The morning edition

Flood emergency widens to 7 more counties, Kane's Furniture sold, and a Jacksonville Zoo bonobo baby

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Good Morning! On Nov. 5, 1974, Sanibel Island voters went to the polls and chose to incorporate, with 84 percent of registered voters casting ballots and 63.6 percent saying yes. The push came after the 1963 causeway opened the island to rapid building, and the new city, with future CIA director and congressman Porter Goss as its first mayor, adopted a vision of staying "a small-town community whose members choose to live in harmony with one another and with nature." That is why most of Sanibel still stands no taller than two or three stories.

In This Issue: The state widens its flood emergency to seven more counties as the St. Johns River keeps rising, and a Tampa Bay name that dates to 1948 changes hands as a private equity firm buys Kane's Furniture. Plus, Jaguars fans can now put down deposits for the team's 2027 season in Orlando, and the Jacksonville Zoo welcomes its first bonobo baby in more than 10 years.

Weather: The St. Johns River is the flood worry now: River Flood Warnings stay in effect until further notice near Cocoa in Brevard, where NWS expects major flood stage late this week and through the weekend, and above Lake Harney, at Sanford, at DeLand and at Astor in Seminole, Volusia and Lake counties, the three counties just added to the state of emergency. River Flood Warnings also continue on the Peace River at Arcadia and Zolfo Springs and on Horse Creek and the Alafia, and floodwaters are slowly receding in southern Brevard and on the Treasure Coast. Thursday itself turns mostly dry and sunny statewide, with highs in the low to mid 80s after morning fog in North and Central Florida, dense in spots around the Big Bend and inland Northeast Florida. Minor coastal flooding is possible at high tide along the Southeast coast and the Keys and in Flagler and Putnam counties. A cold front Friday brings a drier, cooler weekend. Never drive into flooded roads. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center's 7 p.m. Wednesday outlook is watching a non-tropical low a few hundred miles south of Bermuda that could gradually become subtropical late this week or this weekend as it drifts slowly east over the open Atlantic, before conditions turn unfavorable early next week. NHC gives it a low, 30% chance of development in 48 hours and a medium, 50% chance over seven days, up from 20% and 40% on Tuesday; it is heading away from Florida. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: The rip current risk is HIGH at Palm Beach County beaches on Thursday and moderate along the rest of the Atlantic coast from Nassau County through Martin County, with surf around 3 to 4 feet. It is moderate on Panhandle beaches in Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties, and low in Broward and Miami-Dade, from Pensacola through Okaloosa, and along the Gulf coast from Levy County to Collier County. (NWS)

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UPDATE: Florida Widens Flood Emergency to Seven More Counties as the St. Johns River Rises

What's new: Gov. Ron DeSantis amended the flood emergency order Wednesday to add Lake, Seminole and Volusia counties in Central Florida and Glades, Hendry, Okeechobee and Palm Beach in South Florida, as more than two feet of rain that fell on Brevard during Monday's 1-in-1,000-year event drains north into the St. Johns River. The order frees state agencies to move resources and activates the Florida National Guard and Florida State Guard.

The National Weather Service has a flood warning along the river in Brevard, Seminole and Volusia, with moderate-to-major flood stage forecast through the weekend; Brevard emergency managers expect a crest near 17 feet that could linger for days and are weighing evacuations west of I-95, while Volusia hands out sandbags and Seminole has set a no-wake zone and closed river parks.

Security Guard Stops Gunman on Tampa-Area Citibank Campus Where 3,200 Were at Work

A man drove into a courtyard where Citibank employees were eating lunch Wednesday on the bank's suburban Tampa campus and opened fire with a rifle, fatally shooting a woman before a Citibank security guard confronted him in a cafeteria and killed him in an exchange of gunfire, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Four other people were hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening; about 3,200 people were on the four-building campus.

Sheriff Chad Chronister described it as a "targeted incident," and Chief Deputy Frank Losat said there is no threat to the public. Investigators have not released a motive, the names of the gunman or the woman, or whether the two knew each other.

