Mental Health Bills Signed, Senator Honored

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed ten more bills into law Wednesday, including two focused on mental health and substance abuse services.

One of the measures, SB 1620, implements a series of recommendations from Florida’s Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder and also renames the Florida Mental Health Institute to the Senator Darryl E. Rouson Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research.

After some drama late in the legislative session appeared to kill the renaming plan, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the drug treatment research center would be named for the senator.

The governor said that the Senate and the University of South Florida reached a deal to honor the Democratic lawmaker, who has publicly shared his own story of addiction throughout his political career.

Record Holiday Travel Numbers

Independence Day is one of the most popular holidays for travel in the U.S., with 72.2 million people expected to travel nationwide from June 28 to July 6. This year, travel is expected to break records with the first long July 4 weekend in nearly a decade.

According to AAA booking data, three Florida cities, Orlando (No. 1), Fort Lauderdale (No. 5), and Miami (No. 8), are among the top 10 domestic July 4 destinations.

Four million cars are expected on Florida roads over the holiday. The worst times to travel will be the afternoon to early evening each day, with Wednesday, July 2, and Sunday, July 6, expected to be the busiest days on the road.

If traveling by air, a record 5.84 million passengers are expected to fly domestically over the holiday—a 1.4% jump from last year. According to travel site Expedia, July 3 will be the busiest day to fly, with Tuesday, July 8, being the least busy and most affordable.

Florida’s Version of the Caribbean

Southern Living released its list of 19 Florida beaches that “could pass for the Caribbean” with “gorgeous water, quaint beach towns, abundant wildlife, or a mix of all three.”

At the southernmost part of the state, Bahia Honda Key is known for its palm-lined beaches, clear waters, and beautiful sunsets. Dry Tortugas National Park, situated almost 70 miles west of Key West, is also on the list.

Moving north along the west coast, Cayo Costa has nearly 9 miles of undeveloped shoreline, a rich history, and sugary beaches. A former fishing ground for the Calusa Indians, it has a lagoon where manatees swim.

In the Panhandle, and decidedly less under-the-radar than many of the destinations on the list, Grayton Beach is halfway between Destin and Panama City and offers a 1-mile stretch of powdery sand.

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➤ Pinellas County: A tornado, part of severe thunderstorms that blew through the area on Wednesday night, damaged homes and tossed debris. (See Video)

➤ Statewide: State offices will be closed on Thursday, July 3, to celebrate America’s 249th Independence Day weekend. The governor also approved a 2% raise—funded through the state’s annual budget—for state employees, which will go into effect July 1. (More)

➤ Cape Coral and Naples: The two cities ranked among the top U.S. metro areas for cash home flips in the first quarter of 2025, with 81.1% of flipped homes bought without financing. (More)

➤ Winter Park: John Smith, who invented a product called Storm Stoppers, sued the state after his invention didn’t qualify for an insurance discount under the My Safe Florida Home program. (See Details)

➤ Daytona Beach: The city purchased a half-acre space on the beach for $2.2 million as its first step to lengthen the boardwalk and bring in more entertainment. (More)

➤ Treasure Island: The city named Charles Van Zant as temporary city manager after Chuck Anderson was dismissed from the post less than a year after taking it. (More)

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➤ Neither the Florida Panthers nor the Tampa Bay Lightning owns a first-round pick in tonight’s NHL draft. The Lightning will make their first selection at the back end of the second round at No. 56 overall, while the Panthers will wait until the 4th round for their first pick. (More)

➤ The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given multiyear extensions to head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht. (More)

➤ The University of Florida finished seventh in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, an award given annually to the college that demonstrates the most athletic success across all sports. (More)

➤ College sports are important in Florida, and the future of name, image, and likeness policies is important to college sports. Stay informed with NIL Wire. (Sign Up)

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➤ Summer heat waves are no joke—stay ahead of dehydration with LMNT. Zero sugar, science-backed electrolytes, and a new Lemonade Salt flavor that’s perfect for sweaty days. Flyover readers get a free sample pack! (More)

➤ Tampa tops the list of the best places for foreign businesses in the latest FT-Nikkei Investing in America rankings. (More)

➤ Orlando Magic’s CEO, Alex Martins, is stepping down after the team announced a new leadership structure, which includes Martins transitioning to the newly created role of vice chair. (More)

➤ Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport will be under new leadership this fall when Paul Hoback Jr. takes the helm as the incoming president and CEO, succeeding Rick Piccolo, who is retiring this year. (More)

➤ Two hotel firms are planning a combined 305 new hotel rooms in downtown Pensacola’s waterfront Community Maritime Park. (More)

➤ Thank you to everyone who supported Flyover Florida yesterday—your generosity keeps us going. We rely on readers like you to power independent journalism, so if you haven’t yet, please consider chipping in today to help us keep bringing you the news without the noise.

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Notable Investors Are Buying This “Unlisted” Stock

When the team that co-founded Zillow and grew it into a $16B real estate leader starts a new company, investors notice. That’s why well-known firms like Maveron invested in Pacaso.

Disrupting the real estate industry once again, Pacaso’s streamlined platform offers co-ownership of premier properties – revamping a $1.3T market.

By handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has made $110M+ in gross profits in their operating history.

Now, after 41% YoY gross profit growth last year, they recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. 

And you can join them as an investor for just $2.90/share.

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals.

➤ Apopka’s former Hall’s Feed Store, a nearly 100-year-old building, is now the city’s first food hall. (See Video)

➤ Gateway Jax, a commercial real estate development firm, plans to restore the historic Ambassador Hotel as part of its Pearl Square project, a multi-use development in Jacksonville’s urban core. (More)

➤ The Florida Mango Festival will be held indoors on June 29 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. (See Details)

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Are you traveling this July 4th holiday week?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Still deciding

Thursday’s Results:

Would you pay $32 for a grouper sandwich?

1. No: 63%
2. Yes: 19%
3. Maybe, if I were hungry: 18%

What was Bumper 8?

Show me the answer