The Tallahassee Reports Daily Briefs: Tuesday, March 5, 2024

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LOCAL NEWS

The latest information from the Tallahassee International Airport shows that January 2024 passenger traffic increased 12.5% when compared to traffic one year ago. The number of passengers was up 7,680 from the 61,389 reported during January 2023 to 69,069 in January 2024.

Indoor Active Brands, a platform company that focuses on indoor entertainment concepts, recently announced the launch of The Pickle Pad. The Pickle Pad combines sport and entertainment in one venue. The brand’s first U.S. location will open in Tallahassee, Florida at 1925 North Monroe Street (the North Monroe -East Bradford Road intersection) in Spring 2024.

Florida State University’s College of Nursing leads national rankings among public nursing schools in federal research funding, with a combined total of $18.7 million from various federal agencies. This ranking is a result of federal awards that funded a collection of projects related to HIV prevention and intervention, mental health and chronic disease management, the university said in a release.

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

Gene Deckerhoff, former Voice of the Seminoles and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers radio play-by-play announcer, has been named to the inaugural class of the Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame. For many years, Deckerhoff’s calls could be heard at FSU football and men’s basketball games on the radio. He retired from announcing FSU broadcasts in 2022.

The first hearing in the Florida State Board of Trustees’ lawsuit against the ACC in Leon County has been set, according to a new court filing on Monday. The motion hearing set for 9:30 a.m. ET on April 9 will allow Judge John C. Cooper to hear the ACC’s motion to dismiss or stay Florida State’s case. As part of the dueling lawsuits between the two parties, the first hearing in the battle between FSU and the ACC is scheduled for March 22 in North Carolina.

FLORIDA NEWS

A federal appeals court Monday rejected restrictions that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers placed on addressing race-related issues in workplace training — part of a controversial 2022 law that DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.”

Wiping away tears, men in their 60s, 70s and 80s watched Monday as the Florida Senate unanimously gave final approval to a plan to steer $20 million to survivors of abuse at the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and another state reform school.

The House has passed legislation banning the unhoused from sleeping in public, and the Senate has now positioned the bill for a vote, setting the stage for a Gov. Ron DeSantis priority becoming law.

The state has agreed to protect an area along Fisheating Creek in Highlands County. It’s called the Lightsey Family Ranch, 1,285 acres that is surrounded on all sides by previously preserved lands. Among its neighbors are Archbold Biological Station, a renowned research center, and Fisheating Creek, the only free-flowing river into Lake Okeechobee. The project falls under the Blue Head Ranch Florida Forever boundary.

NATIONAL NEWS

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday to restore former President Donald Trump’s name on Republican primary ballots. The ruling overturns a Colorado decision disqualifying Trump under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause for his role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021. The court’s decision applies nationwide, including reversing decisions in Maine and Illinois.

JetBlue and Spirit Airlines announced they are terminating their $3.8B merger, citing the unlikelihood of meeting legal and regulatory approvals by the agreement’s July deadline. The news follows a federal judge’s block in January ruling the merger would have driven up fares for price-conscious travelers and hurt competition. The airlines appealed the decision, and a hearing had been set for June. JetBlue will pay Spirit a $69M termination fee (see 101). 

US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -0.4%) ahead of jobs report this week (More)

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