Appeals Court Lets Florida's Teen-Safety Lawsuit Against Meta Move Forward

Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday rejected Meta and Instagram's bid to end Attorney General James Uthmeier's lawsuit claiming the company's design features hook and harm children, ruling the company hadn't shown irreparable harm. Judge Andrea Teves Smith wrote that "none of Meta's First Amendment rights have been altered," and the court said federal Section 230 immunity doesn't spare Meta from litigating the case.

The case, filed in 2024 in Pasco County, now returns to the trial court; Florida stayed out of Meta's August settlement with 47 states and Washington, D.C., and is separately seeking limits on minors' access and two-hour daily caps for teens. The ruling does not find that Meta broke the law.

Experts Warn Florida's State-Subsidized Wood-Chip Septic Systems May Not Work as Promised

Thousands of "biofilter" septic systems, which use wood chips to strip nitrogen from household wastewater before it reaches waterways, may remove less pollution than advertised, septic professionals say. Biofilters are one of three advanced options Florida will require at tens of thousands of properties by 2030, counties hand out state grants to install them, and more than 5,500 have gone in near some of the state's most sensitive waters.

Damann Anderson, who led the state's original design team, said early results were preliminary and meant to be followed by more testing that never happened before installation codes were written. Unlike other advanced systems, biofilters need no routine inspections or monitoring equipment, and the Department of Environmental Protection's five test sites show nitrogen reductions from 42% to 83%, with the agency saying more data is needed.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Shorty's Original BBQ Closes Dec. 27 After 75 Years: Miami: Shorty's Bar-B-Q will close its original 9200 S. Dixie Hwy. location, a U.S. 1 landmark since 1951, on Sunday, Dec. 27. The site was sold to developers in 2022 for $14.5 million; the West Miami and Davie locations stay open.

❖ Tampa Bay — Office Tower and Hotel Planned for Old Police HQ Site: St. Petersburg: Tampa-based Ellison Development has closed on the former St. Petersburg police headquarters site on Central Avenue for The Central, a 10-story office tower called Halcyon, a 165-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel and 42 workforce apartments in the EDGE District. ARK Invest plans to move its headquarters into the tower's roughly 116,000 square feet of offices, and the 531-space public garage on the site stays open during construction.

❖ Orlando — '80s-Style Revival Pitched for Colonial Promenade: Orlando: The Wideman Company has proposed turning the nearly empty 180,000-square-foot Colonial Promenade on East Colonial Drive into "The Landings," with a retro look inspired by the plaza's 1985 construction year. The plan calls for a 30-year lease and at least $20 million in improvements, with the east building razed for a possible larger store.

❖ Jacksonville — Fair Debuts New Westside Fairgrounds: Jacksonville: After years downtown, the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair is opening at its new Westside fairgrounds, which have room for about 5,000 vehicles and a newly built access road. Fair CEO Bill Olsen says the bigger site also brings five new rides from Deggeller Attractions.

❖ Broward — JetBlue Links FLL to Indianapolis and Columbus: Fort Lauderdale: JetBlue has started daily nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International to Indianapolis, a new city for the airline, and to Columbus, which it last served in 2008. The additions bring JetBlue's Fort Lauderdale network to 61 nonstop destinations this winter.

❖ Palm Beach — Mr. C Residences Coming to Downtown Boca: Boca Raton: The 12-story Mr. C Residences Boca Raton, with 133 two- and three-bedroom condos priced from $1.7 million, is cleared to be built at 14 SE Fourth St. Developers Key International and Wexford Real Estate Investors plan a 6,000-square-foot Bellini restaurant open to the public; it will be the third Mr. C Residences in South Florida.

❖ Ocala — Niagara Bottling Shuts Ocala Plant, 57 Jobs Cut: Ocala: Niagara Bottling is closing the former Silver Springs Bottled Water Co. plant at 2445 NW 42nd St. and cutting its last 57 workers Dec. 31, a little more than a year after buying it for $25.7 million. The company had already cut 85 jobs there.

❖ North Florida — Tallahassee Airport Passengers Up 6.4%: Tallahassee: Tallahassee International Airport handled 75,813 passengers in September, up 6.4% from 71,262 a year earlier. Delta's count rose 8% and Breeze Airways added 3,957 passengers, while American was down 6.1%.

