The morning edition

Isaias nears major-hurricane strength as warnings cover the Panhandle and Citizens halts new home policies

Friday, October 9, 2026

Friday, October 9, 2026

Good Morning! On Oct. 9, 1913, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels appointed a board to survey the needs of naval aeronautical development, and one of its most important recommendations was an aviation flight school in Pensacola. By early 1917, NAS Pensacola was the only naval air station in the country, and by the end of World War I it had trained more than 1,000 naval aviators. Today it is still the initial primary training base for all Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators, and it is home to the Blue Angels.

In This Issue: Isaias nearing major-hurricane strength as warnings cover the western Panhandle, evacuations in seven Panhandle counties and 5,000 Guard members on call, doctors and parents split over dropping four school vaccine requirements and the governor's withdrawn warrant for a 74-year-old inmate. Plus: the Seminole Tribe taking DraftKings to court, Citizens pausing new home policies statewide, the Bucs' first win of the season and a Miami-Dade firefighter reunited with the boy she helped save.

Weather: Isaias brings possible tropical storm and hurricane conditions to Pensacola Friday, with showers and thunderstorms across North Florida from Tallahassee to Jacksonville, Gainesville and Daytona Beach. Central Florida turns stormy later in the day, South Florida stays mostly sunny with only a slight chance of storms, and highs run 76° to 90°. (NWS)

Tropical: Hurricane Isaias, a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds about 260 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving northeast at 14 mph, could briefly become a major hurricane early Friday and is expected to make landfall within the warning area late Friday or early Saturday, NHC said at 10 p.m. CDT Thursday. NHC has a Hurricane Warning from Ocean Springs, Miss., to the Bay/Gulf County line, a Tropical Storm Warning from east of the Bay/Gulf County line to the Aucilla River, a Storm Surge Warning from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River and a Storm Surge Watch from the Suwannee River to Yankeetown, and Florida's state of emergency (Executive Order 26-202) is in effect for North Florida. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Friday along the entire Panhandle from Escambia through Franklin, plus a High Surf Warning for 3- to 5-foot surf in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa from 7 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. CDT Sunday. The risk is also high on the Atlantic from Nassau through Volusia and northern Brevard, from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade and in Collier; it is moderate from southern Brevard through Martin and low from Levy through Lee. (NWS)

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Isaias Strengthens to 105 mph and Could Briefly Become a Major Hurricane as Warnings Cover the Western Panhandle

At NHC's 10 p.m. CDT advisory Thursday, Hurricane Isaias had 105 mph winds, making it a Category 2, with a minimum central pressure of 969 mb. It was moving northeast at 14 mph about 260 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. NHC said Isaias could briefly become a major hurricane early Friday and, despite some weakening after that, will remain a dangerous hurricane as it makes landfall within the warning area late Friday or early Saturday. A Hurricane Warning runs from Ocean Springs, Miss., to the Bay/Gulf County line, a Tropical Storm Warning from east of that line to the Aucilla River, a Storm Surge Warning from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River and a Storm Surge Watch from the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

"We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall," NHC Director Michael Brennan said, adding that "today is the day to prepare and get ready and be in your safe place by tomorrow." Isaias could dump up to 15 inches of rain on coastal areas and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle, and the National Weather Service warned of possible "long-duration power outages." At least four Florida school districts canceled late-week classes, and several counties ordered mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas.

Seven Panhandle Counties Order Evacuations as Florida Activates 5,000 Guard Members and Closes Campuses and the Pensacola Airport

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Franklin and Gulf counties have ordered evacuations, generally for zones A and B, barrier islands and other low-lying areas. "If you're in the Panhandle, assume that you are going to lose power," he said. The state has about 5,000 National Guard members activated, pre-staging more than 1,300 high-wheeled vehicles, 20 Zodiac boats and 50 route-clearance vehicles, and the state emergency division has more than 1,000 generators, 500,000 gallons of gasoline, 1 million gallons of diesel and more than 1.1 million bottles of water, with more than 6,000 utility workers on standby.

UWF canceled classes at its Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach campuses starting at 7 p.m. Thursday. FAMU's Friday morning classes go remote and afternoon classes are canceled, and FSU closes at noon Friday, with morning classes held remotely. Pensacola International Airport's terminal closes to commercial flights at 10 a.m. Friday, and officials expect to reopen Saturday or Sunday, depending on damage. Pensacola has opened shelters, including a special-needs shelter.

