Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Weather: Today, a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 95. Tonight, a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm, with a low around 76. Thursday, a 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm, with a high near 94. Thursday night, mostly clear, with a low around 76. NWS

US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.5%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -1.2%) amid sell-off in semiconductor sector (More).

Local & State News

Three men convicted in a violent 2023 crime spree that left a Tallahassee police officer critically wounded were each sentenced Monday to mandatory life in prison. Details.

WFSU General Manager David Mullins talks retirement, layoffs, and more. Details.

A federal appeals court Tuesday kept in place a district court’s preliminary injunction on Florida’s law banning “woke” instruction at public universities. Details

National News

Multiple blocks in New York City’s Midtown East were cordoned off yesterday and several buildings were evacuated after officials discovered a high-rise building was unstable and at risk of collapse. See footage from inside the complex, where two support beams were found to be buckling, here (scroll to see photos and videos).

A Florida hospitality organization is asking the federal government for leeway for Haitian and Syrian workers in the industry after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively ended their legal status to remain in the country.

Following the ruling that allowed the federal government’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, along with 11 other state hospitality advocacy groups, signed onto a letter June 29 asking United States Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin for guidance and an “orderly runway” for employers.

“Many affected employees are long-serving, legally authorized workers who are central to restaurant operations — particularly in states with significant Haitian TPS populations, where their departure could remove a substantial share of the local hospitality workforce overnight,” the letter states.

On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration could end TPS for both Haitian and Syrian nationals. The TPS program allowed immigrants to remain in the U.S. if the federal government determined it wasn’t safe to return to their home country.

The ruling affects 93,000 workers in Florida, according to the FRLA, many of whom work in the hospitality industry.

In a statement, FRLA president and CEO Carol Dover said TPS holders in Florida contribute an estimated $2.6 billion annually to Florida’s economy.

“As employers work to understand the implications of this decision while continuing to serve millions of visitors during one of the busiest times of the year, our priority is ensuring they have the clarity, guidance, and reasonable transition time they need to comply with federal requirements while minimizing disruption for employees, business operations, and the communities they serve,” Dover said.

The National Restaurant Association and 12 states, including Florida, are requesting: A 90-to-120-day transition period before ending work authorizations for TPS workers; clear guidance and timelines for reverification and E-Verify requirements; and good faith protection for employers while awaiting updated instructions.

On CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Miami, said ending TPS for Haitians would be a “huge mistake.”

Gimenez, who represents all of Monroe County and parts of Miami-Dade, said TPS is meant to safeguard those fleeing countries in a failed state, like Haiti and Venezuela.

“When there’s good cause for it, it needs to be granted, and I think there’s a good argument for the people of Venezuela and the people of Haiti,” Gimenez said.

State Rep. Dotie Joseph, a Democrat from North Miami who is running for the party’s gubernatorial nomination, also questioned the effect of the federal government’s approach to TPS holders.

“Doing anything we do to vilify this, this labor force at a time where employers are facing 73 percent worker shortages is insane,” Joseph said during an appearance on WPLG’s “This Week in South Florida.”

“All of our key industries, tourism, agriculture, health care, rely on these workers, and it’s not just the workers, like these are people who are our neighbors,” she added.

TPS was enacted by Congress in 1990 and allows the federal government to determine if citizens of another country fleeing due to a natural disaster, war or other “temporary” condition can remain in the U.S.

The TPS designations for Haiti and Syria were both made under President Barack Obama’s administration. For Haiti, it came after a 2010 earthquake killed more than 300,000 people in the Caribbean island nation. For Syria, it came in 2012, a year after the outbreak of a devastating civil war in the Middle Eastern country.

Florida headed into the Independence Day holiday weekend with three consecutive weeks of declining unemployment claims.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,600 first-time jobless applications were filed in the state the week ending June 27, down from 6,120 the prior week.

The numbers had jumped to 7,671 the week after the Memorial Day holiday, before falling to 6,943 the week ending June 13.

The current trend follows the state releasing its first monthly jobs report since last summer in which the unemployment rate didn’t increase. The rate now at 4.8 percent reflects mid-May conditions.

The latest weekly number is near the pace of claims the state has seen this past year, with the average of new claims now at 5,863 a week since the start of July 2025.

The Board of Governors approved Stuart Bell as the 14th president of the University of Florida.