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❖ UPDATE: DeSantis Plans Special Session to Put Amendment 3 Into Effect — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he will call lawmakers back for a special session before his term ends in early January to carry out Amendment 3, which voters approved with about 62%. The measure raises the non-school homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. DeSantis said the session would set the timeline and keep local governments from making up the lost money through other taxes. He also wants help for small counties. The date is up to legislative leaders, who meet for their organizational session the week of Nov. 30. State economists estimate local revenue could fall by up to $12 billion a year once the measure is fully in place.

❖ Democrats Gain About 15 State House Seats, Ending GOP Supermajorities — Republicans will keep control of both chambers of the Florida Legislature, but they lost the two-thirds supermajorities they have held. Unofficial returns show Democrats picking up about 15 state House seats. Republicans had held 82 of 120 House seats, and 80 are needed for a supermajority. In the Senate, Maitland Mayor John Lowndes, a Democrat, defeated Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur, which drops Republicans below the 27 seats needed. Without two-thirds, the majority can no longer override vetoes or waive certain rules on its own. Central Florida accounted for six of the House flips. At least one House race is in recount range.

❖ Miami's CD 27 Race Falls Within Recount Range as Three Other U.S. House Races Stay Close — Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar led Democrat Eliott Rodriguez by about 1,100 votes in the 27th Congressional District, a margin of 0.46%. That is inside the 0.5% gap that triggers an automatic machine recount. Voters have until 5pm Thursday to fix about 200 mail ballots, and the canvassing board meets Friday. Any recount would be ordered by the secretary of state. In CD 26, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart led Nicole Locklin 49.9% to 49.1%, just outside the threshold. Díaz-Balart has declared victory and Locklin has not conceded. In Central Florida, the CD 7 and CD 9 races are each separated by just over 0.5%.

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❖ Massachusetts Private Equity Firm Buys Kane's Furniture and Its 18 Florida Properties — Pinellas Park-based Kane's Furniture, a Tampa Bay retailer with nearly 80 years of history, has been acquired by Onyx Partners Ltd., a private equity firm in Needham, Mass. The deal covers 18 retail properties across Florida: Onyx closed on the first 11 in October, and the other seven are set to close in early 2027. The purchase price wasn't disclosed. Onyx founding partner Anton Melchionda said the firm sees the stores as well-located properties along busy commercial corridors and plans to position them for the long term. Kane's began in 1948 as a single St. Petersburg showroom and now advertises 17 stores in Tampa Bay, Orlando and Southwest Florida. Onyx hasn't said whether current management will stay or what changes are planned.

❖ Miami International Airport Lands Nonstops to Belgrade and Barcelona, Venezuela — Air Serbia plans to start nonstop service between Miami International Airport and Belgrade on May 20, 2027, its third U.S. destination, after about five years of work by MIA's air service team. American Airlines plans to begin flights to Barcelona, Venezuela, on Jan. 15, 2027, after resuming service to Caracas and Maracaibo this year. United plans to launch nonstops to Cleveland on Dec. 3. MIA director Ralph Cutié said the airport is also exploring routes to Paraguay, Brussels, Vienna, New Delhi and Tokyo. MIA, served by 92 airlines, ranks second in the U.S. for international passengers. It has topped 55 million passengers a year for two straight years, and Cutié expects about 77 million a year by 2040.

❖ Fort Myers' NeoGenomics Narrows Its Loss as Revenue Climbs 11% — Fort Myers-based NeoGenomics reported a third-quarter net loss of $7.5 million, down from $27.1 million a year earlier, as revenue rose 11% to $209 million. Clinical services revenue grew 13% to $195 million, helped by 29% growth in next-generation sequencing. The cancer diagnostics company raised its full-year revenue forecast to $807 million to $809 million. President Warren Stone is set to succeed CEO Tony Zook in January.