Activists and Doctors Split Over Florida's Plan to Drop Four School Vaccine Requirements

The Florida Department of Health heard hours of public comment Thursday in Lake Mary on its plan to drop hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines from the shots required to attend school. The agency can make that change on its own because these requirements are agency rules. Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said the change would strengthen parents' rights and, through that, the state's health. Parents' rights supporters thanked him; some also repeated unfounded claims, such as that vaccines cause autism. The MMR, polio, diphtheria, rubeola and tetanus requirements are set by state law and would take an act of the Legislature to remove.

Doctors pushed back. "These four vaccines were not selected because the evidence changed. They are still vital to protect children's health," said Dr. Sarah Nosal, board president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Brandon Chatani, vice president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said DOH hadn't given "adequate scientific answers." DOH is accepting written comments until Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. at vaccinerule@flhealth.gov.

DeSantis Withdraws the Death Warrant for 74-Year-Old William Lee Thompson After Dementia Concerns

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, 74, canceling his execution set for 6 p.m. Oct. 13. In his letter to the prison warden, DeSantis did not give a reason. Thompson's attorneys had argued that advanced dementia left him incompetent to be executed, and other opponents cited his declining health. The execution of James Robertson, 63, remains scheduled for noon that day.

Last month DeSantis temporarily stayed Thompson's execution over concerns about his mental capacity. Thompson was convicted in the March 30, 1976, killing of 23-year-old Sally Ivester in Miami-Dade. CBS12 reports that Florida has carried out 16 executions so far in 2026, the most of any state this year.

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❖ Miami-Dade — South Florida Startups Pull In $1.14 Billion in Q3, Their Best Quarter of the Year: Miami: Miami-Fort Lauderdale startups raised $1.14 billion across 117 deals in the third quarter, the best quarterly total this year. The total includes OpenEvidence's $250 million round. PitchBook's Q3 Venture Monitor ranks the metro 6th in the nation for deal count.

❖ Tampa Bay — AI Is Speeding Up Building-Site Work in Hillsborough County: Wimauma: JE Dunn Construction crews are using AI tools to photograph walls, check quality and track schedules on a Hillsborough County middle-school build. Layout tasks now take two to three days per building instead of two to three weeks.

❖ Orlando — Proposed 44-Acre Orlando Surf Park Faces Horizon West Traffic Worries: Orange County: The proposed Orlando Surf Park would put a surf lagoon, restaurants and entertainment on nearly 44 acres near Avalon and Schofield roads. Some Horizon West residents say the two-lane Avalon Road needs fixing before the area takes on more traffic.

❖ Jacksonville — Edward Waters University Plans a $33 Million Campus Build-Out, Including Its First New Dorm Since 1982: Jacksonville: Edward Waters University plans more than $33 million in campus improvements through 2028. They include a $25 million, nearly 200-bed residence hall (the school's first new student housing since 1982) and its first on-campus track and field facility. Fall 2026 enrollment reached nearly 1,300 students, the highest in more than 20 years.

❖ Broward — Flora Trattoria Italiana Aims to Open on Las Olas Before the Boat Show: Fort Lauderdale: Flora Trattoria Italiana is planning a roughly 180-seat indoor-and-patio restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard, with a 36-seat bar visible from the street. The owner hopes to open in late October, ahead of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (Oct. 28–Nov. 1), but says the date isn't guaranteed.

❖ Palm Beach — West Palm Beach's Reef Institute Among Groups Rebuilding Heat-Damaged Florida Coral: West Palm Beach: The Reef Institute is among the groups restoring Florida reefs damaged by warm water, including the 2023 bleaching event in the Florida Keys. Restoration volunteers also include 12-year-old certified scuba diver Nicole Laura Humphreys of Riverview, who did restoration work in the Keys this summer.

❖ Gulf Coast — Michael Saunders Puts Her Downtown Sarasota Lot Into an Affordable-Housing Project: Sarasota: Real-estate executive Michael Saunders is partnering with One Stop Housing on On The Park, a planned five-story building at 295 School Ave. with apartments planned at or below 60% of area median income. Saunders says the 0.875-acre site could have sold for about $3.75 million.

