Good Morning, Sunland
It's Tuesday! Games are some of my favorite formats to create and come up with, so I got curious about where they all started. Turns out, the crossword puzzle was invented in 1913 by a guy named Arthur Wynne. He was working at the New York World and created what he called a "Word-Cross Puzzle" with a diamond shape. A typesetting error changed the name to "Cross-Word" and it stuck. Pretty wild that something that started 111 years ago is still everywhere. Read more about it here.
Anyway, with that being said, I still need a couple more Florida Feud entries. Take the survey here. There's always been this connection between games and learning, and it's something I'm looking to lean into more with Sunland to keep things fun and interesting. Making learning about home feel more like play than anything else.
💜 People Pass Shoutout: Thank you to everyone supporting the newsletter! If you want to help keep this going, support here.
In today's newsletter:
🎮 A brief history of games and how they shaped entertainment
🚫 Florida just pulled the permits on Flock cameras along state roads
🏥 Florida ER wait times exceed 2.5 hours statewide
🖥️ Data center expansion sparks local resistance across Florida
📱 Florida alone rejects $18 billion Meta youth safety settlement
Alright, let's jump right in!
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
Blue Collar Big Dollar Concert
Live Music by Three O'Clock StormLive music, classic cars, and dinner by the water in Stuart, one ticket covers it all. Every ticket funds hands-on trades programs for young adults across the Treasure Coast.
📅 Saturday, September 26
🕠 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 Elliott Museum, Stuart, FL
🎟️ Admission includes dinner + museum access
🟠 Main Squeeze: Florida just pulled the permits on Flock cameras along state roads
Something is going on with Flock 👀.
Yesterday the Florida Department of Transportation announced it is revoking statewide permits for automated license plate recognition systems, commonly known as Flock cameras, along state controlled roads. Here is the full announcement.
Will Watts, Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Secretary for FDOT, issued a memo Monday to all local agency permit holders making it official.
What the memo says 📋:
🚫 All LPR related approvals issued to local law enforcement agencies are hereby revoked
⏰ Cameras must be removed within 30 days of August 31st
🔧 If not removed within 30 days FDOT will remove them itself
🛑 No new permits will be issued going forward
⚡ FDOT reserves the right to immediately remove any device that poses a safety concern without waiting for the 30 day window
Important distinction: This does not eliminate every Flock camera in Florida. It only applies to cameras installed by local agencies along roads on the State Highway System. Cameras on locally controlled roads are not covered by this memo.
Why FDOT says it acted: The memo cites the recent exponential increase in deployments, reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes as reasons for immediate action to preserve what it calls Floridians' sovereignty and quality of life.
I am working on a longer form piece about Flock and its fallout. It is hard to disentangle its unpopularity from the broader conversation about data and surveillance, but as usual I feel like there is more to this story. If you have thoughts or feelings about Flock cameras in St. Lucie County I genuinely want to hear them. Please leave your unfiltered thoughts around it here as I sort through this for what I hope will be a longer video out this month.
🥳 Out of Towner: September 4–6 (Weekend)
Thursday, September 3
🎤 Hayley Williams, West Palm Beach. 7PM. Details
Friday, September 4
Saturday, September 5
Sunday, September 6
Send More Events Here
💧 The Last Drop: Three Florida Headlines
🏥 Florida ER wait times exceed 2.5 hours statewide – Median emergency room visit now over 156 minutes across Florida, directly tied to state's decision not to expand Medicaid and the lapse of ACA subsidies. Federal data shows strain on healthcare system statewide. Details
🖥️ Data center expansion sparks local resistance across Florida – Leon, Nassau, Pasco and Sarasota counties all issued moratoriums. Only approved hyperscale facility faces two lawsuits and recall effort. DeSantis gave local governments rejection authority while governor nominee pushes AI investment as campaign issue. Details
📱 Florida alone rejects $18 billion Meta youth safety settlement – State is only jurisdiction declining share of national agreement over social media's impact on children's mental health. State Attorney General calling payout "peanuts" and "slap on the wrist" for trillion-dollar company. Florida proceeding with independent lawsuit. Settlement mandates platform restrictions: two-hour daily limit for teens, midnight-6am access block, school-hour notification mute. Details
🍁 Canadian tourist visits to Florida declining sharply – Q2 2026 saw 721,000 Canadian visitors, down 4.2% from year-ago quarter. Year-to-date decline of 13.9%. Overall state tourism down 1.4% for first six months. Tariffs and negative sentiment toward Florida cited by visitors. Details
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