Things To Do In SW Florida

Manatee County voters snubbed Tallahassee last fall when they rejected Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked, pro-development commission candidates and instead elected a slate of grassroots Republicans who promised to rein in runaway growth.

True to their word, the new commissioners quickly moved to cap sprawl — vowing to raise impact fees on developers to pay for new infrastructure, pushing to restore wetland protections and halting some large-scale projects altogether.

But those steps have now put them on a collision course with the governor and the powerful real-estate industry closely aligned with his administration, which has pushed back at every turn.

In June, the governor vetoed the county’s $4 million in state budget requests after a commissioner criticized Senate Bill 180, a controversial pro-developer state law. More recently, his administration warned of “inevitable consequences” if Manatee raised impact fees.

And in July, he and his chief financial officer announced the county would be the first Republican stronghold targeted for an aggressive review by Florida’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency — known as DOGE — a program DeSantis styled after the Elon Musk-backed federal initiative to slash “waste, fraud and abuse.” read more

Just a few months after opening Epic Universe, Universal may be eyeing a nearby property for a new project. However, the theme park operator has taken steps to ensure its plans for the site remain a secret for now.

Universal filed an application with the South Florida Water Management District on August 11, requesting approval for mass grading of nearly 54 acres on Universal Boulevard directly northwest of Top Golf and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games Orlando.

A spokesperson for Universal denied that there are plans to develop the site, saying that the company is looking to “obtain permits to perform work associated with the ongoing maintenance of our property.”

However, mass grading, which involves moving dirt to change the topographic features of a site, usually precedes some sort of construction. An I-Drive District Overlay Zone document provided by Orange County indicates that portions of the property are undergoing environmental remediation, a process of cleaning contaminated land to remove hazardous substances. read more

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK (AP) — The car company run by Elon Musk asked a federal court Friday to dismiss massive damages awarded to victims of a deadly crash, arguing that their lawyers had misled the jury by improperly bringing up the billionaire during the trial.

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  Cruise industry sues to challenge Hawaii’s tourism tax designed to deal with climate change issues

The filing in Miami federal court seeks to overturn the $243 million award after a 22-year old student out stargazing was flung through the air to her death by a runaway Tesla equipped with Autopilot features that Musk had talked up for years. A jury earlier this month found that the speeding Tesla driver was mostly to blame but Tesla was also responsible because of faulty technology. read more

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

HONOLULU (AP) — A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Hawaii imposing a tourist tax to deal with consequences of climate change seeks to stop officials from enforcing the new law on cruise ship passengers.

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  Tesla asks court to throw out big damage award in crash by arguing comments about Musk misled jury

In the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed legislation in May that raises tax revenue to deal with eroding shorelines, wildfires and other climate problems. Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually.

The levy increases rates on hotel room and vacation rental stays but also imposes a new 11% tax on the gross fares paid by a cruise ship’s passengers, starting next year, prorated for the number of days the vessels are in Hawaii ports. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. court in Honolulu this week, notes the law authorizes counties to collect an additional 3% surcharge, bringing the total to 14% of prorated fares. read more

By JAIMIE DING and TRÂN NGUYỄN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have struck a deal with rideshare companies Uber and Lyft to allow drivers to join a union and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits.

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The agreement includes a bill for collective bargaining backed by the Service Employees International Union along with a measure sponsored by Uber and Lyft that would significantly reduce the companies’ insurance requirements for accidents caused by underinsured drivers, would ultimately reduce costs for passengers. read more