Is Florida’s place as a top-tier battleground state at risk?

Florida has famously sat at the center of the country’s politics since 2000, when a contentious weeks-long recount between Al Gore and George W. Bush ended with the Texas governor’s victory by just 537 votes. Ever since, it’s been the home of some of the nation’s most competitive federal and state races, with the winning candidate often winning by only a sliver of the overall vote. But a string of recent stunning Democratic defeats have changed the perception of the state. [Source: Miami Herald]

Black farmers line up for medical marijuana license, but wait continues

Regulators of Florida’s medical marijuana industry are currently perusing applications from Black farmers for the highly sought license to grow marijuana. The application window for new licenses, which were newly made available because of the growing number of medical marijuana patients, lasted from March 21-25. But after a five-year wait, it’s still unclear when a decision will be made on which applicant will get a license. [Source: Florida Politics]

Two counties in Florida lead the way nationally in population growth

More than 1,800 counties nationwide posted population increases in 2021. Of those, two counties on the west coast of Florida — Polk and Lee — ranked among the top 10 nationally in welcoming new residents. Polk and Lee ranked No. 7 and No. 9 nationwide, respectively, in the number of residents gained in 2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Those counties gained a combined 47,584 new residents. Multiple Florida metro areas also reported considerable population growth by percentage, relative to the rest of the country. [Source: Business Observer]

Florida lost 70,000 people to Covid. It’s still not prepared for the next wave.

As Covid infections begin creeping up again across the country, current and former health officials in Florida are warning that the state remains woefully underprepared to handle the next wave of the pandemic. Florida’s 250-plus hospitals are still facing staffing shortages that continue to worsen as the Covid-19 pandemic drags on. [Source: Politico]

SpaceX makes record 6th launch in a month

It’s been a busy month for SpaceX topped with a record 6th Falcon 9 launch in a month, this time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday. The company sent up another 53 of its Starlink internet satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:27 p.m. amid a gorgeous, mostly blue Florida evening sky. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Show us the money: Broward leaders visit Dubai seeking Mideast investors [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
There are strong similarities between Fort Lauderdale and Dubai, the city on the Persian Gulf coast that is most populous in the United Arab Emirates. Both boast manmade islands, beaches, international airports and seaports. Their local economies rely heavily on tourism, aviation, real estate and trade. But Dubai, which is 7,825 miles away, has a lot more of what Fort Lauderdale and other Broward County cities need: money.

› Renderings show future of West Jacksonville fairgrounds [Jacksonville Daily Record]
The Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair released conceptual renderings for a future fairgrounds in West Jacksonville adjacent to the Jacksonville Equestrian Center on Normandy Boulevard. Fair President and CEO Bill Olson said in an email April 29 the organization will close on the sale of the Downtown fairgrounds property with Jacksonville Jaguars affiliate Iguana Investments Florida LLC when the new facility is complete.

› Tampa tech firm nets $75M in private equity capital [Business Observer]
Coherent, a global Software-as-a-Service provider headquartered in Tampa, has raised $75 million in its Series B funding round, bringing its total venture capital investment, to date, to $89 million. According to a news release, the firm’s latest funding round was led by Maverick Capital. Other investors included Owl Rock, GreatPoint Ventures, Cathay Innovation and Franklin Templeton.

› Disney PR chief out after 3 months amid DeSantis-Reedy Creek controversy [Orlando Sentinel]
Amid an extraordinary period of controversy that has engulfed Walt Disney Co., the person responsible for protecting the entertainment giant’s public image is out after just three months in the job. Disney Chief Executive Bob Chapek hired Geoff Morrell, a former BP executive, as the top person in charge of the Burbank firm’s public relations and government affairs.

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› Carnival Cruise Line to celebrate 50 years of itself in new bar on Carnival Celebration [Orlando Sentinel]
Carnival Cruise Line is looking pretty good for 50, so everybody is invited to toast the line on board new ship Carnival Celebration when it arrives to Miami this fall in a unique venue called the Golden Jubilee. The bar and lounge will be a centerpiece feature of a still secretive neighborhood, the details of which have not been announced.

› After weather clears, Fort Lauderdale Air Show thrills with aircraft from past and present [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
The skies over Fort Lauderdale beach began to rumble shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday. It wasn’t thunder. The stormy weather had fortuitously vacated the area about an hour or so earlier. This welcome rumbling was the reason thousands gathered on the sand, at businesses, and packed nearby roof tops, as the two-day 2022 Fort Lauderdale Air Show, which included 15 performers, was underway.

› FPL flexes its muscle in Florida Legislature, but DeSantis says no on net metering [Orlando Sentinel]
Florida Power & Light did everything by the corporate book on how to influence a legislature. It salted the campaigns and political committees of Florida lawmakers and their parties with millions of dollars. It drafted priority legislation and handed it to lawmakers. And it sent an army of lobbyists to the Florida Capitol to push measures in its favor and squash bills that could hurt its bottom line. At first, it looked like it got everything it wanted from the Legislature.

› PortMiami, cruise lines pledge to expand technology to cut emissions from ships [Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade County is upping its commitment to shore power at PortMiami, a technological upgrade that allows ships to plug into the local grid at port instead of continuing to burn fuel — and spew water and air pollution — in downtown Miami. Last year, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava committed the county to build one shore power hookup at the Carnival terminal by fall 2023.