250K Florida residents kicked off Medicaid; more expected

Almost 250,000 Florida residents have lost their access to Medicaid since the state began checking residents’ eligibility last month when the public health emergency started winding down, a state report shows. Many more are expected to lose health coverage in the next few months as state officials plan to check the eligibility of more than 5 million residents, many of them children, who rely on the federal program intended to provide health insurance for the nation’s poorest. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

University of Florida scientists discover airborne DNA that could identify criminals. Privacy experts are worried.

On the beach. In the ocean. Traveling along riverways. In muggy Florida and chilly Ireland. Even floating through the air. We cough, spit, shed and flush our DNA into all of these places and countless more. Signs of human life can be found nearly everywhere, short of isolated islands and remote mountaintops, according to a new University of Florida study. That ubiquity is both a scientific boon and an ethical dilemma. More from UF News, the New York Times, and the Telegraph.

Wildlife Corridor expansion eyed

State officials next week could direct nearly $100 million to secure more than 35,500 acres of primarily ranchland for the growing statewide Wildlife Corridor, while keeping agricultural operations on the properties in place. Twelve land deals on the May 23 agenda before Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet involve conservation easements, which allow the current landowners to continue active hunting, farming and cattle operations. In exchange, the land would be kept from residential and commercial development. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Everything 'go' for launch of SpaceX Axiom-2 private astronaut mission

Axiom-2, SpaceX's second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station for Axiom Space and NASA, is "go" for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule this weekend. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is commander of Axiom-2 and is joined by private spaceflight participant John Shoffner and government-sponsored Saudi Arabian astronauts Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi. [Source: Florida Today]

The end of Enterprise Florida doesn't mean the end of incentives, CEO says

Enterprise Florida President and CEO Laura DiBella wants to quell any speculation about the end of statewide economic development initiatives as the sunset of her agency looms. The House and Senate passed a bill this legislative session to fold the public-private organization under the newly named Department of Commerce. The plan awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature. DiBella addressed the topic on Tuesday at the Florida Supply Chain Summit in Tampa. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Amidst grumbles, Miami-Dade County OKs seven last-minute union contracts [Miami Today]
The Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday somewhat reluctantly renewed collective bargaining agreements with seven employee groups. There was grumbling among the commissioners, who received the 2023-2026 agreements late Monday night and found them added to Tuesday’s agenda. Both Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Chief Financial Officer Edward Marquez coaxed most commissioners aboard the collective bargaining bus, with the exception of Sen. René Garcia, by assuring them they were “status quo” agreements with no surprises.

› Brightline kicks off ticket sales for high-speed train rides from South Florida to Orlando [Orlando Sentinel]
Brightline’s rollout to Orlando took another step forward early Wednesday as the South Florida-based higher-speed rail line started to sell tickets for travel as early as September along a 170-mile extension between West Palm Beach and Central Florida. Customers, however, will not immediately know when the trains will start operating on the new route that runs north along the Florida East Coast Railway to Cocoa, then hooks west on a newly constructed rail bed to a station at Orlando International Airport.

› Was L3Harris hacked? A cybersecurity firm says defense data may have been stolen [Florida Today]
Cybersecurity company BetterCyber is reporting that the Abyss ransomware group is claiming to have hacked Melbourne-based aerospace and defense company L3Harris Technologies Inc. and stolen data related the company's work on an Army communications system. L3Harris said that, several weeks ago, it experienced an information-technology "system disruption that affected an isolated network at one location. The incident was immediately contained, and the system was secured.”

› Jacksonville, Tampa among 'Angriest Airports' in U.S., according to Forbes [Florida Times-Union]
Yes, granted, it's the miracle of flight and utterly amazing that we can safely hurl humans through the air at all, but one feels certain the Wright Brothers' plans included more leg room. In fact, more than half of all tweets from travelers who mentioned an airport by its Twitter username could be characterized as "angry," according to a Forbes Advisor analysis of 37,000 tweets between March 2022 and March 2023.

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› Apprenticeships fill worker void in Southwest Florida trade industry [Florida Weekly]
“Help Wanted” signs are the signs of the time for Southwest Florida’s trades. It’s a challenge for builders to find workers, and the problem is not going to end soon. Builders filed 13,621 building permits for single-family, duplexes and apartments in 2022 in Lee County, according to the economic data from the Federal Reserve in St. Louis. Charlotte County gave 5,676 permits and Collier 5,517. And that’s just new homes; that doesn’t include commercial construction and rebuilding after Hurricane Ian.

› Seminole County eyes equestrian land for possible soccer facility [Orlando Business Journal]
Seminole County may buy some property in the Sylvan Lake area for a future sports project — an effort that would boost the county's competitive ability to draw more visitors, jobs and economic impact to the region. The county, during a meeting on May 9, identified a 40-acre parcel of land on which it could expand the county's 126-acre multi-sports complex to the north of the property.

› St. Petersburg man accused of stealing endangered tortoises, rare books [Tampa Bay Times]
A 46-year-old St. Petersburg man has been arrested after authorities say he stole two endangered Galapagos tortoises, rare books and comic books from several locations across Florida. The juvenile Galapagos tortoises had microchips, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials scanned the chips and confirmed they were the same tortoises that had been stolen from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine.

› These Florida spots, one near the Keys, were named the best secret beaches in the U.S. [Miami Herald]
A family travel guide has just released a list of the best “secret” beaches — and nine Florida beaches made the list, including one near the Keys. Family Destinations Guide, a website that highlights reviews of hotels, resorts, destinations, and other attractions with a family-friendly atmosphere, asked readers to vote for the “secret” beaches they most wanted to visit. Florida and Hawaii beaches turned out to be the most popular on the 100 Best Secret Beaches list.