From hosting technology competitions to discovering new uses for chickens (yes, chickens), local governments across Florida are embracing innovative ideas that improve our lives. This summer, Keep It Local, Florida will bring you a series of stories about local innovation. After all, with Washington paralyzed by gridlock and anger, some of today’s toughest challenges are being tackled by local communities.
What if 20 college students of various backgrounds and disciplines split into teams of five to compete for a cash prize for the best new technology? And not just any technology: These millennials are creating new technologies to improve municipal services and enhance our local quality of life.
It’s not a “what if”—it’s what’s happening.
“MuniMod” is a unique technology competition, sponsored by the Florida League of Cities Center for Municipal Research and Innovation. To pull it off, the League partnered with Florida State University, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee Community College, and Domi Station, a Tallahassee startup incubator and co-working space.
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. – 50 chickens squawk in their coop outside the St. Lucie County Mosquito Control District office in Fort Pierce.
They are sentinel chickens, used as early warning detectors for mosquito-borne illnesses. Starting Thursday, they’ll be spread out around the county.
“We’re able to draw their blood once a week and determine if there’s mosquito disease present,” said Glenn Henderson with St. Lucie County Mosquito Control. Diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and west Nile.
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