❖ North Florida — FSU's Lifelong-Learning Institute Marks 35 Years With a New President: Tallahassee: FSU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which began 35 years ago as "The Senior Connection," has named retired lawyer Kent Putnam its president. Director Debra Herman says courses now run at sites including Westminster Oaks, the Challenger Learning Center and Temple Israel.

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❖ Seminole Tribe Sues DraftKings, Saying Its Florida Betting Breaks the Tribe's Exclusive Compact — The Seminole Tribe filed a 72-page lawsuit in Broward County on Thursday accusing DraftKings of running an illegal sports betting business in Florida, saying its prediction market works like a traditional sportsbook and violates the tribe's 30-year compact, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and ratified by lawmakers in 2021, that gives it exclusive sports betting rights statewide. The suit asks a judge to stop DraftKings in Florida; DraftKings said its products follow federal law and that it remains "confident in our legal position." DeSantis said the compact "clearly contemplated" the tribe's right to run sports betting, and that the prediction-market question will probably be settled by federal courts and Congress. The state received $1.04 billion under the compact in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

❖ Florida GOP Grew Its Registration Lead in All 67 Counties Over Two Years, Herald Data Shows — Republicans grew their voter registration lead over Democrats in all 67 Florida counties from September 2024 to September 2026, to almost 8 percentage points, Axios Miami reports, citing a Miami Herald analysis. About 39% of registered voters are Republicans, 31% Democrats and 27% unaffiliated. Democrats did add about 500 more active voters than Republicans last month. In Miami-Dade, Democrats still hold a slim edge among all eligible voters (33.5%), but Republicans lead among active voters, at about 35%.

❖ New Poll Shows Donalds and Jolly Tied as Rick Scott Urges Supporters to Vote Early — A St. Pete Polls survey of 836 likely Florida voters released Thursday shows the governor's race in a statistical tie, with Republican Byron Donalds at 44.7% and Democrat David Jolly at 44.6% (margin of error plus or minus 3.4 points). A day earlier, an NBC 6/Telemundo poll by Mason-Dixon had Donalds up 48% to 41%. Campaigning with Donalds in Largo, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott urged supporters to send in their mail ballots right away. "If you have your mail-in ballot, get it in today," Scott said.

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❖ Citizens Stops Writing New Home Policies in All 67 Florida Counties as Isaias Nears — Citizens Property Insurance has temporarily stopped issuing new homeowners policies and coverage increases across the state because of Hurricane Isaias, WINK News reports. The restriction, called a binding suspension, took effect Wednesday morning and covers all 67 Florida counties, including those outside the storm's direct path. Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute said rules vary by company: some private insurers stop selling new coverage statewide, while others restrict it only in counties where they expect impacts, because insurers don't want to take on new risk right before a storm. Flood coverage can't be bought at the last minute either: the National Flood Insurance Program has a 30-day waiting period, and private flood policies typically require at least 14 days. Friedlander said insurers usually resume writing policies once the storm passes and warnings are lifted.

❖ Six Hospital Operators Vie for 30-Year Lower Keys Medical Center Lease, With Pitches Up to $1.2 Billion — Six operators have submitted proposals for the next 30-year lease of the publicly owned Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island, the Keys Citizen reports: Baptist Health, Community Health Systems, HCA Healthcare, Larkin Health System, Mount Sinai and Sona Healthcare. CHS's current lease expires in April 2029. Four of them pitched the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District Board on Tuesday: Mount Sinai projected $1.2 billion in reinvestment over the lease, including a $250 million new hospital within 10 years and $130 million for workforce housing; incumbent CHS valued its plan at $740 million, including $250 million for a new hospital within 10 years; Baptist Health committed $200 million to build a new hospital within five years; and Larkin proposed $337 million in reinvestments without a new hospital. The Keys Citizen notes that the figures aren't directly comparable. The full proposals become public after Oct. 28, and a final decision is more than a year away.

❖ Canadian REIT Strikes $84.3 Million Deal for Full Ownership of Largo and Kissimmee Apartments — Canadian real estate firm H&R REIT has reached an $84.3 million agreement to buy out its investment partner in two Florida apartment developments, Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reports. One is the 271-unit Lantower Bayside in Largo, on 8.4 acres at 16485 U.S. Highway 19 N. The other is the 330-unit Lantower Sunrise in Kissimmee, for a combined 601 apartments with an original construction budget of about $210 million. H&R already owns 29.1% of both through a joint venture with Lantower Residential Real Estate Development Trust. Under the Oct. 5 agreement, it will acquire the remaining 70.9% for an estimated $77.9 million after fees and carried interest. Trust investors are expected to get about $15.15 per U.S.-dollar unit, compared with their original $10. H&R expects the deal to close in the fourth quarter, pending approvals. The companies haven't said how much of the price applies to the Largo property.

