Covering All Things Florida
Florida theme parks are preparing a slate of new attractions and reimagined experiences for 2026 that aim to draw families, thrill-seekers and repeat visitors to the region’s world-famous parks.
Blue Origin’s push to renew a state wastewater permit for its Merritt Island rocket factory is drawing increased attention across the Space Coast, where residents and environmental groups remain focused on the long recovery of the Indian River Lagoon.
A federal lawsuit filed this month is putting Florida’s Hillsborough County (Tampa) under scrutiny after a man dressed in a Confederate uniform was removed from a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park.
A pool of unusually warm air is building high above the Arctic, and scientists say it could signal a shift in the winter forecast for the southern United States.
It was a sight few Floridians ever expect to see. Late Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday, streaks of soft red and violet light rippled faintly across the northern horizon, visible from as far south as Central Florida. The northern lights — usually reserved for those in Alaska, Canada, or northern Europe — paid a rare visit to the Sunshine State.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a big change on November 6, 2025, that will dramatically alter the way commercial rocket launches are conducted in the United States…at least for now. Effective November 10, all commercial launches and reentries will be restricted to nighttime hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. The emergency order, described by officials as a necessary response to ongoing staffing shortages, immediately sent ripples through the nation’s growing commercial space industry, particularly across Florida’s Space Coast, where many of the country’s launches take place.
Florida’s allure has always been its promise — warm weather, opportunity, and a better life under the sun. But a growing number of residents now say that promise is slipping away, as the cost of living climbs faster than paychecks and patience.
Low Earth orbit has become a crowded neighborhood. Once home to a handful of satellites and orbital research stations, it’s now filled with tens of thousands of objects—many no longer serving any purpose. From working satellites to broken pieces of metal, dead rocket stages, and microscopic paint flecks, space debris hurtles around Earth at 17,000 miles per hour.
A rising sun wasn’t the only thing lighting up the Florida sky this week. Cape Canaveral was alive with rocket fire, echoing a surge of launches that lit the sky in rapid succession. In just a few days, three major missions—Starlink, IMAP, and Ku3 (Project Kuiper)—departed from Florida shores, each on a different path but together marking a bracing tempo of space activity.
When the newest American cargo spacecraft lifts off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral this September, it will carry more than supplies, science experiments, and spare parts to the International Space Station. Stenciled on its side will be the name of a man who never got the chance to return to Earth, but whose spirit continues to travel beyond it: William “Willie” C. McCool.
Northrop Grumman has chosen to christen its first Cygnus XL spacecraft the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool, honoring the pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia’s final mission. McCool, a U.S. Navy commander and test pilot, was among the seven astronauts lost on February 1, 2003, when Columbia disintegrated during re-entry after a 16-day research mission.
Florida is a state that lives and breathes its coastlines. With more than 1,300 miles of shoreline and some 825 miles of accessible beaches, it’s no wonder the Sunshine State has built its reputation on sand and sea. Ask any local, though, and you’ll quickly find that “the best beach” depends on what you’re after. Do you want nightlife and neon? Quiet seclusion? Water as clear as glass? Or maybe you’re looking for a family-friendly destination where the kids can build castles while you relax with toes in the sand.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy says the agency is changing course—and in a big way. In an interview this week, Duffy made it clear that NASA will be putting much of its Earth and climate science work on the back burner and focusing almost entirely on space exploration.
