The morning edition

Florida paid $82 million for a Canadian drug import program that never brought in a single drug

Thursday, October 29, 2026

Thursday, October 29, 2026

Good Morning! On October 29, 1966, Miami hiker Jim Kern and a band of fellow Florida Trail Association volunteers began building the Florida Trail at the entrance to Clearwater Lake Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest, marking the way with orange blazes. Their first 26-mile stretch through the forest was finished in 1969. Sixty years on, the trail runs about 1,500 miles, from Big Cypress to Pensacola Beach.

In This Issue: President Trump approves Florida's Isaias disaster request, opening federal aid to 15 Panhandle counties; a News 6 investigation finds Florida paid $82 million for a Canadian drug import program that never imported a drug; missile defense systems now guard Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach's airport; and the education commissioner says new science standards will still teach evolution and climate. Plus: John Morgan's group lines up 300 acres for an Ocala racetrack, and Southpaw the manatee is swimming again at SeaWorld.

Weather: A breezy northeast wind keeps scattered showers and a few storms on the Atlantic coast Thursday, with the best chances around Daytona Beach and Orlando, while drier air leaves the Panhandle and Gulf coast mostly sunny with highs in the 80s. Coastal flooding eases now that the peak king tides have passed, but NWS Melbourne says minor to locally moderate flooding is still possible at Thursday's morning high tide; Coastal Flood Warnings stay up from Volusia to Martin counties and along the St. Johns River basin until 2 a.m. Friday, with an advisory for coastal Palm Beach until 8 p.m. Thursday. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center does not expect any tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf over the next seven days. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: The rip current risk stays high Thursday from Nassau through Palm Beach, with surf of 6 to 8 feet in Northeast Florida and 5 to 7 feet from Volusia to Martin under High Surf Advisories; NWS Melbourne says the ocean remains dangerous even as it looks calmer. The risk is also high in Franklin County, moderate in Broward, Miami-Dade and the rest of the Panhandle, and low from Levy to Collier. (NWS)

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Trump Approves Florida's Isaias Disaster Declaration, Freeing Federal Aid for 15 Counties

FEMA says President Trump has approved Florida's request for a major disaster declaration after Hurricane Isaias. The approval opens federal public assistance for local governments in 15 counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton and Washington. The approval came 12 days after Gov. DeSantis filed the request, and it does not give a dollar amount. The state had sought about $237 million for debris removal, public infrastructure and emergency protective measures.

Individual assistance for residents is still under review. That request covers nearly 1,000 damaged homes in eight counties: Bay, Escambia, Gulf, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington. Isaias came ashore in Destin on Oct. 9 as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds.

Florida Paid $82 Million for a Canadian Drug Import Program That Never Imported a Drug

A News 6 investigation found that Florida has paid Dallas-based LifeScience Logistics $81.9 million since a no-bid contract was signed in December 2020. The contract was to run a Lakeland warehouse for cheaper prescription drugs imported from Canada for Medicaid, prisons, state hospitals and county health departments. The state's latest quarterly report to lawmakers, covering April through June 2026, lists the number of imported drugs as "N/A".

The FDA approved Florida's plan in 2024, the first state plan to win approval. AHCA's report blames resistance from drug manufacturers. Payments to the contractor stopped in July, and the contract was extended one last time, at no cost, through Dec. 31. When asked, Gov. DeSantis said the program is not waste and told viewers to "stay tuned" for plans in Polk County.

Missile Defense Systems Deployed Around Mar-a-Lago and Palm Beach's Airport

NORAD and U.S. Northern Command have deployed ground-based air defense systems around Mar-a-Lago and near Palm Beach International Airport (Donald J. Trump International Airport). They say the Secret Service requested the deployment, and they declined to give operational details. Aviation experts who spoke with WPTV identified trailer-mounted Avenger systems carrying Stinger surface-to-air missiles, which can target aircraft and drones.

CBS12 reports that some of the equipment sits on a barge near Mar-a-Lago. The Secret Service confirmed that Northern Command is also providing counter-drone equipment at its request. A former Navy fighter pilot told the station that drones are now a bigger concern than planes, beyond the usual flight restrictions and fighter intercepts.

Florida Education Commissioner Defends Proposed Science Standards on Evolution and Climate

Education Commissioner Henry Mack told critics at the final public listening session on Florida's proposed B.E.S.T. science standards that students will still learn climate science, climate change and evolutionary biology. He said this holds even where those terms are not written into individual benchmarks. The draft is the state's first full rewrite of its science and health standards since 2008.

