The morning edition

NASA keeps Artemis III on track for summer 2027 as gale and coastal flood watches hit the Atlantic coast

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Good Morning! On October 24, 2019, the Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood opened its Guitar Hotel, the world's first hotel shaped like a guitar. The centerpiece of a $1.5 billion expansion opened Thursday night with a ceremonial guitar smash, fireworks and the first run of a light show built into the tower. LED lights run up every side of the tower, and on opening night six beams shot some 20,000 feet into the sky.

In This Issue: NASA says Artemis III is still on track to launch from the Cape next summer, gale and coastal flood watches cover the Atlantic coast this weekend, and almost 700 autism therapy providers say Medicaid payments stopped after Molina took over. Plus: early voting opens in all 67 counties today.

Weather: Mostly sunny across North, Central and Southwest Florida Saturday, but storms are likely around Daytona Beach and rain spreads into coastal Northeast Florida late Saturday as wind, surf and tides build along the Atlantic coast. A Wind Advisory covers the coast from Nassau to Flagler until 1 a.m. Sunday, and Coastal Flood Watches run into Monday from Northeast Florida through Miami-Dade, where forecasters expect moderate, and possibly major, tidal flooding and beach erosion into early next week. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center expects no tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf over the next seven days. Florida's Isaias state of emergency remains in place (Executive Order 26-212). (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Saturday along the entire Atlantic coast, with surf of 7 to 8 feet from Nassau through Flagler (building to 10 to 12 feet Sunday) and High Surf Advisories for coastal Nassau and Palm Beach. The risk is also high from Escambia through Okaloosa, moderate in Walton and Bay and from Pinellas through Sarasota, and low elsewhere on the Gulf coast. (NWS)

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NASA Keeps Artemis III on Track for Summer 2027 Launch From Florida

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Friday at Kennedy Space Center that Artemis III is still set to launch next summer. On the two-week mission, four astronauts will stay in Earth orbit and practice docking with the SpaceX and Blue Origin lunar landers, which takes three launches in quick succession from Cape Canaveral. The first crewed moon landing since Apollo, Artemis IV, remains scheduled for 2028.

Program managers said some processing work at the Cape now takes half as long as before. Preparing booster segments for stacking takes half the time, and stacking itself is down 20%.

Gale Watches, 12-Foot Breakers and Coastal Flood Watch as Windy, Wet Weekend Hits Florida's Atlantic Coast

New facts since last night: forecasters now have gale watches starting late Saturday on Atlantic waters and a coastal flood watch running into Monday. Northeast gusts could reach 35 to 45 mph Sunday on the Central Florida coast. Breaking waves could reach 7 to 12 feet (Thursday's forecast was 5 to 8), with a high risk of rip currents, moderate to major beach erosion and offshore seas of 12 to 15 feet. Rain chances along the coast climb to 70% to 80% Sunday.

In South Florida, king tides are expected to bring major saltwater flooding along the east coast Sunday and Monday. Water should be highest between 5 and 8 a.m. and between 5 and 8 p.m. each day.

Hundreds of Autism Therapy Providers Say Medicaid Payments Stopped After Molina Took Over; State Is Investigating

On Oct. 1, Molina Healthcare took over paying Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) providers under Florida's Children's Medical Services Medicaid plan. Since then, providers say most of their claims have gone unprocessed. A Miami attorney says nearly 700 providers he works with report they have not been paid, and some therapists are working without paychecks.

The Agency for Health Care Administration says it is actively investigating the payment complaints. Molina did not respond to CBS Miami, and parents worry that providers could close and interrupt their children's care.

Red Tide Reaches Bloom Levels in St. Joseph Bay, the Season's First

In its weekly sampling, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the red tide organism in 12 Gulf Coast samples. Two St. Joseph Bay samples in Gulf County exceeded 100,000 cells per liter, the season's first bloom-level counts. Background levels showed up in Bay County and offshore of Lee County, and East Coast samples were clear.

People around the bay reported fish kills and respiratory irritation during the week. FWC's next update is due Friday, Oct. 30.

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❖ Miami Gardens/Miami-Dade: At Norwood Elementary, kindergarten reading proficiency went from 52% to 88% in two years with The Lucy Project's literacy hubs, founder Sandra Bermudez says. Five new hubs bring the nonprofit to nine schools, backed by $500,000 raised through the Partnership for Miami.

❖ Tampa/Hillsborough: The final stretch, a little more than a third of a mile on Cass Street between Howard and Rome avenues, is done. That completes the 3.5-mile protected bike route from North Hyde Park through downtown and Ybor City to East 21st Street in East Tampa. More than 60,000 cyclists have used the track so far in 2026.

❖ Lake Buena Vista/Orange: Four Seasons Resort Orlando's fourth annual Invitational raised $1,235,000 for AdventHealth for Children. The money goes to AdventHealth's first Adolescent and Young Adult Program, which the hospital says will be Central Florida's first comprehensive cancer program for that age group.