After tumultuous weeks of controversy about his appointment and years of leadership instability at Florida’s flagship university, Bell was confirmed by the BOG at a special meeting at the University of South Florida on Wednesday morning.

“I will serve with integrity, I will serve with humility, I will serve with accountability to this group and to the board of trustees,” Bell said in his opening remarks.

All members present voted to confirm except for Aubrey Edge, who questioned Bell on his history of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Alabama.

During the confirmation hearing, Edge wasn’t the only BOG member who asked Bell about DEI, critical race theory and free speech on campus. After Bell’s confirmation, Good said several members had “hesitation” about Bell but changed their position after speaking with him.

“He has my and all of our full support in his success,” Good said.

It’s the end of a long two years for UF, which has gone through three different presidents in three years.

In 2025, UF’s sole finalist to become president, Santa Ono, was approved by the school’s board of trustees but ran into opposition from conservative activists on the BOG who criticized his support for DEI programs while he was president of the University of Michigan.

Bell, who was previously the president of the University of Alabama, has been scrutinized for the same thing by conservative online activists. However, Bell assured BOG members he was “not coming to Florida to bring DEI or ‘woke’ back.”

Bell was supposed to have been confirmed last week, but the meeting was delayed after BOG chair Alan Levine questioned “governance issues” at UF and said he would not place any university business on the agenda if they were “out of compliance.”

In a letter to State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Levine alleged UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini has been granted “financial, contractual and other delegations that I feel are problematic, inconsistent with best practices in governance,” and run afoul of state regulations.

The move led to an explosive BOG meeting that devolved into an argument between Levine and Hosseini, with other members expressing sadness and disappointment about the controversy.

On Wednesday, Vice Chair Timothy Cerio called the situation “a little rocky journey,” and BOG member Nick Sinatra thanked Bell for his “grace” during the hiring process.

“I thought some of the accusations floating out around you, against you, were very much unfair,” Sinatra said.

Bell’s tenure lasts through June 30, 2031, and he will be paid an annual base salary of $2 million, according to his employment contract, with the potential for a 3% merit increase each year.

Florida’s local law enforcement agencies have been required by state law to assist the federal government in immigration enforcement for over a year.

But some agencies, including some of the largest sheriffs and police departments in the state, still aren’t participating.

At a State Immigration Enforcement Council meeting on Tuesday, Florida’s top cops said some are barely cooperating or not engaging at all in President Donald Trump’s agenda, a priority supported and pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Out of 394 law enforcement agencies in the state, 272 have active 287(g) taskforce officer agreements, according to data provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Of the 272, 163 agencies are considered “active operational,” which means they have made one or more 287(g) arrests. The remaining 109 agencies have not yet made an arrest, according to the FDLE data. 

The council will send letters to law enforcement agencies urging them to comply with state law, assist the federal government in illegal immigration enforcement and report monthly data to FDLE.

“I want to encourage them. I don’t want to see them publicly embarrassed for not complying with the law,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the council chair.

Council members have given agencies time to earn accreditation, begin arrests and learn how to enter data into Florida’s Suspected Unauthorized Alien Encounters Dashboard.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, a member of the council, said he was “very sympathetic a while back to everybody getting up to speed and getting their sea legs under them.”

But that time is over.

“Follow the law, do what you’re supposed to do,” Gualtieri said. “There’s no glitches, either you’re doing it or not.”

Judd said all local law enforcement should begin checking immigration status as part of their “daily routine.”

“We’re not suggesting that people gather up at Home Depots or Lowes and target people. We’re not suggesting they go into agriculture fields or work sites,” Judd said.

State law requires all county sheriff’s departments to enter 287(g) agreements, but according to FDLE, some counties are doing the bare minimum.

Broward County, for example, has an “active operational” agreement. But out of 1,745 deputies, only two are designated immigration officers, and the agency has not participated in monthly reporting, according to FDLE.

Police departments are not required to enter into 287(g) agreements; however, Florida law says they “shall use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.”

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department, an agency with 543 officers, currently does not have a 287(g) agreement with ICE. 

And of the 9,026 designated immigration officers in the state, only 17% are police officers.

Anthony Coker, director of the State Immigration Enforcement Council, said grants for immigration enforcement will not be given to law enforcement agencies that do not enter into 287(g) agreements or do not report data currently to the state.