Mack said the department is working to make evolutionary biology more explicit, without treating evolution by random mutation and natural selection as "settled science." Teachers and parents at the Lake Buena Vista High session questioned whether describing concepts without naming them will confuse students. They also asked whether more than 100 kindergarten standards can fit into a 180-day school year.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Aerospace Firms Move Into Homestead: Homestead: AST SpaceMobile, which is building a space-based cellular broadband network, has expanded its satellite manufacturing into Homestead, and Miami-based Global Engine Stands signed a 10-year lease for 35,000 square feet at the city's Park of Commerce. Mayor Steven Losner says the city, which won a state spaceport territory designation more than two years ago, now gets inquiries from aerospace and defense companies almost weekly.

❖ Tampa Bay — Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry Students Will Move Off Campus: Tampa: When construction starts on the new Rays ballpark, Hillsborough College will move classes from its Dale Mabry campus to the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation downtown and to the Tampa Bay Park office plaza at MLK Jr. Boulevard and Himes Avenue, instead of building one temporary campus. The move is set for early next year, and work, including new college buildings at Dale Mabry, is due to finish by 2030.

❖ Orlando — A New Home Base for Homeless Families: Orlando: City, county and federal leaders broke ground Wednesday on the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida's $60 million Center for Women and Families in Parramore. The six-story building will add 112 short-term beds plus 20 transitional units with 75 beds for families who need longer stays, at a time when more than 2,700 people are homeless across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

❖ Jacksonville — Brett's Waterway Is Being Demolished: Fernandina Beach: Crews have started tearing down Brett's Waterway, the harbor-front seafood restaurant that opened in 1984, after years of disputes between the city and its operators over the building's failing foundation. The demolition is part of the city's $12.5 million marina redevelopment, which Mayor Darron Ayscue says should be finished around December 2027.

❖ Broward — Goodwill Opens in Fort Lauderdale: Fort Lauderdale: Goodwill opened its newest store and donation center on West State Road 84 with live music, raffles and gifts for its first customers. Sales and donations at the store help pay for Goodwill's workplace training for people with disabilities.

❖ Palm Beach — FAU Opens a Free Youth Mental Health Program: Boca Raton: Florida Atlantic University's new OWLS-FLY program will offer free individual, group and family counseling to children ages 6 through 17 and their families, funded with $1.2 million from the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County. Researchers Kelly Emelianchik-Key and Alex Fields expect to see the first clients in January, and the program will also give master's students and graduates work experience.

❖ Gulf Coast — A Live Local Project for Downtown Sarasota: Sarasota: Orange Pineapple LLC is planning a mixed-use project at 200 S. Orange Ave. with about 118 market-rate condominiums and 79 rental units kept attainable for 30 years, under the state's Live Local Act. The plan also includes 25,000 square feet for restaurants and about 40,150 square feet of commercial space, replacing three existing commercial buildings.

❖ North Florida — Island Resort Closes for Repairs: Okaloosa Island: The Island Resort & Convention Center closed to the public right after Hurricane Isaias and expects to stay closed until late November while crews renovate and repair the property. All upcoming events there are canceled, and guests with bookings during the closure must cancel or reschedule.

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❖ DeSantis Campaigns With Donalds, Says GOP Turnout Is Lagging — Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigned with Republican governor nominee Byron Donalds in Brooksville on Wednesday, and later, at a grants event in Crystal River, said Republican turnout hasn't been "as strong as we would like to see." As of Tuesday afternoon, Republicans had cast more than 1.4 million ballots, about 35,000 more than Democrats, well below the GOP's lead at the same point in 2022. DeSantis blamed lower turnout among Republican parents in their 30s and 40s and urged supporters to vote before Nov. 3. In Brooksville, he told Republicans not to let frustration with Washington and the national economy keep them home, pointing to Amendment 3's property-tax cut as a reason to vote.

❖ Amendment 3 Polls Short of the 60% It Needs — Amendment 3, the property-tax measure DeSantis is promoting, needs 60% voter approval, and a new St. Pete Polls survey has it at 44% yes, 39% no and 17% unsure; a University of North Florida poll last week put support at 50%. State economists estimate it would cut local revenue by about $5 billion in its first year and up to $12 billion a year once fully in effect. DeSantis pledged help for small, fiscally constrained communities, while the Florida Police Chiefs Association opposes the measure. A Florida Realtors committee backing Amendment 3 has raised more than $21.5 million, while the two committees opposing it have raised a combined $1.3 million, according to state election records.