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Bucky Irving Runs for 165 Yards as Jalon Daniels and the Bucs Beat the Cowboys 24-16 for Their First Win

Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 165 yards, including a 72-yard run that set up the touchdown that put Tampa Bay ahead for good, and scored twice as the Buccaneers beat the Cowboys 24-16 Thursday night in Arlington, Texas, for their first win of the season. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, in just his second start while filling in for Baker Mayfield (dislocated thumb on his throwing hand), went 19 of 25 for 189 yards with a touchdown pass to Irving and ran a turnover-free offense as the Bucs piled up 241 yards rushing. Dak Prescott went 24 of 42 for 316 yards but threw two interceptions, the second off a tipped pass that helped Tampa Bay clinch the win in the final two minutes, as Tampa Bay improved to 1-4 and Dallas fell to 2-3. "We lost the first quarter of the season," coach Todd Bowles said. "We didn't lose the second, third or fourth."

Rays Bring the ALCS Back to Tropicana Field for the First Time Since 2008

Fresh off their three-game Division Series sweep of the Yankees, the Rays will host an American League Championship Series game at Tropicana Field on Monday for the first time since 2008; their 2020 seven-game ALCS win over Houston was played at San Diego's Petco Park because of the pandemic. Tampa Bay, which finished an AL-best 98-64, will face the Chicago White Sox or the Cleveland Guardians in its third ALCS, after going 4-2 against Chicago and 5-1 against Cleveland this season. The Rays drew 40,452 for Game 1 against the Yankees, their largest home crowd since Game 5 of the 2010 Division Series, and 40,226 for Game 2, and they expect a similar atmosphere for the ALCS. "We got two more bites — two more bites on the bone!" manager Kevin Cash shouted in the clubhouse celebration. "Nobody sleeps!"

Barkov Promises a Quick Return as Marchand Could Be Back Within Weeks

Brad Marchand's left leg injury will sideline him for only "a few weeks," a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday, and captain Aleksander Barkov could resume playing for the Panthers by the end of November, with Marchand possibly back by then as well. "I promise I'll be back in the Panthers' uniform very soon," Barkov said Thursday, speaking publicly for the first time since he appeared to hurt his left knee at San Jose on Oct. 1. He spoke at a rink in Boca Raton, where he received an honorary key to the city, and plans to meet with the team as early as Friday to set a return-to-play plan. "They said I'm taking my annual vacation," Barkov said. "That's OK."

Scoreboard

Thu Oct 8 — Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 16 FINAL

Thu Oct 8 — Lightning 3, Wild 2 FINAL

Schedule (all times ET)

Fri Oct 9: Florida State at Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN

Sat Oct 10: UCF at Oklahoma State, noon, ESPN2

Sat Oct 10: South Carolina at Florida, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

Sat Oct 10: Wild at Panthers, 6 p.m., Scripps Sports

Sat Oct 10: Lightning at Islanders, 7:30 p.m., The Spot

Sat Oct 10: D.C. United at Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sat Oct 10: Columbus at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sun Oct 11: Eagles vs. Jaguars (London), 9:30 a.m., NFL Network

Sun Oct 11: Bengals at Dolphins, 1 p.m., FOX

Mon Oct 12: Panthers at Sabres, 1 p.m., Scripps Sports

Tue Oct 13: Panthers at Blue Jackets, 6:15 p.m., Scripps Sports

Tue Oct 13: Lightning at Rangers, 7:15 p.m., The Spot

Tue Oct 13: FIU at Jacksonville State, 8 p.m., ESPNU

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

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Florida regular averaged about $4.18 a gallon Thursday (AAA, as of 10/8/26), down less than a penny from Wednesday (about $4.19) and down about 1.6 cents from a week ago (about $4.20). That is about 18.1 cents under the national average of about $4.36. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at $4.326, and Pensacola is the cheapest at about $4.03.