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Miami Star Malachi Toney Needs Ankle Surgery Before the Notre Dame Showdown

Malachi Toney, top-ranked Miami's star receiver and a Heisman candidate, is scheduled for surgery on a high ankle sprain and will be out for multiple weeks, a person with knowledge of the matter told the AP on Wednesday night. Miami had confirmed earlier in the day that he hurt the ankle in practice Wednesday morning and was "undergoing further evaluation." The recovery timeline won't be known until after the surgery. The Hurricanes (8-0, No. 1 CFP) play at Notre Dame (7-1, No. 11 CFP) on Saturday night. Toney accounts for 35% of Miami's catches and 46% of its touchdown receptions, and he ranks second in the nation with 73 catches and third with 1,027 receiving yards. After Notre Dame, Miami finishes the regular season at home against Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College.

Jaguars Get Baltimore's Undrafted Rookie QB Thursday Night as the Ravens Land Jacoby Brissett

The Ravens are getting veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett from Arizona, a person with knowledge of the trade told the AP on Wednesday, but he won't be ready in time for Jacksonville. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano will start for Baltimore (4-4) against the Jaguars (5-2) on Thursday night. Lamar Jackson needs thumb surgery and is out indefinitely, and backup Tyler Huntley reportedly will miss the rest of the season with a toe injury. Brissett, 33, a former Dolphin, will likely start against the Chargers on Nov. 15. Kickoff in Baltimore is 8:15pm ET on Prime Video.

Jaguars Fans Can Now Put Down Deposits for the Team's 2027 Season in Orlando

Season-ticket deposits are open for the Jaguars' one-year stay at Orlando's Camping World Stadium in 2027, while EverBank Stadium is renovated. The team returns to Jacksonville in 2028. Fans can reserve up to eight seats per account, at $100 a seat for general bowl seating or $200 a seat for club seats. Deposit holders get access before the public, and seats will be picked first come, first served after this NFL season. Florida Citrus Sports members get priority without a deposit. Information on flex plans, group tickets and single-game tickets is expected in early 2027. Thursday's game against the Ravens will be shown at "Teal Thursday" watch parties at Orlando spots including Tin Roof on International Drive and The Porch on North Orange Avenue.

Scoreboard

NHL: Panthers 5, Blackhawks 3 — Final

NBA: Heat 117, Clippers 116 — Final/OT

Schedule (all times ET)

Thu Nov 5 — NHL: Blackhawks at Lightning, 7pm ET, The Spot

Thu Nov 5 — NCAAF: UTSA at FAU, 7:30pm ET, ESPN

Thu Nov 5 — NFL: Jaguars at Ravens, 8:15pm ET, Prime Video

Thu Nov 5 — NBA: Magic at Suns, 9pm ET, Arizona's Family 3TV

Thu Nov 5 — NBA: Heat at Warriors, 10pm ET, NBA TV

Fri Nov 6 — NCAAF: USF at East Carolina, 7:30pm ET, ESPN2

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: FSU at Boston College, 12pm ET, ACC Network

Sat Nov 7 — NHL: Panthers at Capitals, 12:30pm ET, Scripps Sports

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: UCF at Kansas, 3:45pm ET, ESPN2

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: Missouri State at FIU, 4pm ET, ESPN+

Sat Nov 7 — MLS: Charlotte FC at Inter Miami, 4pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Nov 7 — MLS: New England at Orlando City, 4pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: No. 1 Miami at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30pm ET, NBC

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: Oklahoma at No. 24 Florida, 7:45pm ET, SEC Network

Sat Nov 7 — NHL: Lightning at Wild, 8pm ET, The Spot

Sun Nov 8 — NFL: Lions at Dolphins, 1pm ET, Fox

Sun Nov 8 — NHL: Panthers at Bruins, 1pm ET, NHL Network

Sun Nov 8 — NASCAR: Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami, 3pm ET, NBC

Sun Nov 8 — NHL: Lightning at Jets, 7pm ET, The Spot

Sun Nov 8 — NFL: Bucs at Bears, 8:20pm ET, NBC

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF

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Florida's average for regular is $3.84 a gallon, AAA says, down about 3 cents from yesterday and about 17 cents below a week ago ($4.01). That's about 29 cents under the national average of $4.12. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $3.99; Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.62.

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❖ Kimia the Bonobo Gives Jacksonville Zoo Its First Bonobo Baby in More Than 10 Years: Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens has a new arrival. Kimia the bonobo gave birth just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, the zoo's first bonobo birth in more than 10 years. Zoo staff say mom and baby are doing well and are getting plenty of quiet time to settle in while the Animal Care team keeps watch. The baby's sex isn't known yet. Bonobos are endangered great apes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kimia's roughly eight-month pregnancy was first announced in June.

