A former Tesla executive is barging in on the boating industry in Tampa Bay.

Driving the news: John Vo's company Blue Innovations Group (BIG) launched its new smart boat, powered by solar and electric energy, over the weekend at its Pinellas Park headquarters.

Why it matters: The R30 is the first of its kind in the recreational boating world, Vo tells Axios, combining sustainability and smart technology.

Zoom out: The electric boat market is projected to grow from $3.3 billion in 2023 to $7.7 billion by 2030.

• The Sunshine State makes up about 14% of the nation's $230-billion recreational boating economy, with Pinellas and Hillsborough in two of the top five counties for boat owners.

Details: The 30-foot ship costs about $300,000, which Vo claims practically pays for itself. There's no gas to fill or oil to change, meaning no scheduled maintenance. BIG handles repairs.

• The helm's smart screen, akin to Tesla's system, simplifies boating controls to turn anyone into an instant captain, he says.
• The boat is made of aluminum, which is lighter and more easily recycled than traditional composite and fiberglass boats.
• Its battery range is about 100 miles.

The intrigue: The R30 is just the beginning of Vo's BIG vision. He's started with making recreational boating more sustainable, but Vo sees a future where humans move from land to water full-time.

• His next venture is a bigger electric and wind-powered sailboat. He wants to eventually create industrialized floating smart homes — his sustainable solution to affordable housing.

What they're saying: "A boat is a great start to our final destination," Vo told Axios. "If we were to be successful, people would pay off their houses in five years, not 30."

What's ahead: The company is looking for investors to begin manufacturing more R30s. Reserved ships are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2024.

Spread the word

Turns out the great Floridian tradition of bragging about the weather during the holidays dates way back in history.

• Just search "Christmas" in the State Library and Archives of Florida's online database, and you'll find a long tradition of marketing our beachy, tropical temperatures during the coldest months of the year.
• Here's a sampling, and remember to savor these beautiful days before our winter — summer — strikes again.

Share with your coldest relative

🚆 The Brightline rail service is "making tremendous strides" toward developing a route connecting Tampa and Orlando. It finished a similar project from Miami to Orlando earlier this year. (FlaglerLive)

🌧️ A heavy storm during the weekend brought some of the worst bouts of flooding Tampa Bay homeowners have shouldered since Hurricane Idalia tore through the state in August. (Tampa Bay Times)

📄 Hillsborough Rep. Susan Valdes opened a pop-up to help residents who hail from Puerto Rico obtain birth and marriage certificates after the island's government voided all documents issued before 2010. (WFTS)

📚 The University of Tampa named Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg of Texas Christian University its next president months after launching a nationwide search involving over 100 candidates. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Congress approved $6 billion for a federal program to aid states in curbing tailpipe emissions. Per a report by the Tampa Bay Times, all states agreed to receive the funds except one: Florida.

The big picture: The federal program had earmarked $320 million for Florida — only California and Texas were set to receive more. The state's initial plans included adding electric buses, roundabouts and more rest stops for truckers.

• The Florida Department of Transportation tells the Tampa Bay Times it plans to build roads and bridges, not reduce carbon emissions, arguing that it wouldn't support the "continued politicization of our roadways."

Why it matters: Environmental experts and some lawmakers say the refusal could have weighty consequences on a state with vulnerable ecosystems and a less-than-ideal transportation system.

• Texas — which often rivals Florida's conservative bent and vulnerability to the effects of climate change — accepted the money. It plans to tackle congestion management, public transportation, and truck parking.

Context: Average commute times have ballooned in Florida by 11% over the last decade, according to the transportation department. Nearly half of the state's congestion and traffic volume issues come from roadway capacity.

• The longer Floridians spend in traffic, the more fossil fuels they burn.

Worthy of your time: Florida the only state to turn down millions to lessen emissions, feds say

💼 Check out who's hiring now.

1. Senior Director, People Insights (Remote) at Veralto.
2. VP, Employee Relations Investigator Lead at Citi.
3. Regional Director of Operations (Tampa) at Panoramic Health.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board

Hiring? Use code FIRST50 for $50 off your first job post.

"So, to be extra clear: Bridget, you deserve to be fired from your job because you are terrible at your job, not because you had sex with a woman."

Video of Moricz's public comment about embattled school board member Bridget Ziegler at last week's Sarasota County school board meeting has gone viral on social media.

• While many speakers at the meeting accused Ziegler of hypocrisy, Moricz said that logic "defeats the lesson we've been trying to teach you, which is that a politician's job is to serve their community, not to police personal lives."
• As of Monday, Ziegler had not resigned.