The State Board of Immigration Enforcement has approved approximately $148 million in funds to local law enforcement to assist with federal immigration enforcement.

About $13.6 million of that has already been disbursed to 34 agencies, according to Transparency Florida, a state website that tracks government spending.

Nicky Fiore – Maclay

Nicky Fiore finished the 2026 season as a highly productive hitter, posting 26 hits in 55 at-bats for a .473 batting average across the full schedule.

He got off to a slow start, going hitless in three of his first four games, but quickly broke out with a 2-for-2 performance against Godby that included a double and 3 RBIs. From there, Fiore settled into a consistent offensive rhythm, stacking multiple multi-hit games through February and March while driving in runs throughout the lineup.

His strongest stretch came in mid-to-late March, when he regularly produced extra-base hits and key run support in wins over teams like Rickards, JCHS, FSUHS, and Rockledge. He also contributed in several high-scoring games, helping power blowout wins where the offense exploded.

While he had occasional quiet outings, Fiore consistently responded quickly after hitless games and avoided extended slumps.

Tucker Poppell – Maclay

Tucker Poppell finished the 2026 season as one of the most productive and consistent hitters in the lineup, posting a .446 batting average (37 hits in 83 at-bats) across 99 plate appearances.

He started the season with steady, modest production before breaking out in mid-March with a dominant stretch of multi-hit games. His biggest offensive surge came in games like TCHS (3/11), Munroe (3/21), and JCHS (3/24), where he combined for a large share of his season production and drove in key runs during lopsided wins.

Poppell showed strong extra-base ability throughout the year, finishing with 7 doubles and 1 triple, while also consistently driving in runs with 27 RBIs total. He had several standout performances in blowout wins, including a 6-RBI game against TCHS and a 4-RBI effort against Munroe.

While he had a few quieter stretches, Poppell regularly responded after hitless games and maintained a strong overall rhythm at the plate.

Saunder Dinkelman – Chiles

He showed immediate impact early in the season, collecting hits in several of the team’s first games, including a key performance against Buchholz (1-for-3 with a double). After a couple of early quiet games, he settled in and became a steady run producer, highlighted by a breakout 4-RBI, 3-hit performance against Choctawhatchee that included a home run and a triple.

Dinkelman’s production stayed strong throughout March, where he regularly delivered multi-hit games and extra-base power, including home runs against Choctawhatchee, Suwannee, Lakeside School, Wakulla, and Ponte Vedra. He also had multiple three-hit games and several multi-RBI performances in wins over top regional opponents.

One of his most dominant stretches came in mid-March through early April, where he consistently drove in runs and provided power in big wins like 15–0 against Lakeside School and 17–2 against North Florida Christian.

While he had a few hitless games scattered throughout the season, he repeatedly bounced back quickly and remained a reliable offensive threat.

TALLAHASSEE – Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a $114.5 billion spending plan Friday, wrapping up a special session to complete the budget more than two months after they failed to do so during the regular session.

The Senate voted unanimously in favor of the budget and the House voted 99-6 for the plan, but the vast support for the measure belied the tense process to produce it.

House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, insisted on cutting the current budget of more than $115 billion, while Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, preferred to keep funding essentially level.

“Floridians expect their government to spend responsibly and prioritize the issues that matter most to families across our state,” Perez said in a released statement. “For the second year in a row, the Florida House has led the charge in passing a budget that reduces spending while continuing to invest in public safety, education, environmental protection, health care, and infrastructure.”

For his part, Albritton, a citrus farmer, was pleased with the $196 million in the budget to support the beleaguered citrus industry, which has endured freezes, a greening disease and encroaching development that has led to a massive shrinking in the number of boxes it produces each year.

“Florida citrus is making a comeback, one tree at a time,” Albritton said in a released statement. “This heritage industry is not only vital to our state’s economy, but it is truly a part of our DNA. Mark my words, Florida citrus is not going down on my watch. Citrus matters, and I am running to this fight.”

The budget includes $30 billion for K-12 schools, with $201 million for teacher pay increases. That raise, though, will only go to teachers with 10 years of experience, with the increase capped at $3,000 per year.

Republicans said they wanted to use the money to prevent veteran teachers from leaving the field.

“That’s a great approach to trying to retain veteran teachers,” said Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 Education.

