Covering All Things Florida
The FAA announced today the closure of both mishap investigations following launch anomalies during the Starship IFT-7 and New Glenn missions.
Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency’s relentless taskmaster, gets flak for his brash, unemphatic biting style—yet delivers results that dwarf the whining of his critics. Sound familiar? The SR-71 Blackbird soared to once impossible heights and speeds due to innovators like Kelly Johnson, whose demanding approach and boundless thinking crushed notions of impossibility. Henry Ford churned out Model Ts while steamrolling naysayers who thought no one needs to go 40mphs. Tesla didn’t just invent—he illuminated the future, and we’re finally seeing it.
Effective April 11, 2025, Canadians planning to stay in the United States for more than 30 days will be required to register with U.S. immigration authorities.
SpaceX is planning to launch the privately-crewed Fram2 mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon tomorrow evening from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Liftoff is set for 9:46 PM ET.
(The Center Square / Steve Wilson) – Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez wants to cut the state’s sales tax rate, saying it would be the largest cut in the state’s history.
In The Villages, Florida, a legal dispute has emerged between local drone operators and the community’s developer over the use of drones to document construction projects. Don Wiley, a Sumter County Commissioner and licensed commercial drone pilot, has been at the center of this controversy. A law firm says Wiley’s use of his drone runs afoul of Florida’s drone law. Wiley vehemently disagrees, citing both legal precedent and his First Amendment rights.
The Tampa Bay Rays are poised to commence their 2025 season this afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, a temporary relocation necessitated by significant hurricane damage to their usual home, Tropicana Field. If the name Steinbrenner rings a bell, it is because the ballpark is owned by the New York Yankees and is named for their iconic former owner.
It’s dry in a great deal of Florida — too dry. While warm, sunny days are perfect for beachgoers and theme park guests, a drought is bad for farmers and others who need regular rains to maintain their businesses and way of life. It’s also bad for wilderness areas of the state, with lower water levels in rivers, lakes, and aquifers, impacting water supplies while increasing the risk of saltwater intrusion and algae blooms in the water supply.
Florida is full of things to do, and no doubt cruising is one of the most popular. FMN’s Richard Gallagher recently spent a week pursuing hidden gems in one of his passions: the Blues. Read Richard’s account of what he discovered on the Norwegian Gem during a “Blues Cruise” from Miami last week.
Florida lawmakers are what might become a new Florida law, Senate Bill 1782 (SB 1782), a measure aimed at imposing stricter penalties on drivers who engage in extreme speeding, commonly referred to as “super speeders.” The bill, introduced by State Senator Jason W. B. Pizzo (D) Hollywood, seeks to deter reckless driving behaviors that have become increasingly prevalent on Florida’s roadways. Pizzo’s district covers parts of Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
As the calendar flips to April, aviation enthusiasts of all ages are gearing up for a week at the second largest airshow in the United States. The SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo 2025 is set to kick off on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Lakeland, Florida.
We’ve all had that moment of musical déjà vu—singing along to a beloved tune, convinced it’s an original masterpiece, only to discover it’s been moonlighting as a cover song all along. It’s like finding out your grandma’s secret cookie recipe is actually straight off the back of a chocolate chip bag. Let’s uncover some of these undercover hits that have fooled our ears for years.
