Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed four members to Space Florida Board of Directors which is the state’s aerospace finance and development authority.

DeSantis is reappointing Matthew Bocchino to another term and named three new members Belinda Keiser, Alex King, and Tim Thomas to the board although all four appointments are subject to Florida Senate confirmation.

Bocchino is the Director of the Cecil Airport and Spaceport under the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.

“He was listed as a ‘Top 40 Under 40’ Recipient by Airport Business Magazine in 2020 and is a member of the Commercial Space Federation Board,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Bocchino earned his bachelor’s degree in history and his master’s degree in business administration from Jacksonville University.”

Keiser is the Vice Chancellor of Community Relations and Student Advancement at Keiser University, a private school.

“Active in her community, she has served as a member of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet, the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, the Seventeenth Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, and the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force,”  DeSantis said in a press release. “Keiser earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and her master’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.”

King is the Executive Director of the Panama City Port Authority.

“Previously, he served as the Deputy Director of Cargo Operations and Business Development and Operations Manager for the Panama City Port Authority,”  DeSantis said in a press release.  “King earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and logistics from Auburn University.”

Thomas is a Consultant for I3 Solutions, a software development company.

“He is a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1987 to 2010 and retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Auburn University at Montgomery, his master’s degree in public administration from Central Michigan University, and is a graduate from the Command and General Staff College.”

The Space Florida appointments were among several DeSantis made just before Christmas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend.

Zelenskyy told journalists that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready.”

An “economic agreement” also will be discussed, Zelenskyy said, but added that he was unable to confirm “whether anything will be finalized by the end.”

The Ukrainian side will also raise “territorial issues”, he said. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it still holds in the Donbas — an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk — the two areas that make up the Donbas.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “would like the Europeans to be involved,” but doubted whether it would be possible at short notice.

“We must, without doubt, find some format in the near future in which not only Ukraine and the U.S. are present, but Europe is represented as well,” he said.

The announced meeting is the latest development in an extensive U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, but efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskyy’s comments came after he said Thursday that he had a “good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the Kremlin had already been in contact with U.S. representatives since Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev recently met with U.S. envoys in Florida.

“It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” he said.

Trump is engaged in a diplomatic push to end Russia’s all-out war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, but his efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.

Though Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that there had been “slow but steady progress” in the peace talks, Russia has given no indication that it will agree to any kind of withdrawal from land it has seized.

On the ground, two people were killed and six more wounded Friday when a guided aerial bomb hit a busy road and set cars aflame in Ukraine’s second biggest city, Kharkiv, mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram.

One person was killed and three others were wounded when a guided aerial bomb hit a house in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, while six people were wounded in a missile strike on the city of Uman, local officials said Friday.

Russian drone attacks on the city of Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight into Friday left part of the city without power. Energy and port infrastructure were damaged by drones in the city of Odesa on the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said that it struck a major Russian oil refinery on Thursday using U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

Ukraine’s General Staff said that its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region.

“Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” it wrote on Telegram.

Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said that a firefighter was wounded when extinguishing the fire.

Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukraine’s power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Ukrainian officials say is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”

A pair of Orlando Democrats are pushing to create a professional licensure system for music therapists to help adults and children with disabilities who are losing their music therapies because of Medicaid changes.

Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Rep. Anna Eskamani filed Senate Bill 478/House Bill 829 to set up the Music Therapy Advisory Committee within the Department of Health.

“The move toward licensure is supported by families, providers, and advocates who say it will prevent future coverage gaps, increase oversight, and ensure that Medicaid and other payers can more reliably reimburse qualified professionals,” Smith and Eskamani said in a press release.

The proposed Legislation comes after Medicaid funding changes disrupted people’s services.

“Sunshine Health — which manages the state’s Medicaid funds for expressive therapy — terminated its contract with a third-party administrator effective December 31, 2025, after finding that some providers were not meeting state requirements,” the lawmakers said. “Because Florida does not currently license music therapists, many board-certified practitioners were deemed ineligible for reimbursement or required to obtain a Medicaid ID before they can be paid, leading some providers to cancel services and lay off staff.”

Music therapy helps people with disabilities communicate, work through their emotions  and connect in a way since other therapies can’t reach them, advocates said.

“Music therapy is not optional for children who depend on it, it’s a lifeline,” Smith said. “This legislation strengthens patient access and aligns Florida with at least 20 states who already license music therapy. It would also prevent the type of care disruption experienced this past summer which left thousands of disabled and autistic Florida children without access to successful treatment.”

If the legislation advances, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

“Every Floridian deserves quality, consistent health care, and right now people with disabilities, PTSD, and so many others are losing something that literally gives them a voice,” Eskamani said.