The morning edition

Florida drops its vaccine-exemption expansion, a Gulf system bears watching, and voter registration closes

Monday, October 5, 2026

Monday, October 5, 2026

Good Morning! Author and human rights activist William Stetson Kennedy was born in Jacksonville on this day in 1916. A pioneer folklore collector, he is remembered for infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in the 1940s and exposing its secrets, which led Georgia to revoke the Klan's national corporate charter in 1947. He wrote or co-wrote ten books, including "Palmetto Country," and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2005.

In This Issue: Florida dropping its push to widen school-vaccine exemptions, a Gulf system and a soggy week, today's voter-registration deadline, and the Port Canaveral-bound MSC World Atlantic's float-out. Plus: a Rays–Yankees Game 2 preview, a Scott–Moody bill shielding Eglin's Gulf range, and Corey Avenue's comeback.

Weather: Showers and thunderstorms are likely Monday across North Florida, from Tallahassee to Jacksonville and Gainesville, with storm chances spreading into Central Florida later in the day. South Florida stays mostly sunny with only slight storm chances, and highs run from the upper 70s in Tallahassee to about 90° in Fort Myers. (NWS)

Tropical: No Florida watches or warnings; NHC gives a low expected to form midweek over the southwestern Gulf a 40% chance of development over seven days. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Monday along the Panhandle from Escambia through Franklin County. Moderate risk on the Atlantic from Nassau through Martin, and low risk from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade and on the Gulf coast from Levy to Collier. (NWS)

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Florida Health Department Drops Vaccine-Exemption Expansion but Pushes Ahead on School Shot Repeal

The Florida Department of Health is still moving to remove four vaccines — hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Hib and pneumococcal conjugate — from the shots required to enter PreK-12 public and private schools, but it has abandoned its attempt to widen exemptions. In August, the department cut language from the proposed rule that would have let parents opt out over a "sincerely held moral or ethical belief," so exemptions must still rest on religious grounds.

DOH has scheduled a public meeting Oct. 8 in Lake Mary on the repeal, which the agency can carry out by itself because those requirements are agency rules, not state law. The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says it remains concerned, and it estimates the repeal would cut the state's GDP by $74 million in the first year and nearly $9 billion over a decade. Removing other mandates, such as measles-mumps-rubella and polio, would take legislative action, and no lawmaker filed such a bill in 2026.

Gulf Disturbance Gets 40% Development Odds As a Soggy, Flood-Prone Week Sets In

The National Hurricane Center is watching the southwestern Gulf, where a broad area of low pressure could take shape over the next few days. Forecasters give it a 40% chance of becoming at least a tropical depression within seven days. It would have to form along a stalled front and get past strong upper-level winds. Anything that does develop could eventually affect the northern Gulf, but FOX 13 says it is too early to say where.

Closer to home, a front stalling over Central Florida is setting up a wet week. News 6 forecasters expect about 3 to 5 inches of rain across the area through Friday, and 5 to 8 inches in some spots, especially Flagler and Volusia counties. Because the ground is already saturated, they warn of flooding concerns in the second half of the week.

Monday Is the Last Day to Register to Vote in Florida's Nov. 3 Election

Oct. 5 is the deadline to register for Florida's Nov. 3 general election. On that ballot, voters will choose Gov. Ron DeSantis' successor, legislators, U.S. Senate and House members, and county and city officials. People can register, update a registration or check their status at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, in English or Spanish, with a Florida driver's license or state ID card and the last four digits of their Social Security number.

People can also register in person or mail a paper application to their county supervisor of elections, and address or party changes face the same 29-day cutoff. Midterm turnout usually runs lower: 54% of Florida voters cast ballots in the 2022 general election, compared with 78.9% in the 2024 presidential election, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

Port Canaveral-Bound MSC World Atlantic Floats Out in France Ahead of 2027 Debut

MSC Cruises' World Atlantic, the line's 25th ship, floated out this week at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in France, though interior work remains. It will hold 6,758 guests in 2,582 cabins and start 7- and 14-night Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral in November 2027. The other ship coming to Port Canaveral next year, the Carnival Festivale, is expected to begin sailing in May.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Michelin-Starred Tambourine Room, Española Way's Tropezón Close in Miami Beach: Two Miami Beach restaurants announced their closures on Instagram on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Michelin-starred Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt, at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, said goodbye that same night. Tropezón, at 512 Española Way, set its final dinner for Saturday, Oct. 3; it opened in 2021 as the first restaurant from Randy Alonso and Chris Hudnall of Lost Boy & Co. Neither announcement gave a reason.

