Senate Passes Bills with Bipartisan Support

On Wednesday, the state Senate unanimously passed legislation (SB 250) to expand economic development, transportation, educational opportunities, and broadband in rural areas.

The comprehensive package is designed to support rural communities across Florida. The bill’s future in the House is uncertain. It was killed last year after budget negotiations between the chambers broke down in a record-long legislative session.

The Senate also unanimously passed a bill (SB 318) to overhaul the state’s school choice scholarship program, which now totals $4 billion. The measure aims to improve transparency and efficiency after an audit revealed the state cannot account for more than $270 million in funding.

House leaders could craft their own version of the legislation and have expressed reservations about the Senate measure.

Widespread Verizon Outage Resolved

On Wednesday, a network outage affecting Verizon’s mobile service disrupted service in Florida and across the East Coast of the U.S., lasting over 10 hours before the company said it was resolved. Verizon said the blackout was caused by a software issue.

Customers across the country saw “SOS” in place of network bars, with no ability to make or receive calls or texts beyond using data.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Verizon apologized for the delays and promised to credit customers for the outage. They encouraged customers to restart their phones to reconnect to the network.

Viral Jaguars Press Moment Sparks Debate

A 23-second exchange between a Jacksonville reporter and the Jaguars’ head coach went viral this week after she encouraged him following the team’s playoff loss on Sunday, drawing both praise and questions about professionalism.

At the Jacksonville Jaguars postgame press conference following the team’s 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card playoff game, head coach Liam Coen addressed reporters about the end of the season and the team’s performance.

Jacksonville Free Press’s Lynn Jones-Turpin, who has covered the team since its inaugural season in 1995, congratulated Coen on a strong season and told him to “hold his head up.” Coen thanked her and continued with the press conference.

The non-question exchange drew strong reactions on social media. Some journalists argued that press conferences are for questioning and accountability rather than praise. Others defended the exchange, saying it reflected a human response after an emotional season-ending loss.

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➤ Tallahassee: City commissioners agreed to iron out a final contract on the sale of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to Florida State University, a major step in the creation of an academic medical center operating as FSU Health. (More)

➤ Jacksonville: The city’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator was placed on leave following a social media post alerting illegal immigrants about ICE operations in the city. Officials said that her actions violated federal and state laws. (More)

➤ West Palm Beach: Police advised residents to remove valuables from their cars following a rise in vehicle burglaries, with 23 thefts reported during the first two weeks of the year. (More)

➤ Miami-Dade County: All 283 public schools in the county now have access to specialized healthcare services via telehealth appointments with doctors, offering screenings and management of chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, and seizures. (More)

➤ Melbourne: Developers are planning to build a 530,000 square-foot logistics center on John Rodes Boulevard. The facility would comprise two single-story warehouse buildings, with over 400 parking spots, as well as truck and loading bay spaces. (More)

➤ St. Johns County: A St. Augustine deputy captured a runaway emu with a makeshift lasso and returned it to its owners unharmed. (See Video)

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➤ Dolphins owner Steve Ross publicly revealed that Daniel Sillman, his son-in-law, will succeed him in running the franchise. Ross said he turned down an offer of nearly $15 billion for the team. (More)

➤ Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi reportedly rejected a €1.4 billion offer to play soccer for a Saudi Arabian club in 2023, opting to move to Florida instead. (More)

➤ Former Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame this year. He holds multiple records—including an ACC-best 3,517 career receiving yards. (More)

➤ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interviewing former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel today for the team’s open offensive coordinator position. (More)

Yesterday’s results: NBA | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer | Golf

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➤ Brightline Trains appointed rail industry veteran Nicolas Petrovic as CEO of Brightline Holdings LLC. Petrovic will succeed Michael Reininger, who led Brightline’s development from 2012 to 2018 and again since 2021. (More)

➤ Duke Energy said it is dropping storm recovery charges for customers a month earlier than initially scheduled. Charges resulted from approximately $1.1 billion in costs associated with hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. (More)

➤ A development group proposed a 23-story luxury hotel and residential tower in Fort Myers. It will include as many as 600 units, along with restaurants, retail space, and a public-access marina at the western edge of downtown. (More)

➤ Miami: The city’s economic growth is outpacing expectations and is performing better than many other U.S. cities, according to local economists. (More)

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➤ Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan sent 20 pounds of fresh Mayport shrimp to Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan. The two made a wager on which city’s team would advance in the playoffs. (See Photo)

➤ The 48th annual Central Florida Scottish Highland Games return Jan. 17-18 in Winter Springs to celebrate Scotland with bagpipes, contests, herding dogs, and haggis. (More)

➤ Two Tampa Bay women who served as the inspiration for Mattel’s new autistic Barbie doll were featured in a promotional video announcing the launch of the company’s latest inclusive doll. (See Video)

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Do you go to horse races?

1. Yes, often
2. Sometimes
3. I used to
4. Have never been

Thursday’s Results:

Do you use public transportation?

1. No: 51%
2. Sometimes: 27%
3. Often: 22%

What was the citrus boom called that attracted thousands of entrepreneurs to Florida in the mid-1870s?

Show me the answer