The morning edition

Florida asks for federal storm aid for Panhandle families as the state's jobless rate slips again

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Good Morning! The Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center opened in Jacksonville's LaVilla neighborhood on Oct. 17, 1986, built around the old Jacksonville Terminal, or Union Station. When that station opened in 1919, it was the largest railroad station in the South, and at its peak it handled as many as 142 trains and 20,000 passengers a day. The last train left it on Jan. 3, 1974, and a public-private partnership led by former CSX chairman Prime F. Osborn III began in 1982.

In This Issue: Florida's request for federal storm aid for Panhandle families, a jobless rate that has slipped four months in a row and Brevard's first homegrown dengue case. Plus: a 104-year-old Tuskegee Airman swearing in Tampa Bay's new chapter.

Weather: A strong cold front pushes through North Florida tonight with little rain, NWS Tallahassee says, bringing highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s Saturday and a Wind Advisory for gusts up to 35 mph in the Panhandle. Showers and storms are likely Saturday from Tampa Bay south through the Keys. (NWS)

Tropical: The Atlantic is quiet: NHC says “Tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 7 days.” Florida’s Isaias state of emergency covers 30 counties (Executive Order 26-212). (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Saturday along the entire Atlantic coast from Nassau through Miami-Dade, and in Gulf and Franklin counties. Risk is moderate from Escambia through Bay and from Pinellas through Sarasota. (NWS)

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Florida Asks Washington for a Major Disaster Declaration After Isaias, Including Aid for Residents in 8 Counties

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that Florida has submitted a request for a major disaster declaration to the White House, where it awaits President Donald Trump's approval. The request seeks Public Assistance for 15 counties and Individual Assistance for residents of Bay, Escambia, Gulf, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties.

If approved, Individual Assistance could help eligible households with temporary housing, basic home repairs and essential personal property. Residents in designated counties could then apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or 800-621-3362. The state is also partnering with Emergency RV to provide temporary shelter for displaced residents whose homes had the most damage.

Florida's Jobless Rate Dips to 4.4%, Its Fourth Straight Monthly Decline

Florida's unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in September, down 0.1 point from August, according to the state Department of Commerce. That reflects about 489,000 unemployed Floridians in a labor force of 11.1 million. The rate has fallen 0.1 point each month since hitting 4.8% in May.

Education and health services added 40,300 jobs over the year, while financial activities lost 15,800. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area had the state's lowest rate at 3.2%. The Fort Walton Beach-Destin and Pensacola figures predate Isaias.

Brevard Reports Its First Locally Acquired Dengue Case as Florida's Outbreak Spreads

The Florida Department of Health in Brevard County has confirmed a locally acquired human case of dengue, the first in the county during Florida's largest outbreak in decades. Health officials haven't said where in the county the case occurred.

The department and Brevard County Mosquito Control are stepping up mosquito monitoring and targeted treatment, including overnight spraying. As of Oct. 10, the state had documented 368 locally acquired cases in eight counties, led by Hillsborough with 310.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Revised Plan Puts 43-Story, 406-Unit Tower Above Edgewater's Historic Christian Science Church: Miami: Arden Group's revised plan for 1836 Biscayne Blvd. calls for a 464-foot, 43-story tower with 406 apartments rising above the First Church of Christ, Scientist, keeping large parts of the historic church. Earlier plans, approved in 2022, called for 390 units.

❖ Tampa Bay — USF Researchers Build an AI-Powered Smart Mosquito Trap: Tampa: University of South Florida professor Sriram Chellappan's team has built a smart trap that uses AI to identify mosquitoes as it catches them, a tool aimed at disease-carrying species like those spreading dengue. Florida has about 45 mosquito species.

❖ Jacksonville — Cathedral Arts Project to Triple the Number of Families It Serves: Jacksonville: The Cathedral Arts Project, which served more than 4,300 students last school year, plans to bring another 7,100 children from across the country into its programs, tripling the number of families it serves, including more programs for children in military families. CEO the Rev. Kimberley Hyatt said the nonprofit has documented improvements in students' school attendance, behavior and academic performance.

❖ Broward — Team Behind YOLO Opens 200-Seat Naia at Former Mango's Site on Las Olas Oct. 22: Fort Lauderdale: The Restaurant People, the hospitality group led by CEO Tim Petrillo, will open Naia, a Mediterranean restaurant with Asian flavors, on Oct. 22 at 904 E. Las Olas Blvd. The 5,700-square-foot building was reconstructed and moved 25 feet back from the sidewalk, and the dining room seats more than 200.

❖ Gulf Coast — Sarasota-Area Team Tested 3D-Printed Storm Surge Sensors in Hurricane Isaias: Nokomis: Hurricane Track used Hurricane Isaias to test 3D-printed automatic weather stations and rapid-deploy storm surge sensors that sent real-time data to the National Hurricane Center, CJ Morgan said.

