DEEPWATER HORIZON April 20th marked the ten-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Wildlife has been forever altered, with fish and other sea life still showing oil contamination. The federal moratorium on drilling off the Florida coast is set to expire in 2022.
PRESCRIPTIONS DRONE DELIVERY If you live in The Villages, you may be able to get your prescription drugs delivered to your home via drone. With a projected start this month, United Parcel Service and CVS are teaming up for the special delivery service, using Matternet’s M2 drone system. The drone will bring the prescription to a common drop-off area, then a ground delivery truck and driver will actually bring the prescriptions to the resident’s door.
AIRCRAFT COMPANY MOVE Global headquarters for Aerion Supersonic, an aircraft manufacturer currently based in Reno, Nevada, will be moving to a new facility in Melbourne. They are projected to generate approximately 675 jobs by 2026.
CENSUS 2020 With the coronavirus crisis causing the Census Bureau to suspend operations in March, the Bureau will begin to hand-deliver invitations this month to homes in order to complete the census in rural parts of 13 states. The agency also requested a 120-day deadline extension from Congress.
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT JUSTICES The Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission gave Governor DeSantis a list of nine nominees on January 23rd to replace departing justices Barbara Lagoa and Robert Luck. That gave him a 60-day window to make his appointments. The Governor cited the coronavirus state of emergency to delay the March 23rd deadline until May 1st, though he has yet to name the appointments.
I-4 ULTIMATE The state has agreed to pay an additional $125 million to the contractors for the Interstate 4 construction makeover. These funds will be used to cover the settlement of claims by the contractor for unforeseen impacts. The main interchange in downtown Orlando is scheduled to open later this summer. Also, the Governor ordered the acceleration of this project and other transportation projects around the state due to the decrease in traffic.