❖ Villager Sinks His First Hole-in-One After 40 Years on the Greens: After four decades of practice and patience, Brad Bristol of the Village of Rio Ranchero finally got the shot every golfer dreams of. On Halloween, standing on the 7th tee at the Chula Vista Executive Golf Course, Bristol hit his trusty 8-iron and watched the ball fly 142 yards straight into the cup. It was the first hole-in-one of his life, a holiday treat that was 40 years in the making.

❖ Young Panhandle Angler Reels In a $4,500 Kayak Prize From FWC: Lilyanne Fine is the Season 4 champion of the Triple Threat Throwdown, a statewide fishing challenge run by FWC's Catch a Florida Memory program. Wildlife staff traveled to meet her in person and hand over the grand prize, a fully rigged fishing kayak package worth more than $4,500. To win, the family planned part of a vacation in the Keys to chase species they can't catch at home in the Panhandle. Her dad, Barrett, jokes that he used to wear his challenge shirts before hers arrived, and now he expects "a big dose of karma" when her winner's shirt shows up.

❖ Horizon West Scout, 14, Is Hand-Knotting 50 Blankets for Veterans: For his Eagle Scout project, 14-year-old Austin Tasior of Horizon West Troop 7320 has spent hours knotting fleece blankets for veterans getting medical care. By Thanksgiving he hopes to hand-deliver 50 blankets, 120 compassion cards, fidget toys, puzzles and decks of cards to a local Veterans Affairs hospital. Austin comes from a long line of service members, including a great-grandfather who was a merchant marine in World War II. He says he wants veterans to know "people still care about them" years after they served.

❖ Fort Pierce Pizza Man Puts Free Books in Young Kids' Hands: Scott Van Duzer, who owns Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, has helped get 40,000 books to kids in three years through his Read To Succeed program, and now he has found a faster way. He's urging families to sign up for New Worlds Reading, a University of Florida and Scholastic partnership that mails children nine free books a year through fifth grade. Van Duzer is also turning part of his restaurant into a reading room with four computers, where kids can pick out a free book and get signed up on the spot.

❖ Bloodhound Named Cane Sniffs Out 2 Lost Boys in Rural Manatee County: Two boys who wandered off in a remote, rural part of Manatee County are home safe, thanks in large part to a very good nose. Deputies on foot and the sheriff's Aviation Unit were already searching when Bloodhound K9 Cane picked up the boys' scent. He led his team to them in thick brush, where both were recovered safely. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office gave the credit to Cane, his handler and the deputies who brought the boys home.

Today’s Quote

"After a second or third forty-degrees-above cold snap the visitor from frozen climes gets his balance and forgets to shiver, finding the chill a tonic and the mid-day warmth delightful."

— Winthrop Packard, Florida Trails (1910)

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent, about 13% lit, four days past Sunday's last quarter; the new moon arrives Nov. 9.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 6:40 a.m., sunset 5:37 p.m. EST, 10h 57m of daylight. Times are Eastern Standard (Pensacola and the western Panhandle are on Central time); times vary across the state.

Gardening Notes: Leeks are a cool-season crop worth sowing now, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says: start seeds in fall, and once the plants reach about pencil width, mound soil around the stems (blanching) so they grow long and white. Water and fertilize regularly and expect a harvest in three to four months; leeks taste milder and sweeter than green onions and are high in vitamins A and C and folate.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's latest report (Oct. 30) finds red tide only in Northwest Florida, at bloom levels in six samples from Bay and Gulf counties, with fish kills and breathing irritation reported in Gulf County; none was seen in Southwest Florida or on the East Coast. Next update: Friday, Nov. 6.

Florida by the Numbers

13.64 feet: Lake Okeechobee's level on Nov. 3, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, up more than a foot from 12.50 feet on Oct. 22 after the recent heavy rains. Water is flowing into the lake at about eight times the rate it's being let out, but the lake is still below its level a year ago (13.95 feet) and well under its long-term average for the date (15.02 feet).