❖ North Florida — Duke Energy Finishes 163,000-Panel Solar Site in Jefferson County: Monticello: Duke Energy finished its Bailey Mill Solar Center, about 163,000 panels producing 74.9 megawatts, enough to power about 15,000 homes.

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❖ Trump Will Campaign in Fort Myers Next Friday as Early Voting Expands — President Donald Trump will campaign in Fort Myers on Friday, Oct. 23, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. and Trump scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. The venue hasn't been announced, the Florida Phoenix reports. Trump said last month that two Florida rallies were scheduled for Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds. Vice President JD Vance campaigned in Lakeland in September.

❖ Early Voting Opens Monday in Most Central Florida Counties — Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election opens Monday in most Central Florida counties, and voters can cast ballots at any early voting site in their county, Central Florida Public Media reports. The League of Women Voters of Orange County is urging voters to take advantage. The deadline to request a mail ballot is Thursday, Oct. 22. State law requires counties to offer early voting starting 10 days before the election and lets them begin up to five days earlier.

❖ Fact Check: Experts Weigh Jolly's Plan to Move Hurricane Risk Into a State Fund — A WUFT fact-check examines Democrat David Jolly's proposal to turn the state's hurricane catastrophe fund into a primary wind insurer, which he says would cut premiums 60% to 70%, and Republican Byron Donalds' ad calling it a hurricane tax. The Insurance Information Institute's Mark Friedlander said California's similar wildfire plan nearly doubled costs. WUFT notes Jolly would pay for his fund by taxing insurers, and that if a major storm drained it, the debt could fall on taxpayers.

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❖ Mosaic to Idle South Fort Meade Fertilizer Plant Dec. 8, Laying Off 199 Workers Amid Sulfur Shortage — Mosaic is idling its South Fort Meade phosphate fertilizer operations in Polk County on Dec. 8 and laying off about 199 workers, citing a global sulfur supply crunch and extraordinary costs, according to a WARN notice filed with the state, FOX 13 reports. The company expects the shutdown to last more than six months, and a core crew will stay on for maintenance and compliance.

❖ Blue Origin Plans New Space Coast Launch Pads and $330 Million Upper-Stage Factory Expansion — Blue Origin says it will add new launch pads on Florida's Space Coast, modeled on Launch Complex 36, to raise New Glenn's flight rate. It is also investing $330 million in a 1.37-million-square-foot Rocket Park expansion, due by summer 2027, that could build up to 150 upper stages a year, Spaceflight Now reports. The company says it has invested more than $3 billion in Florida facilities and has more than 5,000 employees and 500 Florida suppliers.

❖ Utah Investor Group Buys 21 Jacksonville Homes Through JWB, Plans 100-Plus a Year Starting in 2027 — Utah investor group Wealth Outside Wall Street has bought 21 Jacksonville homes through Jacksonville-based JWB Real Estate Capital and wants to buy more than 100 a year starting in 2027, Action News Jax reports, citing the Jacksonville Business Journal. Members paid about $270,000 per home on average. JWB, which says about 80% of its investors live outside Florida, rents its homes for an average of $1,516 a month.

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Rain Postpones ALCS Game 4, Pushing Rays and Guardians to Saturday and Sunday

Rain postponed Game 4 of the American League Championship Series late Friday night, and the Rays and Guardians will now play it at 8 p.m. Saturday in Cleveland, with Game 5 moved to 5 p.m. Sunday, which was originally a scheduled off day. Cleveland leads the series 2-1. The pitching plan stays the same: All-Star Nick Martinez starts for Tampa Bay, and reliever Shawn Armstrong opens a bullpen game for the Guardians. If needed, Games 6 and 7 would be Monday and Tuesday at Tropicana Field, meaning four games over four consecutive days. "MLB and I think both clubs did everything they could to try to get it in," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Jaguars Fans Turn a London Pub Teal Ahead of Sunday's Wembley Game

For three hours Thursday night, the Greenwood pub on Victoria Street in central London became "Tealwood," one of three pub takeovers the Jaguars' U.K. branch is hosting before Sunday's game against Houston at Wembley Stadium. The events are part of a push to build the team's international fan base that began in 2013, when Jacksonville played the first of what are now 15 games in London. "The Jags really do have a presence," Sky Sports analyst Phoebe Schecter said.

Brady Tkachuk Becomes Third Player in NHL History With Back-to-Back Natural Hat Tricks

Brady Tkachuk became the third player in NHL history, and the second in almost 40 years, to score natural hat tricks in consecutive games, joining Petri Skriko (1986) and Cy Denneny (1923). He is also the first member of his hockey family to score six goals in a two-game span. "It's pretty cool, but I know what my goal is being here and that's to be part of something special," Tkachuk said.

