [WUFT]
Sipping on cocktails and munching on appetizers, 50 people gathered at the Greater Gainesville Young Professionals’ monthly mixer at a restaurant in Celebration Pointe recently. Different owners and employees of local businesses who chatted with one another at MidiCi Neapolitan Pizza about personal and professional topics. At the gathering was Julianne Raymond, the Greater Gainesville Chamber development manager, who is also the program director of Gainesville Young Professionals.

› Miami startup develops software to fill newspaper columns with public notices [Miami Herald]
Jake Seaton comes from a five-generation media family, with deep roots in the American Midwest. He studied computer science and journalism at Harvard University and wanted to find a way to use technology to help shape the future of the family business and industry. Seaton founded Column, a software startup focused on the future of public notice.

› Jacksonville reviewing civil engineering plans for Downtown Shipyards project  [Jacksoville Daily Record]
With a goal to break ground this year, Iguana Investments Florida LLC submitted civil engineering plans with the city for the Shipyards Hotel & Residences and the office building it plans along the Downtown Northbank Riverfront near TIAA Bank Field. The plans show Iguana, the development affiliate of the Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, proposes a 174-room, 12-story hotel, expected to be a Four Seasons; a parking garage below it; a 25-unit, 12-story residential building; and a six-story office building.

Go to page 2 for more stories ...

› GRU expands eligibility for energy efficiency benefits with pandemic relief funding [Gainesville Sun]
Hundreds of low-to-moderate-income Gainesville residents can qualify for free home improvements to help with energy efficiency and reduce electricity bills thanks to pandemic relief money. Applicants don't need to even own the home they live in, as long as a homeowner gives approval.

› Citrus County airports facing need for corporate jet hangars [Florida Politics]
Citrus County’s two public airports, historically home to single-engine aircraft owned by a smattering of local residents, are taking off. During a workshop Tuesday, County Commissioners said they wanted future hangars at both Crystal River and Inverness airports to accommodate larger corporate-sized jets, a need they say is starting to show now. “We’ve got folks here who would rent those larger hangars,” Commissioner Jeff Kinnard said. “They’re not going to stay if they can’t hang here.”

› Related Group’s chief: Public sector needs to offer incentives for sustainable development [Miiami Herald]
Climate change remains greater Miami’s greatest long-term threat. To help address the stiff challenge,& the county will be the site of a key four-day event hosted by the prestigious Aspen Institute, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that has earned a reputation for tackling the world’s most complex problems.

› Developer cites Jacksonville's ‘robust’ growth in plans for warehouse [Jacksonville Daily Record]
North Signal Capital, a Stamford, Connecticut investor, bought 46.48 acres in North Jacksonville to develop the $38.5 million Imeson Commerce Center along Imeson Park Boulevard. It plans to build a 422,136-square-foot office-warehouse. Property specifications show four spaces of 99,300 to 120,035 square feet of space.