❖ Tampa Bay — TGH Brooksville Launches Open-Heart Surgery Program: Tampa General Hospital Brooksville has begun performing open-heart surgery. Its first cardiothoracic patient, Ricky Hampton, had surgery Aug. 6, and Dr. Charan Mungara completed 12 cardiac cases in the program's first few weeks, including 10 sternotomies, the Hernando Sun reports.

❖ Orlando — Eola Food Hall Set to Open Downtown in November; Skinny Louie Heads to UCF Area: The long-awaited Eola Food Hall is set to open in November at 150 E. Central Blvd. downtown, with La Coolmena Tex-Mex Birriería and Croissant Gourmet announced as tenants, Orlando Weekly reports. Miami-based smashburger shop Skinny Louie will move into the BurgerFi space in the UCF corridor at 4100 N. Alafaya Trail, its first location outside South Florida and New York City.

❖ Jacksonville — Jacksonville's Last Hooters Closes for Good: The last Hooters restaurant in Jacksonville, on San Jose Boulevard at Baymeadows Road, has permanently closed; a sign on the doors read, "Unfortunately we have closed permanently." The exact closing date is unknown, but a Public Health and Safety notice posted on the building was dated Sept. 29. Hooters filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025.

❖ Broward — Island Vibes Refreshments Opens on Wiles Road in Coral Springs: Island Vibes Refreshments, which serves loaded teas, energizing refreshers and protein shakes, has recently opened at 5766 Wiles Road, Coral Springs Talk reports. The owner says its coffees, teas and shakes don't have sugar in them. It's open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

❖ Palm Beach — Boca Raton to Get Florida's Largest Indoor Pickleball and Padel Club: Boca Paddle by CityPickle, billed by its developers as Florida's largest indoor pickleball and padel facility, will open Nov. 18 at West Jeffrey Street and North Dixie Highway with 25 courts, including 16 climate-controlled indoor courts and a 1,000-seat stadium court. Co-founder Brian Levine put the cost of the 100,000-square-foot club at $20 million; it is a public-private partnership with the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District.

❖ Gulf Coast — Gucci Heiress Opening AGCF Boutique at St. Regis Longboat Key: Alexandra Gucci Zarini, granddaughter of Aldo Gucci, is opening an AGCF boutique in the lobby of The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort later this fall, the company announced Thursday. It is the second location for the brand she founded in 2024; the flagship is on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The resort was an $800 million project that opened in 2024.

❖ North Florida — PBS Returns to Northwest Florida Nov. 1 as Emerald Coast PBS: Emerald Coast PBS, a new nonprofit, will begin broadcasting PBS on WPAN 53.1 and PBS KIDS on 53.2 on Nov. 1 for Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. The launch restores PBS after Pensacola State College ended its affiliation July 1 after losing $1.5 million in federal and state funding. "We must raise $1 million over the next year to support the launch, operation and growth of Emerald Coast PBS," said Executive Director Jill Hubbs.

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❖ Jolly Pitches 30% Teacher Raise Funded by Tourist-Tax Dollars — At a rally in Sarasota on Saturday, Democratic governor candidate David Jolly laid out his plan for public schools, including a 30% raise for teachers. He said he would pay for the raise and a larger reinvestment in public schools with part of the $1 billion the state's tourist development tax collects each year. He also said he believes that would take a constitutional amendment in 2028.

❖ Orlando Lawmaker Asks State to Drop 'Let Us Alone' From New Driver Licenses — State Rep. RaShon Young, an Orlando Democrat, called Florida's redesigned driver license and ID card "tone-deaf" for carrying the motto "Let Us Alone." He asked the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to reconsider it and consult historians. The phrase comes from Florida's first, unofficial state flag, unfurled in 1845, the year Florida entered the Union as a slave state; the Legislature never adopted that flag. Current licenses stay valid until they expire.

❖ FPL Tells Regulators Its Rates Already Meet Florida's Data Center Law — Florida Power & Light told the Public Service Commission last Thursday that its rate structure, approved in November 2025, already complies with SB 484, the new state law meant to keep regular customers from paying the added costs of large data centers. FPL says data center applicants must fund 100% of the new generation needed to serve them, build their own substations and sign 20-year minimum contracts with an early-exit fee. The PSC still has to review the filing.

❖ Scott, Moody Bill Aims to Shield Eglin's Gulf Test Range — Florida's U.S. senators, Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, introduced the Protecting Florida's Offshore Military Readiness Act. It is meant to protect the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range by writing President Trump's earlier protections for the range into law. Scott's release says the Interior Department has been identifying possible drilling lease sales in Gulf areas still under a moratorium from Trump's first term.

