Good Morning! On this day in 1953, satirical columnist Carl Hiaasen was born in Plantation. His book Bad Monkey is a murder mystery set in Key West and was adapted into a TV series on Apple TV+.
Municipal, mayoral, and committee elections took place in several counties on Tuesday throughout the state. Click here for the results in Palm Beach County. Visit your county election site for local results.
Today’s sponsor is Mode Mobile, offering an investment opportunity in its pre-IPO offering.
Daytona Beach ☀️ 75/53° | Ft. Myers ☀️ 80/53° | Jacksonville ☀️ 80/51° | Key West ☀️ 74/69° | Miami ☀️ 79/64° | Ocala ☀️ 80/47° | Orlando ☀️ 81/53° | Pensacola ☀️ 72/61° | Port St. Lucie ☀️ 80/55° | Tallahassee ☀️ 79/51° | Tampa ☀️ 78/53°
State Settles Juul Labs Lawsuit
The state has reached a $79 million settlement with Juul Labs, resolving a lawsuit that claimed the company marketed its e-cigarettes to children and misled consumers about their nicotine content.
Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that the state will use the settlement proceeds to investigate other vape companies whose marketing could attract minors.
According to the settlement, Juul Labs will not “take any action to reach youth in Florida in the advertising, promotion, or marketing of Juul products.”
Uthmeier’s predecessor, now-U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, filed the lawsuit in 2023 in Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
Potential Minimum Wage Exemptions Coming
A Florida Senate committee advanced a bill on Monday that would rethink the state’s minimum wage and give employers a way to waive the rate altogether if they can classify positions as job training.
The Commerce and Tourism Committee voted to approve the measure (SB 676), which would provide an exemption when employees are involved in “a structured work-study, internship, pre-apprenticeship program, apprenticeship program, or other similar work-based learning opportunity.”
A 2020 state constitutional amendment required gradual increases in Florida’s minimum wage. It is $13 an hour now, will increase to $14 an hour on Sept. 30, and will go to $15 an hour on Sept. 30, 2026.
Legislators Focus on Emergency Management Efficiency
With a focus on modernizing the state’s emergency responses, legislators are participating in the fifth annual Emergency Management Day at the Capitol.
The Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is modernizing operations and enhancing data utilization to expedite emergency responses and ensure responsible management of taxpayer funds.
The state is partnering with Slalom, a technology firm, to identify operating efficiencies and integrate artificial intelligence into emergency management operations.
A new program developed for the state is said to identify and correct more than 99% of irregularities resulting from errors or fraud, allowing for faster invoice payments, as well.
Flying together with our sponsor
Elon Musk Dreams, Mode Mobile Delivers
As Elon Musk puts it, “Apple used to really bring out products that would blow people’s minds.” Those days are long gone, and a new smartphone company is stepping up to deliver the mind-blowing moments we’ve been missing. They’ve just been granted the stock ticker $MODE by the Nasdaq, and you can still make an investment in their pre-IPO offering.
Turning smartphones from an expense into an income stream, Mode has already helped users earn and save an eye-popping $325M+ and seen an astonishing 32,481% revenue growth rate over three years. Uber did it to taxis, Airbnb did it to hotels…And now, Mode Mobile is doing it to the $1 trillion smartphone industry.
➤Palm Beach County: The families of three deputies killed in a roadside crash received nearly $700,000 in donations on Monday from individuals, businesses, and organizations. (See Photo)
➤ St. Lucie County: After a decade-long legal battle, Eriese Alfonso Tisdale was sentenced to death for a second time for the 2013 killing of Sgt. Gary Morales during a traffic stop. (See Video)
➤ Tallahassee: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order on Monday for Michael Tanzi, 48, to be executed on April 8 at Florida State Prison. Tanzi was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a woman in Miami in 2000. (More)
➤ Temple Terrace: A SWAT team arrested a man for shooting into University of South Florida student housing. No injuries were reported. (More)
➤ Lake County: A 1988 cold case involving a mysterious death was solved thanks to the DNA Doe Project, a nonprofit founded in 2017 to identify “John and Jane Doe’s” using investigative genetic genealogy. (See Details)
➤ New Smyrna Beach: A leatherback sea turtle was spotted nesting on Sunday, marking the earliest recorded sea turtle nest on county-managed beaches. (See Photo)
➤ The Jacksonville Jaguars signed six players in 48 hours this week, including two defensive backs signed to three-year deals to improve the team’s passing defense, which ranked last in the NFL in 2024. (More)
➤ Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for 20 games for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Ekblad claimed he did not know the drugs he was taking were illegal. (More)
➤The Miami Heat lost a game they led by at least 17 points at home for the third time this month on Monday night, falling 105-103 to the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s worst teams. (More)
➤ Spirit Airlines will resume flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to Fort Lauderdale two days per week starting in May. (More)
➤ A Texas-based firm bought 35 acres inside the Olympus Community Development District in Lake County from an entity tied to Houston-based David Weekley Homes for $18.4 million. (More)
➤ Red Tape Florida, a new site powered by Hammerhead Communications, launched this week to spotlight local government overreach in Tallahassee. (More)
Flying together with our sponsor
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Flying together with our sponsor
No, it’s not Nvidia… It’s Mode Mobile, 2023’s fastest-growing software company according to Deloitte.1
Their disruptive tech, the EarnPhone and EarnOS, have helped users earn and save an eye-popping $325M+, driving $60M+ in revenue and a massive 45M+ consumer base. And having secured partnerships with Walmart and Best Buy, Mode’s not stopping there…
➤ Tampa native Doechii was named Billboard’s 2025 Woman of the Year one month after winning the Grammy for best rap album. (More)
➤ A Florida scuba diver contends with alligators and murky waters to rescue golf balls at some of the world’s best courses. (More)
➤ The Tampa Bay Rays are set to launch a 120-hour transformation of Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees’ spring training home, to prepare for their March 28 regular-season opener against Colorado. (More)
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ Experience luxury at the Wyndham Grand Cancun All-Inclusive Resort & Villas! For a limited time through the Vacation Deals Hub, enjoy 5 days and 4 nights in a premium suite for just $299—an 87% discount from the regular rate of $2,198. This exclusive offer includes daily breakfast, Wi-Fi, and pool access. Book now to create unforgettable family moments!
Have you watched Key West-based “Bad Monkey” on Apple TV+?
1 Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. 2A minimum investment of $1,950 is required to receive bonus shares. 100% bonus shares are offered on investments of $9,950+. 3 Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile’s Regulation A+ Offering. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Start-up investments are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Those investors who cannot afford to lose their entire investment should not invest in start-ups. Companies seeking startup investment tend to be in earlier stages of development and their business model, products and services may not yet be fully developed, operational or tested in the public marketplace. There is no guarantee that the stated valuation and other terms are accurate or in agreement with the market or industry valuations. Further, investors may receive illiquid and/or restricted stock that may be subject to holding period requirements and/or liquidity concerns. DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA’s BrokerCheck. This is a paid advertisement for Mode Mobile Reg A offering. Please read the offering statement at https://invest.modemobile.com/. Rainmaker Ad Ventures is paid by Mode Mobile for promoting their securities offering. Payment is in cash and billed monthly. As of the end of February, Rainmaker has received $227,047. Additional fees may have accrued since then. **https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1748441/000149315224029326/0001493152-24-029326-index.html
