The Florida Rural Economic Development Summit kicked off Thursday in St. Augustine with leaders grappling with how to prepare the Sunshine State’s 32 struggling rural counties for the new economy.

After the Florida Legislature gets through this session, and does whatever it must to fill a $3 billion budget gap, what then?

Lawmakers may congratulate themselves on not raising taxes, but several big initiatives will be left undone or unrealized.

The South Korean government proposed a deal to Florida Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp Wednesday that could launch Florida and Space Coast aerospace technicians into the high-speed rail industry .

Soon-Man Hong, South Korea’s deputy minister for Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs, told Kottkamp and others that his country was interested in a partnership that could put aerospace experts to work in high-speed rail research and development, resulting in a transfer of Korean high-speed rail technology to Florida.