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❖ Florida Ranked Toughest State to Sell a Home as Tampa Bay Market Cools — Florida comes in last for home sellers in a recent state-by-state ranking compiled by Underwood Law Firm, and Tampa Bay agents are feeling it, according to Bay News 9. Redfin figures cited by the station show the region's pending sales down 5.9% from a year ago, with homes sitting an average of 70 days. Realtor Vincent Arcuri of Real Broker LLC blames higher interest rates, insurance that has doubled in five years, and rising property taxes for squeezing buyers. National Association of Realtors chief economist Lawrence Yun says buyers who can still afford to purchase are seeing a buyer's market take shape. Some owners told the station they are holding off on selling until November's vote on Amendment 3, which they said could cut taxes for homeowners.

❖ Orlando Health Closes Purchase of Alabama's RMC Hospital — Orlando Health has finalized its acquisition of RMC Health System in Anniston, Ala., and renamed the 375-bed hospital Baptist Health Calhoun Hospital, according to WFTV. The hospital employs nearly 2,000 staff and 200 physicians. The deal extends Orlando Health's 2024 purchase of a majority stake in Birmingham-based Baptist Health, a five-hospital central Alabama system with more than 1,700 licensed beds and more than 6,100 team members. WFTV reports that over the next five years Orlando Health plans to put money into new equipment, technology and an electronic health record system at the Anniston hospital.

❖ Rays' Playoff Run Could Bring St. Pete About $4 Million a Game — St. Pete Chamber of Commerce President Chris Steinocher told Tampa Bay 28 that the Rays' postseason run could bring St. Petersburg about $4 million per playoff game on the low end. He cited Major League Baseball estimates for a market St. Pete's size and noted that bigger cities put the figure near $7 million. Steinocher said local businesses lost about 30% of their revenue after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field and sent the Rays to Steinbrenner Field for a season. He expects traveling Yankees fans to spend about 35% more per game than in the regular season, with many staying four to five nights.

❖ Two Years After Helene and Milton, Corey Avenue Shops Are Mostly Back — Most businesses along historic Corey Avenue in St. Pete Beach have reopened nearly two years after hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to Tampa Bay 28, and storefronts that sat empty are starting to fill. Art Expo owner Yvonne Marcus cleaned up her wrecked shop with an employee and still hasn't moved back into her own home, but she told the station she is encouraged by the progress. Store manager Johanna McGraw said business this year has been better than in the previous two.

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Bucs Fall to 0-4 as Packers Spoil Jalon Daniels' First Start, 17-14

Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, starting for Baker Mayfield (dislocated thumb), threw two interceptions that set up 10 Green Bay points, and Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes as the Packers held on 17-14 in Tampa. Green Bay coughed up two fourth-quarter turnovers, but Tampa Bay couldn't cash either one, and Todd Bowles passed on a 65-yard field-goal try on the last drive. The Bucs are 0-4 for the first time since 2014; only the 1992 Chargers have made the playoffs after an 0-4 start. Next up is Thursday night at Dallas.

Jaguars Hold Off Bengals 22-17 for Lawrence's First Win Over Cincinnati

Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown to Brian Thomas Jr., and safety Rayuan Lane III stopped Chase Brown a yard short on fourth-and-10 with 50 seconds left as Jacksonville held on 22-17 in Cincinnati. It was Lawrence's first win over the Bengals in four tries and his first over Joe Burrow, who threw for 428 yards but was intercepted twice. Jourdan Lewis's pick extended the Jaguars' franchise-record streak to nine straight games with an interception, the NFL's longest active run. Jacksonville (3-1) plays the Eagles in London next Sunday.

Dolphins Fall to 0-4 As Vikings Win 15-10 on Five Field Goals

Miami's defense kept Minnesota out of the end zone, but Will Reichard kicked five field goals and the Vikings won 15-10 at U.S. Bank Stadium, dropping the Dolphins to 0-4. Malik Willis was 9 of 17 for 85 yards and lost a fumble on a sack, and a 68-yard touchdown to rookie Chris Bell was called back for illegal touching. With De'Von Achane out, Ollie Gordon II ran for the first 100-yard game of his career, including a career-long 53-yard run, and scored Miami's touchdown. Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez set a franchise record with 18 tackles, and Miami hosts Cincinnati next.

Rays Turn to Peralta, Yankees to Cy Young Favorite Schlittler in ALDS Game 2

The Yankees, down 1-0 in the best-of-five Division Series, give Monday's Game 2 at Tropicana Field (8 p.m., TBS/truTV) to Cam Schlittler, who went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts and blanked Boston for 6 1/3 innings in the Wild Card opener. Tampa Bay counters with Freddy Peralta, 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts since arriving from the Mets at the trade deadline. Aaron Judge, left off the ALDS roster with a calf injury, resumed running Sunday. Nick Martinez likely starts Game 3 for the Rays Wednesday in New York.

Scoreboard

Sun Oct 4 — Jaguars 22, Bengals 17 FINAL. Packers 17, Buccaneers 14 FINAL. Vikings 15, Dolphins 10 FINAL. Ducks 3, Panthers 2 (OT) FINAL.

