The new Florida budget: From bears to leaf blowers to the beef industry

A $117.46 billion budget that state lawmakers approved last week includes big-ticket items such as a 3 percent pay raise for state employees, a $240 bump in per-student school funding, $13.99 billion for transportation projects and $702 million for Everglades restoration. But the budget, which drew almost unanimous support Friday and is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, includes a lot more than that. More from the  News Service of Florida and WMNF.

Florida Trend Exclusive
Profile: Big fish

Johnny Morris is the billionaire founder of Missouri-based bigbox outdoor sporting retailer Bass Pro Shops, and Florida figures prominently in his plans. The state ranks second only to Texas in store count. Morris, though, envisions more from Florida than shoppers with wilderness dreams of their own. [Source: Florida Trend]

How a lawsuit illustrated a weakness in Florida public records law

Florida’s Sunshine Law requires government meetings and documents to be open to the public, unless the law carves out a specific exemption. Although the law is most frequently used by lawyers, journalists, political candidates and others with a professional interest in obtaining records, it is available to one and all. But while making a public records request is something anyone in Florida can do, hiring a team of lawyers to make sure the government fulfills the request is not. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

What’s killing endangered sawfish in Florida? The mystery has stumped researchers

There’s something deadly in the waters of the Florida Keys, and no one knows what it is. It’s not harmful to humans, but something is killing the critically endangered sawfish. In the last six weeks, 20 sawfish have floated up dead. "Unknown, rare occurrence, we really haven’t seen anything like this before," said Dr. Michael Parsons, of Florida Gulf Coast University. More from WFLA and NBC Miami. 

Florida airports recover after hectic weekend of delays, cancellations

Airports across Florida were clogged with weary passengers this weekend, when thunderstorms to the north caused widespread delays during the state’s busiest travel season. The pinch was felt by airports across Florida. Over the weekend, FlightAware – which tracks flight information – logged more than 1,400 delays for flights going in or out of Orlando International Airport, and more than 150 cancellations. There were more than 1,200 delays and 121 cancellations for flights going in or out of Miami International for the same time period. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Coral Rescue Center marks 4 years working toward ‘Herculean goal’ [Click Orlando]
Four years after the Florida Coral Rescue Center opened in Orlando, researchers said they are seeing great progress in their efforts to save the state’s coral reefs from possible extinction. “Everybody needs to be working together to be able to accomplish this Herculean goal,” Dr. Andy Stamper said. Stamper, the conservation science manager for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, has been at the FCRC since the beginning.

› Private investors change structure of nonprofit PGA Tour [Jacksonville Daily Record]
PGA Tour Inc. has been a nonprofit organization since it was formed in 1968, but competition from a deep-pocketed Saudi Arabian-backed golf tour has forced changes to the Ponte Vedra Beach-based organization. “The PGA Tour has undergone a tremendous amount of change over the last few years, with progress accelerating significantly in the last six months,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said at a March 12 news conference.

› Is Miami getting a ginormous mall with a ski slope? What to know about American Dream Miami [Miami Herald]
The vision: Build the largest mall in the country in Northwest Miami-Dade. The reality: It’s harder than you think. The American Dream Miami retail theme park mall, announced in 2015, is still on the drawing board. Developers thought it would be open by 2020 and employ 5,000 people by 2025. Ground hasn’t been broken yet.

› Tampa won’t host Sunset Music Festival in 2024. Here’s why. [Tampa Bay Times]
Sorry, Sunset Music Festival fans. The annual electronic dance music event won’t be returning to Raymond James Stadium — or any venue — in 2024. Festival organizers announced they will be skipping the event this year. ”Our rebranding journey, which includes a move to a fresh venue in 2024, has been full of excitement. While we had hoped to unveil the new venue this year, it’s now clear it won’t be ready until 2025,” festival organizers said.

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› SpaceX Crew-7 astronauts splash down near Pensacola after nearly 200 days in space [Orlando Sentinel]
After a slightly extended stay on board the International Space Station, four astronauts from different international space agencies splashed down safely off the Florida coast on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance early Tuesday. The quartet that launched from Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 26, 2023, arrived at the ISS one day later to begin their 197-day stay on board. It was the second longest stay among the now eight completed SpaceX Crew Dragon trips to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

› EV charger maker moves headquarters away from South Florida [South Florida Business Journal]
Blink Charging is trading Miami Beach for Maryland. The electric vehicle charger marker (Nasdaq: BLNK) established a15,000-square-foot headquarters in Bowie, located about 20 miles away from Washington, D.C. The location will be Blink's global hub as it works to expand its market presence and boost its manufacturing capabilities.

› Tampa Bitcoin-mining company shares surge 30%, but firm remains below Nasdaq rule [Business Observer]
LM Funding America, a Tampa-based bitcoin-mining company, says it offered a 1-for-6 reverse stock split of outstanding common stock, effective at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The firm's common stock, traded on Nasdaq, will then trade on a split-adjusted basis, LM Funding says in a news release.

› Lego lovers can connect as Orlando Brick Convention returns to Central Florida [Click Orlando]
The Orlando Brick Convention is back, transforming Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee into a Lego lover’s paradise on March 16-17. The Orlando Brick Convention has become a premier destination for the Lego lovers of Central Florida. In addition to showcasing all-new Lego displays and creations for 2024, the event will once again support Creations for Charity, a non-profit organization that provides Lego sets to underprivileged children during the holidays.