Scripps, FL At Risk

When it comes to science infrastructure, the talking points are financial, not technical. And so Science magazine reports that the deal to bring Scripps, the prominent California research institute, to establish a Florida branch in Palm Beach County, is still up in the air due to money. Scripps says that they can’t jeopardize their La Jolla, CA funding to make the new Florida facility, which means that they are relying upon Palm Beach County and the state of Florida to pony up the up-front costs of about \$569M. There was a Palm Beach County deadline of today for working out a deal, so we should know shortly whether there is still a possibility for Scripps to have a Florida branch.

Update: Apparently, the state of Florida stepped in to keeps the Scripps deal alive.