Schedule (all times ET)

Sat Oct 17: Florida at Texas, noon, ABC

Sat Oct 17: FAU at Army, noon, CBS Sports Network

Sat Oct 17: Canucks at Lightning, 4 p.m., The Spot

Sat Oct 17: Kraken at Panthers, 6 p.m., Scripps Sports

Sat Oct 17: Florida State at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN

Sat Oct 17: Kent State at USF, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Sat Oct 17: Inter Miami at Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sat Oct 17: D.C. United at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sat Oct 17: Rays at Guardians, ALCS Game 4, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Sun Oct 18: Texans at Jaguars (London), 9:30 a.m., NFL Network

Sun Oct 18: Steelers at Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS

Sun Oct 18: Rays at Guardians, ALCS Game 5, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV

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

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Florida regular averaged $4.19 a gallon Friday (AAA, as of 10/16/26), down about 3.6 cents from Thursday ($4.23) and up about 4.4 cents from a week ago ($4.15). That is about 13.7 cents under the national average of $4.33. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.35, and Pensacola is the cheapest at $3.92.

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❖ 104-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Daniel Keel Swears In Tampa Bay's New Chapter: Daniel Keel, 104, one of the few surviving Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, was the honored guest at the chartering ceremony for Tampa Bay's chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. He is one of three Black officers who earned a triple rating in World War II — navigator, bombardier and pilot — and the last of them alive. Already the network's largest chapter with more than 100 members, the group watched Keel insist on walking to the podium to swear in its leaders.

❖ A Filipino "Boodle Fight" Feast, No Plates Required, in Lake Worth Beach: For Filipino American History Month, South Florida's Filipino community is keeping alive the boodle fight, a communal feast of lechon, grilled meats and rice piled on banana leaves and eaten by hand. Chef Darren Mendoza says the tradition began at the Philippine Military Academy, where "there's no rank. It's all together just to have fun." SoFlo Filipinos organizer Mark Dean says he eats with his hands "to keep in touch with my Filipino roots."

❖ Joan Englert Has Spent Five Decades Helping Florida Kids Find Homes: Joan Englert and her late husband, Rick, began fostering in 1971 and took in about 30 children, a passion that helped lay the foundation for the faith-based nonprofit 4KIDS. The organization now serves 13 Florida counties with about 400 partner churches and has helped facilitate 1,000 adoptions. "I am amazed," Englert said of how far it has come.

❖ Six Rehabbed Green Sea Turtles Return to the Sea at Ponce Inlet: Nearly 100 beachgoers watched as Marine Science Center staff and volunteers released six juvenile green sea turtles and a brown pelican, some of which had been in care since April for fishing-line entanglement, fishhooks, infected wounds or illness. Volunteers walked the turtles past the first waves, and one named Mangrove Snapper washed right back into a volunteer's arms before being carried out again. "This is what we're here for," said turtle rehabilitation manager Allie Bernstein, whose team has cared for more than 21,000 turtles since 2002.

❖ Logan's Heroes: Parents Pack Duffle Bags for Teens Fighting Cancer in Their Son's Name: While being treated for leukemia, Logan Stolberg, who died at 16, noticed teens alone in the hospital and began listing things they could use, and his parents, Jennifer and Randy, now carry on that idea through Logan's Heroes. The nonprofit delivers duffle bags with blankets, beanies, fans, Legos and UNO cards to six hospitals across Florida. "We would like to see a smile on their face," Jennifer Stolberg said.

❖ Fore Her Builds a Sisterhood for Panhandle Breast Cancer Patients and Survivors: Born from the loss of an aunt and a mother, Panama City's Fore Her raises money for breast cancer expenses beyond medical bills and is built on the promise that no one should face the disease alone. Its all-female team, many of them survivors, brings people together through a golf outing, a tea party and a 5K. The group also runs a support group that "ranges from laughing the entire time to crying the entire time... and then a combination of both."

Today’s Quote

"Saturday morning is when every garage door on the street goes up like it's curtain time."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing crescent Saturday, Oct. 17 (about 41% illuminated). First quarter is Sunday, Oct. 18, at 12:12 p.m. EDT, and full moon is Monday, Oct. 26 (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Saturday, sunrise is at 7:28 a.m. and sunset at 6:54 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours, 26 minutes of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: Broccoli is an easy winter crop in Florida, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says, and a good source of calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. It belongs to the same species as kale, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s Oct. 16 update found only background red tide levels in Southwest Florida. Samples still being processed show low levels in St. Joseph Bay (Gulf County) on Oct. 14.

Florida by the Numbers

Florida has an estimated 1,500 nesting pairs of bald eagles, one of the densest concentrations in the lower 48 states. FWC has monitored the state’s nesting eagles since 1972, and the bird came off the federal endangered list in 2007.