Republican Rep. Byron Donalds announces a push to help Florida lead in space exploration efforts in a campaign stop, and Orange County mayor candidates face off in a debate. 


Donalds announces his plan to make Florida lead in space exploration

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida’s GOP gubernatorial frontrunner, announced Friday his plan to make Florida, “The World Headquarters of Space Exploration.”

Donalds made the announcement Friday in Oviedo near the University of Central Florida.

The proposed plan calls for efforts to relocate NASA headquarters from Washington, DC to Florida. As proposed, the plan also aims to accelerate project permitting and industry workforce training.

Plus, it would create a Florida Space Race Summit to harmonize government agencies and the aerospace industry.

“Florida leads the nation in launch activity. We are asserting our rightful place, not just for Florida’s economy, but for the prosperity of the people who call Florida home,” he said.

The announcement comes as states like Texas and Alabama compete for a larger slice of the space industry.

The four candidates running for Orange County mayor discussed tourism tax money, affordable housing, infrastructure and a state property tax amendment during a debate at the Orlando Regional Realtor Association on Friday.

Businessman Chris Messina, former U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, Orange County Court Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell, and Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe are all running to replace Mayor Jerry Demings, who is termed out after two terms.

Spectrum News asked all four candidates in one-on-one interviews about Orange County’s use of Tourist Development Tax money, which is tied to the area’s tourism industry. Florida state law dictates how TDT funds can be spent.

Messina said the county should work within current state law governing the use of Tourist Development Tax money. He proposed some other ways the county could work to build the economy stronger, including working to lure a Major League Baseball team to Central Florida and building affordable housing in blighted strip malls.

“We are legislatively required to spend that money on tourism and tourism development — it’s called tourism development tax for a reason — but we can have an expanded definition of tourism. We can look at other tourism venues to promote,” Messina said.

Murphy said the county should focus on maximizing the tourism tax money it can use under current law rather than trying to change state law.

“The first thing I would do is maximize those resources for the residents who live here within the bounds of the law,” Murphy said.

Moore Russell said she would be open to working with state lawmakers if the county needs to pursue changes to how Tourist Development Tax dollars can be used.

“If we’re forced to go to that route, I’m open to working with our legislators and our local delegation that if we expand the statute, that we maintain local control to make the decisions that are best for Orange County,” Moore Russell said.

Uribe also said she is open to going to Tallahassee and talking with lawmakers there to challenge rules on how tourism dollars are spent — while using available county money for infrastructure.

“Taking a little to actually invest in that infrastructure, in those roads, in that connectivity and the train, it actually improves tourism experience, but improves the quality of life for the people who live here,” Uribe said.

The candidates also discussed Amendment 3, a proposed state property tax measure that would scale back property taxes for some homeowners if approved by Florida voters on the ballot in November.

Messina said he supports the amendment and does not believe it would cause a major loss of revenue for Orange County.

“I think fundamentally it’s going to be income neutral in terms of Orange County’s budget, and I think there’s a lot of cry that the sky is falling that is undeserved,” Messina said.

Murphy said she opposes the amendment, but not primarily because of its potential effect on county revenue. She said her concern is its possible effect on housing affordability.

“In the grand scheme, it’s not a huge percentage. We can find efficiencies within the budget,” Murphy said. “The real concern I have with the property tax is it removes any incentive for any community in Florida from ever permitting any home that costs less than $250,000, and at a time when we’re already struggling with affordability and housing attainability, that would be devastating.”

Moore Russell also said she opposes the amendment. But she said she believes commercial and business growth could offset much of any revenue loss, and that the county could look for ways to trim down its budget.

“Orange County is still growing, so how do you balance the revenue loss with the growth that will still happen in the commercial sector,” Moore Russell said. “I think there’s opportunities to look for efficiencies in Orange County.”

Uribe said she opposes the property tax amendment and that it could make housing less affordable for renters.

“We hope we don’t do that, and we hope the leadership — the next speaker of the House in Tallahassee, the next governor — will actually work with us to use the money that is here,” Uribe said.

Voters will decide the Orange County mayoral race on Aug. 18. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will move on to a runoff election in November.

The winner will take office as Orange County mayor in December.