Florida news roundup: Fleeing faculty, new Disney cruise ship, ‘deep state’ scandal, Horror Nights theme | Commentary
Florida has been churning out news about everything from rocket launches and cruise ships to political scandals and turmoil in the state’s university system. Here’s a quiz to see how closely you’ve been paying attention.
One of the new haunted houses generating buzz at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights this year is based upon the “The Last of Us” TV series and video game. What terrifying scenario does “The Last of Us” depict?
A. The only family left on earth that hasn’t been bitten by vampires
B. A zombie apocalypse prompted by a fungal infection
C. The final competitors in a “Hunger Games”-like competition
D. The few remaining Floridians who still have reasonably priced home insurance
Answer: B. The deformed zombies in this one are extra nasty, too … though still not as scary as many Floridians’ latest premium increases.
The executive director of Florida’s affordable housing agency is in hot water after it was revealed that he had personal financial problems, may have been improperly hired and created a hostile work environment where the agency’s own inspector general said he screamed at staff, made sexist comments, talked about their weight and threatened their jobs. The agency’s board suspended Mike DiNapoli, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ spokesman to do what?
A. Thank the board and say: “These are concerning allegations we take very seriously.”
B. Thank the board and say: “There are obviously problems here.”
C. Thank the board and say: “This governor has a zero tolerance policy for harassment.”
D. Attack the board members who expressed concerns about the director and say: “If anyone wonders what the deep state looks like, this is it.”
Answer: D. This is one of the weirder Florida political stories in recent years, which is saying something. The governor’s team is using the term “deep state” to refer to commission members — whom the governor himself appointed — and, as the Tampa Bay Times reported, expressing fury at their efforts to clean up a scandal.
DeSantis’ affordable housing chief placed on leave again
Disney Cruise Line unveiled the name of its seventh ship and second private Bahamas destination. The ship will be called the Disney Adventure. What will the private beach and port be called?
A. Disney Oasis
B. Disney’s Small World Bahamas
C. Disney Lookout Cay
D. Disney-has-an-island-and-Universal-doesn’t-so-Hahaha Key
Answer: C. The full name of the 700-acre site is Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and is slated to start welcoming Disney passengers next June.
Disney Cruise Line drops name updates for new ship, Bahamas destination
On the heels of state lawmakers criticizing professors, threatening tenure, curtailing diversity initiatives and trying to censor American history lessons, a recent survey of Florida faculty found what?
A. More than 45% said they may seek employment in another state
B. More than 80% said they’d encourage students and faculty to consider colleges in other states
C. More than 90% identified the political atmosphere around higher education in Florida as bad or very bad
D. All of the above
Answer: D. That’s according to a survey of 642 Florida faculty members, as summed up by the Tallahassee Democrat. The survey found that, while nearly half of those surveyed said they were considering leaving the state, about a fourth said they’d already been part of a job interview to do so.
On Sunday, Central Floridians could see another Atlas V rocket blast into the sky from Cape Canaveral. The national security mission was only the second this year for the United Launch Alliance, but one of many overall to blast off from either Cape Canaveral or neighboring Kennedy Space Center in 2023. How many rockets have launched from the Space Coast so far this year?
A. 24
B. 36
C. 48
D. 60
Answer: C. That’s more than one a week — a lot more than during the shuttle days.
Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc on Florida’s Big Bend, but actually didn’t cause as many wastewater problems as some feared. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Friday estimated how many gallons of wastewater got into places they shouldn’t have?
A. 26,000 gallons
B. 260,000 gallons
C. 2.6 million gallons
D. 26 million gallons
Answer: A. Admittedly 26,000 gallons of wastewater is still pretty gross when you’re talking about raw sewage. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s smaller than some backyard pools … though not a pool any of us would choose for a dip.
There’s a push to make recreational marijuana legal in Florida. According to a recent poll from the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, what percentage of Floridians support this idea?
A. 40%
B. 50%
C. 60%
D. 70%
Answer: C. That would be just enough to clear the state’s 60% threshold for a constitutional amendment. A poll from the University of North Florida found support even higher at 70%. Interestingly, the USF/FAU poll found support among most age groups. In fact, the only voters questioning the idea were those age 55 to 64, while those over 65 also favored legalization. In other words: While Mom and Dad might not like the idea, Grandma and Granddad seem ready for early-bird gummy hour.