❖ Final Poll Shows Close Governor's Race — A final St. Pete Polls survey for Florida Politics has Republican Byron Donalds at 48% and Democrat David Jolly at 46%, within the poll's 3.2-point margin of error, among 916 likely voters surveyed Oct. 25–27. Among those who said they had already voted, Jolly led 58% to 38%; Donalds led 57% to 34% among those still planning to vote. The poll's sample assumes an electorate 12 points more Republican than Democratic, compared with an 8-point Republican edge in voter registration, and reweighted to that registration split, the same answers put Jolly ahead by a point. Jolly led independents 56% to 34%, while each candidate held 81% of his own party.

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❖ Tampa's Slide Insurance Doubles Its Credit Line to $1.07 Billion as It Goes National — Tampa homeowners insurer Slide Insurance has more than doubled its credit facility to $1.07 billion under a new Huntington National Bank-led deal, adding $539.6 million in borrowing room as it began writing policies in Texas this month and grows in California, South Carolina and Rhode Island. It earned $138.2 million in the third quarter, up 24.5%, and raised its full-year profit forecast to $500 million to $520 million, allowing for up to $50 million in pretax Hurricane Isaias losses. Slide's board also approved a one-time special dividend of $1.50 a share on top of its regular 7-cent quarterly dividend, both payable Nov. 30.

❖ John Morgan's Group Lines Up 300 Acres for a Thoroughbred Racetrack in Ocala — The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association and Gilligan Racing LLC say they now control 300 acres in Marion County for a new thoroughbred racetrack that would run under Florida's only remaining thoroughbred racing permit. Gilligan's team includes Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and Ron Winchell, co-owner of Kentucky Downs, and the project still needs county and state approvals, infrastructure and partners. The project is in its early planning stages, and the breeders' association says building the track in Marion County, long the center of Florida's thoroughbred breeding and training industry, under its long-held nonprofit permit would help secure the long-term future of thoroughbred racing in the state.

❖ Fuel Costs Force a Florida Company's Live-Aboard Cruise Ship to Halt in Cambodia — Florida-based Villa Vie Residences has suspended the round-the-world voyage of its MV Odyssey in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, saying fuel costs per cabin that ran about $1,800 a month have hit $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia since the Iran war squeezed supplies. The ship's 203 mostly American passengers had bought into the voyage as a floating home, with lifetime suites starting around $230,000, and some said they got seven hours' notice to leave; the company says it is trying to restructure. The ship, which also carries 156 crew members, has no certain departure date.

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Rays' Season Ends as Brewers Win Their First World Series Title

The Tampa Bay Rays' season ended Wednesday at Tropicana Field, where the Milwaukee Brewers won Game 5 of the World Series 4-1 to clinch the series 4-1 and the franchise's first championship. Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits before leaving with a calf cramp, and rookie Cooper Pratt had two hits and two RBIs. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, on three days' rest, allowed one run in four innings. Series MVP William Contreras added an RBI double, and Chandler Simpson's ninth-inning RBI double spoiled the shutout. The Rays are now 0-3 in World Series play.

Big 12 Fines UCF $100,000 Over Fans' Chants at BYU

The Big 12 fined UCF $100,000 after what it called "discriminatory chants" aimed at Brigham Young during Saturday's football game in Orlando; News 6, which was at the game, heard chants of "(Expletive) the Mormons." The league credited UCF's pregame protocols and the removal of some of those responsible, and UCF says it is reviewing its options. The Big 12 also adopted a new policy under which a first confirmed incident brings an automatic fine of at least $100,000, and fans ejected for discriminatory conduct are barred from all athletic events for the rest of the academic year.

Messi and Inter Miami Will Open MLS's Short "Sprint Season" Feb. 19 in Miami

Major League Soccer said Wednesday that Inter Miami will host FC Cincinnati on Feb. 19 to kick off its 2027 sprint season, 14 games against conference opponents only, followed by a 16-team single-elimination playoff. The one-time season bridges MLS to a new calendar aligned with international soccer, with the 2027-28 season starting in July. Each of the league's 30 teams will play seven games at home and seven on the road, and MLS also announced an April 10 El Tráfico matchup between the LA Galaxy and LAFC, with the full sprint schedule due out Thursday.

