DeSantis to Florida lawmakers: ‘Stay the course’

With his presidential campaign in the background, Gov. Ron DeSantis used his annual State of the State address Tuesday to tout Florida’s accomplishments — while offering few new details of priorities for the 2024 legislative session. DeSantis’ speech in the state House chamber formally launched the 60-day session and came six days before the crucial Iowa caucuses in the fight for the Republican presidential nomination. More from the News Service of Florida and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida drivers pay the most in U.S. for car insurance

Floridians are paying an average of $3,941 per year for a full coverage auto insurance policy, the highest average rate in the U.S., according to new data from the Insurance Information Institute. The industry association, which exists to improve public understanding of insurance, states Florida’s average rate is 55% higher than the national average of just more than $2,500 per year. [Source: Gulfshore Business]

Gambling Money Eyed for Environment

Legislative leaders pitched the use of gambling money to help pay for further expansion of a state wildlife corridor and other environmental projects as they kicked off the 2024 legislative session on Tuesday. The proposal (SB 1638), filed by Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, would use an “indeterminate” amount of revenue available from a gambling deal, known as a “compact,” that Gov. Ron DeSantis reached with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in 2021. The money would be used to provide money for land acquisition and management. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Florida ranks among top 10 states for remote workers

In the rapidly evolving landscape of remote work and digital nomadism, Florida stands out as the tenth best US state to be a digital nomad, according to a comprehensive index that considers various factors affecting the lifestyle of those working and traveling on the go. The Digital Nomad Index Score, developed by global accommodation experts at Bluepillow, reveals the top ten optimal destinations for those seeking a balance between work, lifestyle, and opportunity. [Source: Florida Today]

NASA delays both Artemis II and III moon missions

NASA announced it has delayed both the crewed Artemis II mission set to fly around the moon and the Artemis III mission that aims to send the next humans including the first woman back to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972. “We are doing something incredibly different in the process of all this as we remind everybody at every turn, safety is our top priority to give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first-time developments, operations and integration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We’re going to give more time on Artemis II and III.” [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Pop Rock Pickles? Here’s the wild food coming to Tampa’s Florida State Fair [Tampa Bay Times]
Brace yourself and grab the Alka-Seltzer: The Florida State Fair has rolled out nearly two dozen new food concoctions for the brave souls who crave food on a stick on the midway. And this year has some doozies. The state fair, which runs in Tampa Feb. 8-19, is the first state fair in the country every year, thanks to Florida’s mild winter weather. It is famous, or possibly infamous, for debuting weird food combinations that make headlines around the world.

› Here are the busiest airline routes that disappeared in Orlando [Orlando Business Journal]
While demand for air travel has roared back after the pandemic, some airline routes at Orlando International Airport have not returned. The busiest route that disappeared from Orlando was a Virgin Atlantic Airways flight to London Gatwick, which scheduled 133 flights in the fourth quarter of 2019 but none in the quarters since then. Interjet had 105 flights to Mexico City originating from Orlando in 2019 but none as of 2023.

› UNF economic survey: Positive signals for 2024 [Jacksonville Daily Record]
A monthly survey of Jacksonville manufacturers by the University of North Florida’s Local Economic Indicators Project showed stability in the Northeast Florida economy at the end of 2023, with some positive signals for 2024. A purchasing manager’s index derived from UNF’s Jacksonville Economic Monitoring Survey remained at 50 in December for the second straight month. An index above 50 signals expansion and a number below it means contraction.

› When speed cameras come to Miami-Dade schools, county expects tickets to fly [Miami Herald]
County administrators haven’t released forecasts on how many tickets they expect the cameras to generate now that the devices are legal in Florida. But in a deal that won preliminary approval on Monday, Miami-Dade predicted RedSpeed, a national camera operator out of Chicago, will collect nearly $12 million a year from a roughly $20 payout per ticket once the agreement goes into effect sometime later this year.

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› The latest on Florida State, ACC dueling lawsuits [Tampa Bay Times]
The dueling lawsuits between Florida State and the ACC are playing out in courts: Florida State University Board of Trustees vs. Atlantic Coast Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference vs. Board of Trustees of Florida State University. See the latest updates with FSU’s case (filed in Leon County) and the ACC’s case (filed in Mecklenburg County, N.C.) as the Seminoles pursue a potential exit from the league — a move that could trigger another round of conference realignment.

› Melbourne 'shocks' its drinking water system with chlorine this month [Florida Today]
If your tap water comes from the city of Melbourne, you might already have noticed it tastes a tad like a swimming pool. Beginning Monday and continuing through Jan. 29, Melbourne water customers may notice a chlorine odor in their tap water. Water officials say it's still safe to drink.

› More growth in Boca Raton on the way with new shops, restaurants and office space [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
New stores, offices and restaurants will be opening in Boca Raton, near a prominent stretch of Glades Road and Dixie Highway. Currently, the land is primarily used as storage for industrial uses such as shipping containers, tanks and construction waste, such as concrete, while the existing buildings in the area — Boca Scooters and an astrology boutique — will be demolished.

› Orange County tourist tax collections slide again, but revenues remain strong [Orlando Sentinel]
Tourist-tax collections slid in November compared to a year ago, continuing a downward trend. November’s year-over-year decline was the seventh such drop over the past eight months, said Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office monitors collections of the 6% levy added to short-term lodging costs. Receipts for the month totaled $29.6 million, about $1.24 million or 4% lower than last November. But that performance was actually better than anticipated.