Democrats, though, said the funding isn’t enough, as many districts faced potential cuts this year due to declining enrollment and teachers struggle to keep up with inflation.

There were funds included to mitigate the effect of enrollment declines for school districts, but Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said that would still leave Orange County with a $13 million shortfall for its schools.

Smith voted for the budget, but also took issue with the zeroing out of preeminence funding for universities. The University of Central Florida recently qualified for the funding, which is designed to push schools to boost research. But now the school won’t be able to receive the money. In the current budget, $40 million was set aside for preeminence funding, which went to the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida International University and the University of South Florida.

“The preeminence framework remains a part of Florida law,” said Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, in response to Smith. “This is something that I hope we will revisit next year.”

Other Democrats called for raises for all state workers, instead of the 4 percent raises are targeted only corrections officers, state law enforcement officials and firefighters included in the budget.

“Our state employees are having difficult times paying their bills, paying for childcare, paying their car note, paying for property insurance, car insurance, all those things,” said Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando. “There’s nothing we can do about pay raises this year, but for those coming back next year, I hope that we will put this on our radar screen and make sure that it happens.”

Still, only six House Democrats voted against the budget, although the main theme from Democrats was that it doesn’t do enough to help Floridians facing cost of living constraints.

“I don’t know what it’s going to take for us to wake up one day and realize that we are really not doing the things for the people in the state of Florida that we should be doing, as opposed to doing what companies need,” said Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman, D-Tampa, who voted against the budget.

House budget chief Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, defended the spending plan as putting the state on a better fiscal path that will avoid the deficits in future years projected by state economists.

Friday, May 29, 2026

Weather: Today showers and thunderstorms likely, with a high near 90. Tonight, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, with a low around 72. Saturday, showers and thunderstorms likely, with a high near 88. Saturday night, showers and thunderstorms likely before 8pm, with a low around 73. NWS

US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.1%, Nasdaq +1.0%) (More).

Local & State News

Steve Stewarts discusses questions about an LCS meeting addressing construction contracting.

First-time jobless claims in Florida eased for a second consecutive week following a spike when nearly 5,000 Spirit Airlines workers were laid off in the state. Details

National News

US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative deal yesterday to extend a ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin nuclear negotiations. The proposal has been sent to President Donald Trump for review.

Trump Accounts app launches in the US; parents and guardians of US children born between 2025 and 2028 can register their kids for the 530A, tax-preferred investment accounts seeded with $1K each (More).

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Weather: Today, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Tonight, a slight chance of showers with a low around 71. Thursday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 86. Thursday night, a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, with a low around 71. NWS

US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq +1.2%) (More).

Local & State News

The Leon County School Board voted 4-1 on May 26 to place a proposed one-mill property tax increase on the November ballot, a move expected to generate approximately $24 million annually for Leon County Schools. Details.

Peter Schweizer, the bestselling author and government accountability watchdog known for his hard-hitting investigations into political corruption, has officially endorsed Tallahassee resident and Iraq war veteran Luke Murphy in the Republican primary race for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District. Details.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Florida’s request to prevent California and Washington from issuing licenses to commercial truck drivers who are not in the country legally. Details

Florida attracted slightly fewer tourists in the first quarter than during the same period last year, data from the state’s tourism marketing agency released Tuesday show Visit Florida reported an estimated 39.89 million people journeyed to the state between January 1 and March 31, down 1 percent from the first quarter of 2025. Details

National News

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) defeats incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R) in primary runoff (More).

President Donald Trump to hold Cabinet meeting at White House, canceling original planned trip to Camp David in Maryland; follows US strikes on Iran late Monday (More).

Hurricane experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hope people don’t become complacent as the agency is the latest to forecast a “below-normal” storm season.

Highlighting new drone technologies and changes in the forecast cone at an event in Lakeland, the federal agency’s outlook anticipates up to 14 named storms for the six-month season that begins June 1.

Between three and six of the named storms are expected to reach hurricane strength, with winds at or above 74 mph. The forecast also includes three-to-five of the hurricanes reaching Category 3 or greater status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, where maximum winds are at least 111 mph.

NOAA’s National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said people shouldn’t ease preparations because of the forecast. He noted that there were only four hurricanes in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida with 175 mph sustained winds and four in 1965 when Hurricane Betsy left more than 80 dead on a path that included southern Florida and Louisiana.