Schedule (all times ET)

Mon Oct 5: Flyers at Lightning, 7 p.m., NHL Network

Mon Oct 5: ALDS Game 2, Yankees at Rays, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Tue Oct 6: Panthers at Kings, 10 p.m., ESPN

Wed Oct 7: ALDS Game 3, Rays at Yankees, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Thu Oct 8: Wild at Lightning, 7 p.m., The Spot

Thu Oct 8: USF at UTSA, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Thu Oct 8: ALDS Game 4 (if necessary), Rays at Yankees, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Thu Oct 8: Buccaneers at Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video

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: ALDS Game 5 (if necessary), Yankees at Rays, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

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

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

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

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Florida regular averaged $4.082 a gallon Sunday (AAA, as of 10/4/26). That is down 2.3 cents from Saturday ($4.105) and 28.6 cents from a week ago ($4.368), and about 28.8 cents under the national average of $4.37. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at $4.280, and Pensacola is the cheapest at $3.919.

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❖ Brevard's Mildred Phaneuf celebrates 109, and her advice is about cake: Mildred Phaneuf celebrated her 109th birthday Friday, a day early, with family, friends and caregivers from Hospice of Health First. Phaneuf was born in 1917 in Vermont, is a former teacher and mother of eight, and moved to Florida about 30 years ago to be near her daughter and son-in-law. Her tip for reaching 109: "Make sure you don't eat all the cake."

❖ Santa Fe College zoo says goodbye to Adelaide the tree kangaroo: Sunday was visitors' last day to see Adelaide, the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo's Matschie's tree kangaroo. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommended moving her so she can breed at another accredited facility, and her two joeys, Modi and Kopa, have already gone to Cleveland and Miami. Her new home hasn't been chosen yet, and she has to finish a quarantine of weeks to months before she can travel.

❖ Manatee dodging suitors beaches herself in Palm Beach, then swims home: A female manatee came ashore in Palm Beach Saturday morning while trying to get away from male manatees trying to mate with her, officials at the scene said. FWC and West Palm Beach police watched over her while they waited for her to go back on her own. She eventually made her way off the beach and back into the ocean.

❖ Bay High grad, now in the Air Force Hall of Fame, comes home to visit: Brig. Gen. Gregory L. Brundidge visited Bay High School in Panama City after being inducted into the Air Force's Hall of Fame for Cyberspace Operations and Support. He credits his father, an Army first sergeant, and his high school guidance counselor for steering him toward service, and he says his Air Force communications career lasted 33 years. After its post-Hurricane Michael renovation, Bay High named its Jr. ROTC building after him.

❖ Junior hockey players cool down with the "Yoga Mama": After every practice and game, players in the Florida Eels junior hockey program do a 45-minute hockey yoga session led by instructor Tara Mina, who has adapted yoga for hockey players for the last four years. Mina says it has helped prevent injuries, and player Leandre Masson says it eases stress and soreness. Teammate Paxton Campbell says he enjoys being able to "just pass out."

❖ MSD's Eagle Regiment opens its season as grand champion: The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Eagle Regiment won the Grand Champion title Friday night at the Falcon Sound Invitational at Charles W. Flanagan High School. It performed "Metalmorphosis," scored 80.15 overall and earned Best in Class in all five categories: color guard, percussion, visual, general effect and music.

Today’s Quote

"October is the month Florida stops surviving the weather and starts enjoying it. Monday's a fine day to begin."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent Monday, Oct. 5 (about 27% illuminated). Last quarter was Saturday, Oct. 3, at 9:25 a.m. EDT; new moon is Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11:50 a.m. EDT (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Monday, sunrise is at 7:21 a.m. and sunset at 7:07 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours, 46 minutes of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says October and November are good months to sow seed for summer-blooming native wildflowers. In bloom now: rayless sunflower, slender blazing star and white crownbeard statewide, plus swamp sunflower in North and Central Florida.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s Oct. 2 statewide update found background to very low red tide levels in Gulf County, background levels in Sarasota County and none on the East Coast, with no fish kills or respiratory irritation reported. The next report is due Friday, Oct. 9.

Florida by the Numbers

Florida’s 11 national parks drew 13,713,058 visitors and produced an estimated $1.373 billion in economic benefit from national park tourism, according to the National Park Service’s Florida “By the Numbers” page.

Today’s Poll

Do you support Florida's plan to remove some vaccines from the list required for school entry?

Yesterday’s Results

Do you support Florida expanding state food-safety sampling to catch Listeria and other contamination before products like the recalled Bettergoods pasta reach store shelves?

Strongly support 25% · Somewhat support 25% · Oppose 25% · Not sure 25%