Scoreboard

MLB World Series Game 5: Brewers 4, Rays 1 (Brewers win series 4-1)

NBA: Heat 129, Hawks 117

NBA: Raptors 129, Magic 99

MLS: Inter Miami 2, FC Cincinnati 2

MLS: Orlando City 2, Chicago Fire 2

Schedule (all times ET)

Thu Oct 29 — NHL: Jets at Lightning, 7pm ET, ESPN+

Thu Oct 29 — NCAAF: FAU at North Texas, 7:30pm ET, ESPN

Fri Oct 30 — NHL: Jets at Panthers, 7pm ET, Scripps Sports

Fri Oct 30 — NCAAF: Baylor at UCF, 7:30pm ET, ESPN

Fri Oct 30 — NBA: Magic at Raptors, 7:30pm ET, MagicTV 27

Fri Oct 30 — NBA: Pacers at Heat, 8pm ET, WPLG Local 10

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF | WNBA

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Florida regular averaged $4.01 a gallon Wednesday (AAA, as of 10/28/26), down about 4 cents from Tuesday ($4.05) and down about a penny from a week ago ($4.02). That is about 24 cents under the national average of $4.25. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.18, and Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.70.

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❖ Six Veterans Take Open-Cockpit Biplane "Dream Flights" Over Tallahassee: Six veterans from long-term care centers took off from Tallahassee International Airport Wednesday in World War II-era open-cockpit biplanes on Dream Flights rides sponsored by the Florida Health Care Association. Marine Corps veteran Charles Macdonald went first and called it "awesome," and Roy Walker Jr., 85, an Army veteran of Vietnam, flew with his nephew cheering from the tarmac.

❖ Southpaw the Manatee Is Thriving at SeaWorld After Losing a Flipper to a Crab Trap: Titusville resident Terry Morse spotted a manatee tangled in crab-trap line in the Indian River Lagoon in September and sent photos to FWC. SeaWorld Orlando vets had to amputate her right flipper, but Southpaw is now swimming, gaining weight and expected to be released, and Morse visited her Wednesday.

❖ Lightning-Struck Teen Reunites With the Delray Beach Team That Saved Him: Kevin Sosa was struck by lightning during a soccer game in August; his father started CPR and a good Samaritan kept it going until rescuers arrived. After days in a coma and a month at Delray Medical Center, where he turned 14, Kevin came back Wednesday to meet the doctors and crews who saved him.

❖ Englewood's "Happy Capys" Have Grown From House-Cat Size to Over 100 Pounds: Suncoast Humane Society's three rescued capybaras, Jane, Betty and Tippi, are named for Jane Goodall, Betty White and Tippi Hedren. Jane weighed 17.5 pounds a little over a year ago and now tips the scale at 106, and the trio lives on 3.5 acres with a one-acre pond where staff say they swim "almost like watching dolphins."

❖ "Despacito" Songwriter Poo Bear Coaches Miami Students at Grammy in the Schools: The Grammy Museum's Grammy in the Schools program brought Grammy winners and nominees, including "Despacito" co-writer Poo Bear, to Miami Northwestern Senior High. Students from several high schools wrote songs and mixed beats with a producer, and Miami Central student Ethen Pierre-Louis said it may have given him a new hobby.

❖ North Palm Beach Is Florida's First Fire Department to Carry Ben's Blue Bags for Autism Calls: North Palm Beach Fire Rescue has put Ben's Blue Bags, backpacks of fidget toys, noise-canceling headphones and communication boards, on its trucks for calls involving people with autism. Firefighter Noah Denker got the idea from his wife, a fifth-grade teacher, and the nonprofit has handed out more than 700 bags in seven states and Canada.

Today’s Quote

"In Florida, the first morning under seventy is a holiday nobody declared but everybody celebrates."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning gibbous on Thursday, 84% lit; last quarter is Sunday, Nov. 1.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 7:35 a.m., sunset 6:43 p.m. ET, 11h 8m of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time. Clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.

Gardening Notes: South Florida gardeners can sow edamame now; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions lists September through April for planting there, with pods ready 11 to 17 weeks after sowing. It is a bush bean that needs no trellis, just full sun, well-drained soil and regular water without overwatering. Cook the seeds before eating; the pods are not edible.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's latest update (Oct. 23) found bloom-level red tide in St. Joseph Bay in Gulf County; elsewhere it was at background levels or not observed.

Florida by the Numbers

254,836: policies in force at Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort, as of Sept. 30, 2026, according to Citizens' monthly count. That is down about two-thirds from 769,316 a year earlier.