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❖ Miami-Dade Firefighter Meets the Teen She Helped Save 15 Years Ago, Who Now Hopes to Become a Firefighter: Miami-Dade firefighter Mary Gavin has been reunited with George Montes Jr., whose life she helped save 15 years ago, when he was 2 and police were doing CPR as crews arrived. Montes, now a high school senior, says he learned the whole story only this summer, and that her rescue inspired him to pursue firefighting; he has already earned his CPR certification. "He will be the best firefighter," Gavin said.

❖ Man Rescues Dog Swimming for Its Life in Boca Ciega Bay: George Cavanaugh had fallen asleep while working on his boat in Boca Ciega Bay when his miniature beagle, Stormieee, woke him up barking, and he saw a dog in the water swimming for its life. Surveillance video from the boat shows him pulling the tired pup aboard. After a Facebook post, Cavanaugh reunited the 1-year-old poodle, Dahilia, with her owner, Nicholas Castillo.

❖ USF Students to Send a Wound-Healing Hydrogel Experiment to the International Space Station: Four University of South Florida undergraduates (seniors Jaiden Brick and Krystal Walford and sophomores Jade Fei and Hannah Kirschenmann) developed an antimicrobial, biodegradable hydrogel that astronauts can use to help cuts and wounds heal, even under their space suits. Two of their "mini-labs" are scheduled to launch aboard SpaceX Mission 21 on Oct. 13, and astronauts will mix the ingredients in microgravity so the team can compare the results with an Earth-made sample. Brick says she jokes with friends that "my research is going to space," but "with it coming up in days, it doesn't feel real."

❖ Ruby L. Williams to Celebrate 101 Years: Ruby Lee Williams, affectionately known as "Ma Ruby," will celebrate her 101st birthday on Oct. 15. She was born in 1925 in Millen, Georgia, and is a retired cook with the School Board of Broward County. She now lives in Lauderhill with her granddaughter, Cassandra Jones, still enjoys preparing a simple breakfast of eggs and toast, and those who know her say she is always ready with a response when someone jokes with her.

❖ From Roadside Rescue to Remarkable Recovery: Violet the Pig Gets a Second Chance at Life: Two years ago, Kris Meyer spotted Violet, badly injured, walking along State Road 70 ("I thought she was a big, like, kind of naked dog or something," he said) and made nearly 30 calls before Fandango Sanctuary in Englewood took her in. She struggled for three days until, as sanctuary founder Iris Pisko tells it, "in the middle of a chocolate Ensure, her little light in her eyes came back on." Today Violet is healthy and spends her days running around the sanctuary, one of more than 100 animals living there.

❖ Tampa Dancer Jhon Destrade Brings His Cuban Roots to the Broadway Stage: Havana-born Jhon Luis Destrade Delgado left Cuba in 2023, built a new life in Tampa and became a principal dancer with the Tampa City Ballet. Now he's an ensemble dancer on the Broadway tour of Buena Vista Social Club, bringing the show to his new home. "It's a dream come true. It's a Cuban show and I'm Cuban, so yeah, it's super exciting," he said.

Today’s Quote

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments that stand out, the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love."

— Henry Drummond

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent Friday, Oct. 9 (about 1% illuminated). New moon is Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11:50 a.m. EDT, and first quarter is Sunday, Oct. 18 (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Friday, sunrise is at 7:23 a.m. and sunset at 7:02 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours, 39 minutes of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: With heavy rain from Isaias on the way, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says downpours can wash away mulch and erode soil from around roots, so prune injured or dead plant parts right after the storm. If the soil stays saturated, pull mulch back from plantings for a few weeks, stay off the muddy ground and wait until next season to fertilize.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's Friday update isn't posted yet; its latest (Oct. 2) found background to very low red tide levels in Gulf County, background levels in Sarasota County and none on the East Coast.

Florida by the Numbers

From 1953 through 2024, the state of Florida received 82 presidential major disaster declarations, and 35 of them were for hurricanes, more than any other type of disaster, according to FEMA's disaster declarations data.

Today’s Poll

Do you support the Florida Department of Health's plan to drop the hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib and pneumococcal vaccines from the shots required to attend Florida schools?

Yesterday’s Results

Do you support Florida's attorney general asking a court to ban Facebook and Instagram users younger than 14 in Florida?

Strongly support 29% · Somewhat support 33% · Oppose 17% · Not sure 21%