Florida had the nation's lowest nursing exam pass rate in 2024.

Why it matters: Fewer nurses passing the exam means fewer nurses in hospitals, exacerbating the workforce shortages that have long affected the state.

• Florida improved its pass rates from 2023 but still ranked last in the U.S. for the exams that nurses must pass to obtain a license, per a new report from the Florida Center for Nursing (FCN).

Between the lines: A new nurse must complete an accredited program, meet state requirements and pass a national exam to earn a license, with separate tests for registered and practical nurses.

• The Florida Hospital Association reported that the state's nursing vacancy rate for 2024 was 7.8%, with more than 16,000 open positions. The nursing turnover rate for the year was 17.6%.

Driving the news: Florida has lagged the national average for over a decade, with the gap reaching its widest in 2020.

• Last year, 19,623 people in Florida took the national exam; the 2024 pass rate was the highest recorded since at least 2013.

What they're saying: "Florida had the most test-takers in the country in 2024, but if they are not passing the test and entering the workforce, it's not helping to close the gap," Rayna Letourneau, executive director of the FCN, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Zoom in: The FCN regionalizes its data. Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee, DeSoto and Highlands counties form the West Central region.

• In 2024, the West Central region had about 3,600 test-takers — the second largest share in Florida. It also ranked second in pass rates for registered and practical nurses at 90%.

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Only 13 U.S. states send more money to federal government coffers than they receive, a recent analysis found.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's push for states to be more financially independent brushes up against the reality that many depend on federal money for everything from disaster relief to food aid.

Zoom in: Florida gets $805 more per capita from the federal government than it sends, according to a 2024 Rockefeller Institute of Government report.

How it works: Each state's balance of payments reflect how much federal money is distributed there (in the form of programs like Medicaid and SNAP, for example) versus how much money residents and businesses send to the federal government (via income or employment taxes, for instance).

• A negative figure means a state sends more to the federal government than it receives, while a positive figure means it gets more than it gives.

Zoom out: Massachusetts (-$4,846), New Jersey (-$4,344) and Washington (-$3,494) had the lowest balance of payments per capita as of 2022, discounting COVID-19 relief spending, according to a 2024 Rockefeller Institute of Government report.

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🌊 Fort De Soto's popular North Beach reopened on Monday, about four months after the park closed due to hurricane damage. (Bay News 9)

✈️ Larry Keefe, Gov. Ron DeSantis' public safety "czar" who helped oversee migrant flights from Texas to Massachusetts in 2022, was tapped on Monday to lead the state's new State Board of Immigration Enforcement. (WLRN)

• Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd will join a law enforcement council tasked with advising the new board. (WFLA)

⛏️ Phosphate mining company Mosaic wants to inject its industrial wastewater into the ground beneath four of its facilities, including two in Hillsborough County. (Tampa Bay Times)

If you grew up in Tampa in the '90s or 2000s, chances are your annual elementary school field trip was a pilgrimage to MOSI — where you crawled through a giant intestine and braved a Twister simulator.

Yes, but: If you stuck around Tampa into adulthood, you might find yourself back at MOSI — either chasing nostalgia or chasing a kid who won't listen.

Why it matters: You can skip the Lunchable this time around and upgrade to a pulled chicken sandwich from Station House BBQ — which replaced Zydeco Brew Werks last weekend.

Zoom in: Station House BBQ serves guests in a covered courtyard beside Science Park, plus an indoor spot near the entrance.

• It's open every day for lunch.

Between the lines: This is MOSI's second foray into dining and beverage service and is part of a years-long effort to expand the museum and transform it into a full-day, multi-visit destination.

• The museum opened a new Flight Club Drone Zone in November and plans to open its Digital Dome Theatre and Planetarium — the second-largest in America — in the first half of 2025.

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The chances of a 130- to 300-foot-wide asteroid hitting Earth just a few days before Christmas 2032 are increasing — but don't panic (or celebrate) just yet.

Why it matters: The near-Earth asteroid, officially named "2024 YR4," could be a regional hazard if it actually hits the planet, NASA says.

Driving the news: The odds that YR4 will hit Earth have been creeping up over the past few days, and stand at 2.1% as of Feb. 12.

Reality check: YR4 was only first reported to near-Earth asteroid watchers in late January, and it's possible that its impact odds will lessen as researchers spend more time observing and learning about it and its path through space.

What's next: NASA is planning to launch the Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope later this decade, which will look for potentially threatening objects using infrared sensors.

• And in 2022, NASA successfully tested asteroid-deflection technology that one day could truly save our bacon — no Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck required.

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