Covering All Things Florida
President Donald Trump has called upon SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to expedite the return of NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, following an extended mission due to technical issues with their original Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” This decision, part of the “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” initiative, aims to emphasize the gulf’s significance to the United States. With over 5000 miles of shoreline, the gulf represents Florida’s longest border.
A rare and powerful winter storm swept across the U.S. Gulf Coast this week, bringing a rare and unprecedented Florida snowfall and frigid temperatures to Gulf coast states unaccustomed to such severe winter weather. The storm, which began on January 20, 2025, led to significant disruptions, including road closures, power outages, and at least ten fatalities. Three days later, Florida still isn’t through with the effects of the storm with some roads still blocked.
The 2024 U-Haul Growth Index report is out, and it reveals some interesting numbers. The company uses their cargo vehicle rental data to determine annually what states people are leaving, and where they are heading. While not all-encompassing, the report has been a fairly reliable indicator of overall migration trends in the continental United States.
Just after 2 AM on January 16, 2025, Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos, successfully launched its first New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This inaugural flight marks Blue Origin’s entry into the heavy-lift launch vehicle market, positioning it as a competitor to established players like SpaceX and the SpaceX Starship.
Blue Origin’s inaugural launch of its New Glenn rocket has been rescheduled to Monday, January 13, 2025, at 1:00 AM Eastern Time due to unfavorable sea conditions in the Atlantic Ocean. Waves at Stage 1’s landing site were expected to calm from 10-foot swells to more acceptable levels tomorrow.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed relocating NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, citing underutilization of the current facility and the strategic advantages of positioning the agency’s leadership at the nation’s busiest spaceport.
If you haven’t flown through Tampa International Airport (TPA) lately, you’re in for some exciting changes in 2025. Often hailed as one of Florida’s top airports, TPA today announced a slate of upgrades to make your travel experience even better.
“Thar Be Whales Here” is more than just a movie line made famous by Engineer Montgomery Scott in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – it’s a fact that many Floridians are not aware of. For few months each year, the majestic creatures do indeed swim just off of Florida’s east coast.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully completed an integrated launch vehicle hotfire test at 7:45PM EST today, the final major milestone on the road to the vehicle’s first flight. NG-1 will carry a Blue Ring Pathfinder as its first manifested payload and will launch from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, FL. Blue Origin is currently targeting January 6th as a potential launch date.
A boat explosion at a Ft. Lauderdale Mariana claimed the life of one man and severely injured 5 others Monday night.
A festive holiday drone show in the skies over Orlando’s Lake Eola Park took a frightening turn Saturday night. As spectators were watching a beautiful drone formation of red and green lights, several of the drones fell from the sky, injuring a 7-year-old child.
