Off The Beaten Path – A Florida Hidden Gem

Off The Beaten Path – A Florida Hidden Gem

If you are looking for a unique, beautiful place to visit in Florida that’s off the beaten path, we may just have the answer. Nestled in the heart of Delray Beach lies a serene escape that offers a unique blend of culture, history, and natural beauty that’s unlike anything else you’re likely to see here.

Yamoto-Kan  Photo: Morikami Museum
Yamoto-Kan Photo: Morikami Museum

Florida House Votes To Reduce Sales Tax

Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville. Meredith Geddings | Florida House of Representatives
Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville. Meredith Geddings | Florida House of Representatives

​In a unanimous decision, the Florida House of Representatives approved House Bill 7031 on Wednesday, aiming to reduce the Florida sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25%. The bill, which brings even more substantial sales tax cuts in certain areas, passed with a 112-0 vote. ​

Dolphins

What Killed The Dolphins? There May Finally Be An Answer

dolphins

In 2013, Florida’s Indian River Lagoon witnessed a significant and alarming increase in bottlenose dolphin deaths, with 77 individual dolphins—approximately 8% of the local population—succumbing to what was classified as an Unusual Mortality Event (UME). The Indian River Lagoon is a shallow-water estuary located along Florida’s east coast, stretching approximately 156 miles from Ponce de Leon Inlet near New Smyrna Beach southward through Brevard County, and on to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County. 

ULA Atlas rocket

ULA Prepares for Atlas V Launch as SpaceX Takes Over GPS Satellite Mission

A ULA Atlas rocket with four sold rocket boosters at LC-41 on 8-28-23 carrying NROL-107. Image by Richard P. Gallagher | FMN

Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is set to launch an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying the first batch of production satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet constellation. Another ULA rocket, the Vulcan, will not be launching a previously assigned military GPS satellite. It has been reassigned to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, marking the second such change in recent months. Here’s what you need to know about these developments in the world of spaceflight.

REAL ID sample

Planning To Fly or Cruise Soon? Make Sure You Have REAL ID.

Sample REAL ID for Florida
Sample REAL ID from Florida DMV

As of May 7, 2025- just one short month from now- significant changes will take effect regarding identification requirements for Americans. With the coming enforcement of the REAL ID Act, individuals who want to board US domestic flights or enter government facilities will need to possess a REAL ID-compliant form of identification (And yes, Florida’s cruise terminals count as a government facility). There are only a few exceptions, such as states that issue what is known as “Enhanced ID” – Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDLs) issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont.  The government says REAL ID requirements will be strictly enforced. Here’s how to make sure you are ready.

τ Coronae Borealis

Astronomers Say Star Will Go Nova Soon

τ Coronae Borealis going nova.
Visualization courtesy NASA

Astronomers worldwide are eagerly anticipating a rare celestial event: a star exploding. Even better, the explosion and its remnants will be visible to the naked eye, and it will be visible from Florida.

The event centers around T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), a binary star system located approximately 3,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis. This system, comprising a white dwarf and a red giant, is expected to undergo a nova outburst in the very near future.

Op-Ed: Fiscal Fiasco–Tariffs Might Save Us from Our Own Stupidity

Grok AI created image.

America—while we’ve been busy playing the world’s economic punching bag, other nations have been laughing all the way to the bank, raking in our dollars and slapping us with trade barriers so lopsided they’d make a funhouse mirror blush. For years, we’ve been in a tariff war—don’t kid yourself—but we’ve been the chumps who brought a butter knife to a gunfight.

Captain Brock Horner in dispute with another fisherman. - Screenshot

Charter Captain Arrested Following Viral ‘Boat Rage’ Incident in Punta Gorda

Screen Capture of Brock Horner from Video by Gage Towles/Youtube
Screen Capture from Video by Gage Towles/Youtube

A Punta Gorda charter captain has been arrested following a heated confrontation on the Peace River that was captured on video and has since gone viral. The incident, which unfolded under the Barron Collier Bridge on April 1, involved Captain Brock Horner, 40, of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters, and 22-year-old fisherman Gage Towles. Horner owns Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in the southwest Florida town.

Gov. Ron DeSantis Presents Bonus to Bay County Deputy

Florida’s Law Enforcement Hiring Program Proving To Be A Success

Florida officials announced that more than 7,800 bonuses have been awarded to newly hired law enforcement officers under the state’s recruitment bonus program​. The one-time payments – approximately $5,000 after taxes for each officer – are part of a statewide initiative launched in 2022 to attract new law enforcement recruits to Florida and recognize their service​.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presents the state's 4,000th bonus check to new recruit Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Belthrop last November. Credit: Rumble/Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presents the state’s 4,000th bonus check to new recruit Bay County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Belthrop last November. Credit: Rumble/Ron DeSantis
Atlas V to Launch Heaviest Payload Yet with Amazon’s Project Kuiper Satellites on April 9

Atlas V to Launch Heaviest Payload Yet with Amazon’s Project Kuiper Satellites on April 9

Amazon is set to launch its first 27 production satellites for Project Kuiper aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on April 9, 2025. The launch is scheduled for noon EDT from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a three-hour launch window.

Atlas V lifts off. Credit: United Launch Alliance/Ben Cooper
Credit: United Launch Alliance / Ben Cooper