“We’re ready. We need to get the American public ready as well. And don’t let words like below average – don’t let all those words change the way you prepare,” Graham said during a press event at the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland. “Even if you have a few storms, they could be big ones.”

The forecast is based in part on “El Niño” conditions occurring late in the six-month hurricane season that begins June 1. This weather phemomenon is said to increase vertical wind shear that disrupts systems from building and makes it harder for the development of the eastern waves coming off of Africa to strengthen into storms.

Graham said people also need to look beyond the forecast size of a storm and listen for threats of flooding rainfall, rip currents, storm surge, and other inland dangers.

For the 2026 season, Graham noted the National Hurricane Center cone graphic will include tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas and account for forward motions and directional or lateral uncertainty rather than straight track error.

“This is a much better way to independently visualize uncertainty in both direction and timing,” Graham said.

Matthew Rosencrans, NOAA’s lead hurricane season forecaster, said the impacts of El Niño are mostly on the Atlantic waters.

“Most of the effects of El Niño are deep in the tropics,” Rosencrans said. “They won’t have those long run-ups, those long storm tracks, you can get those storms in the Gulf that have the short awareness times.”

The forecast follows similar outlooks from Colorado State University researchers, who have called for a “somewhat below-normal” Atlantic hurricane season, and the meteorological company AccuWeather.

The school’s forecast models have predicted 13 named storms, instead of 14 to 15 in an average year, six hurricanes instead of seven, and two reaching major storm strength instead of three.

The researchers also based their model on waters being slightly cooler than normal in the eastern and central tropical Atlantic and for currently weak La Niña conditions to likely transition to El Niño in a few months.

The meteorological company AccuWeather has predicted 11 to 16 named storms for 2026, with four to seven reaching hurricane strength.

Last year, the Atlantic produced 13 named storms and five hurricanes, four of which reached Category 3.

None of the 2025 storms, though, made a direct landfall in Florida or the U.S. 

From 2022 to 2024, Florida took direct hits from six hurricanes, including four that were Category 3 or stronger.

Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin said the tourism marketing agency is in line to receive $80 million from the state in draft budgets for fiscal year 2026-2027 now before the Senate and House – the same level as the current year.

“We’re very pleased about that, for the support among all the different decision-makers in the state,” Griffin told members of the Visit Florida Executive Committee on Wednesday. “We’re grateful, and we’re going to continue to make sure that they have everything they need, to know that we are being effective and spending money wisely, and being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.”

Visit Florida, expected to release first quarter 2026 tourism numbers by Friday, estimated a record 143.3 million people traveled into Florida in 2025, a 0.2 percent increase from 2024.

The House and Senate are in the middle of a special session to resolve differences in the budget, but funding for Visit Florida isn’t part of the dispute. Both chambers set aside $80 million in their preferred spending plans.

Last month, the Board hosted a standing-room-only public meeting where residents, community stakeholders, and representatives from Trulieve shared their perspectives and concerns regarding the ongoing issues surrounding the facility.

Two separate state regulators have raised concerns related to the facility, including issues involving “discharging of water,” “standing water,” and the “presence of excessive pollutants” referenced in a recent Notice of Non-Compliance issued by the Suwannee River Water Management District. 

Residents say their concerns go far beyond regulatory issues. Many describe a constant industrial-type noise, some comparing it to standing near an airport jetway, along with persistent skunk-like odors that are affecting daily life, raising concerns about property values and potential health impacts.

Concerns about the facility intensified following complaints from nearby residents and findings by state regulators. In April 2026, the Suwannee River Water Management District issued a notice of non-compliance alleging multiple violations of the company’s Environmental Resource Permit. Inspectors cited unpermitted impervious surfaces, standing water in stormwater ponds, erosion caused by prolonged water discharge, and excessive pollutants leaving the site during pumping events. Nearby residents also reported foul “skunk-like” odors and concerns about declining water quality in nearby creeks and groundwater.

Trulieve has denied causing environmental harm, stating that independent testing showed water quality within normal limits and that the facility remains in compliance with state standards. Regulators continue monitoring the site while residents and local officials call for additional oversight and testing.

Trulieve also argued that its Jefferson County cannabis facility is exempt from certain wastewater discharge permitting requirements because the company considers the operation an agricultural nursery rather than an industrial facility.