Lack of competitive seats makes Florida primaries more important

Florida voters will select nominees Tuesday in House primaries that have taken on new importance under a congressional map that drastically reduced the competitiveness of the state’s House races and turbocharged Republicans’ advantage in the midterms. All of the state’s 28 districts are rated as Solid or Likely Republican or Democrat in November by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, meaning it’s a good bet that almost all of the primary winners will go to Congress. [Source: Roll Call]

U.S. taxpayers are investing $375 billion in climate change. These 4 states are already ahead of the curve

As the federal government implements the landmark climate law signed by President Biden last week, several states are well ahead in their efforts to tackle climate change. Climate resistance and emission reduction projects have been underway for years in places like California and Maryland that have political momentum around climate action and in Florida and New York, where the effects of changing weather patterns have been visibly felt. [Source: Fortune]

Is it the end of the line for gas-price declines?

Gas prices declined for a 10th straight week in Florida and the nation, but analysts say the party might be coming to an end. Last week’s 11-cent drop pushed Florida’s average price to $3.53 on Monday. Average prices in South Florida, with the region’s higher overall cost of doing business, were $3.61 in Broward County, $3.73 in Palm Beach County, and $3.64 in Miami-Dade County. “Gas prices are still falling, but not quite as fast as they did in recent weeks,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for travel club AAA. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

New rocket company Relativity nears 1st launch from Space Coast

The era of 3D-printed rockets is getting closer as Relativity Space continues to spin up the engines on its first-ever Terran 1 rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station gearing up for its first-ever launch. The Long Beach, California-based company just completed Monday a 20-second hot fire of the rocket’s nine first-stage Aeon 1 engines at Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16, which has not had a launch since 1988. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

Supreme Court deadline set in tech law fight

Florida faces a Sept. 21 deadline for filing a petition to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case about a 2021 state law that would crack down on social-media giants such as Facebook and Twitter. Justice Clarence Thomas last week granted the state’s request for an extension to file the petition in the closely watched case. Without the extension, a deadline would have expired Monday, according to the request filed by the state. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Employers looking to fill over 9K jobs at hiring event Thursday in Sunrise [NBC Miami]
South Florida residents looking for a job are encouraged to attend a hiring event Thursday looking to fill over 9,000 positions. The job fair will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the FLA Live Arena. Over 100 employers are expected to take part. Some of the employers scheduled to attend include City Furniture, Bokampers, the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Panthers and more.

› FGCU awarded largest grant in the school's history for Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline [WGCU]
Florida Gulf Coast University has been awarded the largest grant in the school’s history to fund an effort to fundamentally change how people are trained and jobs are filled in southwest Florida and beyond. In partnership with The Collaboratory in Downtown Fort Myers, FGCU will create the “Southwest Florida Equitable Jobs Pipeline.” The goal is to identify talent in the existing workforce across a five-county region, understand the skills gaps that prevent people from getting good local jobs, and work with local businesses to develop appropriate training so jobseekers can fill their needs.

› Orlando business deploys computer power to fight mortgage lending bias [Orlando Sentinel]
Co-founded by Orlando entrepreneur Bryan Young, Home Lending Pal is an online marketplace that walks customers through the process of getting a mortgage, from preparing documents and improving credit scores to applying for assistance programs and ultimately buying a house. Launched in 2017, Home Lending Pal was created for Millennials and Gen Z who prefer to do all their banking online. The company uses Artificial Intelligence to match people’s financial profiles with lenders and loan assistance programs that are right for their goals.

› Can Florida Keys teachers make time to chill out in a ‘zen’ room? Their bosses hope so [Miami Herald]
Where can a hard-working teacher in the Florida Keys find a moment of peace during the school day? Welcome to the Wellness Room, a spot with relaxation gear such as massage chairs, low lighting, comfortable seats, sound or water fountain machines, and on the side tables a few succulents and electric candles. The concept is simple — create a space for Monroe County School District teachers, and all staff, to take a breather during a stressful workday.

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› Behind-the-scenes tours returning to Epcot [Orlando Sentinel]
A set of behind-the-scenes tours is returning to Epcot, Walt Disney World says. Behind the Seeds and two varieties of Epcot Seas Adventures will relaunch Oct. 2, the day after the park’s 40th anniversary. The experiences, which Disney places as part of its Enchanting Extras collection, have been out of the lineup since early 2020.

› Anna Maria officials propose using bed tax funds for infrastructure improvements [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Record-breaking tourism on Anna Maria Island is causing some infrastructure problems, and local officials want to use tourist tax money to fix them. During the public comment portion of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council's meeting this month, Bradenton Beach mayor John Chappie said Anna Maria Island is not built for the amount of activity it has seen over the last decade.

› Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast Welcomes Booz Allen Hamilton to Brevard County [Space Coast Daily]
The Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast joined Booz Allen Hamilton CEO Horacio D. Rozanski to officially celebrate the company’s Space Coast office in Melbourne. “The entrance of a global firm like Booz Allen Hamilton to the Space Coast market reflects positively on the talented workforce at Liberty’s Agile Center of Excellence and speaks to the nationally competitive growth of our economy,” said EDC President and CEO Lynda L. Weatherman.

› Citing anti-Asian racism, Orange County NAACP president resigns [Orlando Sentinel]
Less than six months after taking over the post as president of the Orange County branch of the NAACP, Dr. Vanessa Toolsie, the organization’s first South Asian leader, has resigned. She cited ongoing “racist marginalization” from other NAACP leaders and members as her reason for leaving. Toolsie, who was elected as vice-president last year, was appointed to the presidential role in March when former president Tiffany Hughes resigned to run for Florida House District 39 in Orange and Seminole counties.