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Costumes, Vouchers, Lawsuits, Hoops, E-Bikes, and Rockets: Florida's Week in Motion

🍀 Costume Crazies bring St. Patrick’s Day flair to Ormond Beach

The streets of downtown Ormond Beach got a whimsical splash of green this St. Patrick’s Day, courtesy of the Costume Crazies — a social group founded by Baird Mengel of Ormond-by-the-Sea for women who love dressing up in festive attire. Dressed as Lady Leprechauns, the group made their way down Granada Boulevard, starting at Kona Tiki Bar and wrapping up their green-themed revelry at 31 Supper Club. This isn’t the group’s first creative outing, and it likely won’t be their last. For those who believe a great outfit is reason enough to celebrate, the Costume Crazies welcome new members through their Facebook group.
Source: Ormond Observer

🏫 Senate bill aims to fix school voucher funding delays

Shifting gears to Tallahassee, the Florida Senate is making moves to tackle the growing pains of the state’s expanding school voucher programs. With students frequently switching schools and providers, families have reported frustrations over delayed reimbursements and confusing funding flows. The new proposal (SPB 7030), led by Sen. Don Gaetz and backed by Sen. Danny Burgess, would create a dedicated budget for the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program and establish mechanisms to stabilize enrollment funding mid-year. It’s a step toward making Florida’s school choice system more responsive, especially as universal choice policies become the norm.
Source: Ormond Observer

⚖️ House considers expansion of medical malpractice lawsuits

Meanwhile, in the House chamber, legislators are eyeing reforms to a decades-old medical malpractice statute. A new bipartisan proposal (HB 6017) could allow more families to seek non-economic damages—like pain and suffering—in cases involving the deaths of adult children or parents. Backed by groups like AARP but opposed by business and medical associations, the bill marks a potential shift in Florida’s legal landscape surrounding wrongful death. Supporters argue it would increase accountability in the healthcare system, while critics worry about rising insurance costs and physician shortages. The debate heads to the House floor on March 26.
Source: Ormond Observer

🏀 College Basketball Invitational tips off in Daytona Beach

Sports fans, get your brackets ready. The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament has returned to Daytona Beach’s Ocean Center for four days of high-stakes college hoops. Running March 23–26, this year’s single-elimination tournament features 11 teams, including Army West Point, Florida Gulf Coast, and Cleveland State. Semifinals and finals will be nationally televised on ESPNU and ESPN2, respectively. The Ocean Center, just steps from the beach, is once again proving it can bring championship-level energy to Volusia County.
Tournament Schedule:
· First Round: March 23
· Quarterfinals: March 24
· Semifinals: March 25 (ESPNU)
- Championship: March 26 (ESPN2)

Source: Ormond Observer

🚴 E-bike surge in Florida sparks safety and infrastructure concerns

Florida’s streets are humming with a new kind of traffic: e-bikes. The battery-powered rides have boomed in popularity, especially among teens and commuters, but safety infrastructure hasn’t quite caught up. In Naples, the tragic death of 14-year-old Clayton Miller in Naples has sparked renewed calls for better bike lanes, reflective gear, and speed regulations. Riders like Clayton love the freedom of e-bikes, but advocates say the current road design leaves too many exposed. Businesses, local coalitions, and grieving families alike are pushing for reforms to avoid further tragedy while still embracing the benefits of this evolving mode of transport.
Source: WESH.com

🚀 SpaceX readies classified satellite launch from Cape Canaveral

Looking up—way up—SpaceX is prepping for another Falcon 9 launch from Florida’s Space Coast. Scheduled for Monday afternoon at 1:48pm (March 25), the mission, labeled NROL-69, is a “classified” deployment for the National Reconnaissance Office. The launch from Cape Canaveral will send a recon satellite into orbit and marks the second flight of the booster used in a previous Starlink mission. Should weather delay Monday’s attempt, a backup launch window is available Tuesday. As always, the skies over Florida promise a show—and a reminder of how close we are to the frontlines of space innovation.
Source: ClickOrlando.com

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