❖ Jacksonville/Duval: Phase two designs from GAI Consultants and Perkins & Will for downtown's Riverfront Plaza include a restaurant, a beer garden and 14 swings. They also show a rooftop walkway linking to the Main Street Bridge and a stair connection to Gateway Jax's planned 20-story tower.

❖ Fort Lauderdale/Broward: Related Group, Tate Capital and Rok Enterprises filed plans for a one-acre private club, designed by EDSA, with tennis, padel and a lap pool. It's part of the $2 billion, 40-acre St. Regis Residences Bahia Mar redevelopment.

❖ Loxahatchee/Palm Beach: Tampa General and the Health Care District of Palm Beach County plan to open the Lakeside Cancer Center at 15440 Tangerine Drive in September 2027. It will serve Glades communities like Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay, where cancer causes 21.6% of deaths.

❖ Cape Coral/Lee: Work widening Cape Coral Parkway to three lanes in each direction was completed Friday.

❖ Pensacola/Escambia: An anonymous $2 million donation set up the George G. and Pattie O. Stone Endowed Scholarship, the biggest gift George Stone Technical College has received since it opened in 1968. Endowment earnings should pay full tuition for up to 30 students a year, with the first awards in 2027–28.

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❖ Trump Rallies Florida Republicans at FGCU 11 Days Before Election Day — President Donald Trump spoke for about 90 minutes Friday night at Alico Arena on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus in Fort Myers, urging supporters to turn out for Byron Donalds for governor and Ashley Moody for U.S. Senate with 11 days left before the Nov. 3 election. The warm-up lineup included Sen. Rick Scott, Attorney General James Uthmeier, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube and Joe Gruters, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used his time to announce a voluntary "U.S. Caught Seafood" label. Gov. Ron DeSantis met Trump at Southwest Florida International Airport but was not on the speaking program.

❖ Early Voting Opens in All 67 Counties Saturday With 1.6 Million Ballots Already In — More than 1.6 million Floridians, about 11.7% of the state's 13.7 million registered voters, had voted by Thursday morning, according to Division of Elections numbers reported by the News Service of Florida. Democrats lead in returned mail ballots, about 485,000 to 406,000, and Republicans lead at early-voting sites, about 235,000 to 211,000. Every county has to offer early voting from Saturday through Oct. 31. For comparison, the 2022 midterm drew 7.8 million voters, or 53.8% of those registered.

❖ Jolly, Nixon and Gwen Graham Rally Democrats at FAMU Homecoming — Democratic governor nominee David Jolly and U.S. Senate nominee Angie Nixon drew hundreds of people to FAMU's Will Packer Amphitheater in Tallahassee on Friday during homecoming week, with former Congresswoman Gwen Graham alongside them. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who had been scheduled to appear, canceled. On the Republican side, Byron Donalds is starting a 21-stop bus tour that runs from Friday to Nov. 2.

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❖ SpaceX Seeks Roughly 400 Acres at Kennedy Space Center for a Starship Factory Campus — SpaceX wants to build out about 400 acres near Roberts Road at Kennedy Space Center for Starship manufacturing, testing, payload processing and booster refurbishment. That's well beyond the roughly 167 acres it leases from NASA there now. A preliminary NASA environmental assessment dated Oct. 13 includes new factory and maintenance buildings and a Starship test stand, with employment that could reach about 3,300 workers at full buildout in 2045. NASA hasn't approved anything yet, and the plan still needs wetland and wildlife reviews because the site borders the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

❖ Lennar Confirms It's Buying Boynton Beach Mall for a Mixed-Use Neighborhood — Homebuilder Lennar confirmed it's the buyer of the 91-acre Boynton Beach Mall property and expects to close in early 2027. The company plans attached single-family housing along with shops, offices, open space and civic uses, which it says would help with Palm Beach County's housing shortage. Planning is still early. Tenants of the 40-plus-year-old mall have already been told to be out by mid-January.

❖ Merits Moves Stairlift Production From Asia to a New Fort Myers Plant — Merits Health Products moved production of its Pilot Navigator curved stairlift from Asia to a new manufacturing plant in south Fort Myers called The Hangar, which opened Oct. 22 at 9983 Gulf Logistics Drive near Southwest Florida International Airport. President Andrew Maskery said building the stairlifts locally should shorten delivery times and give customers more customization options.

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Jaguars Lose Left Tackle Anton Harrison for the Season

Jacksonville's starting left tackle, Anton Harrison, is out for the rest of the season. Thursday's surgery on his right knee was supposed to be a cleanup procedure, but surgeons found a torn ACL. Harrison, 24, went down without contact on a running play in the Jaguars' 19-17 win over Philadelphia in London on Oct. 11 and has been on injured reserve since Oct. 13. The 2023 first-round pick moved from right to left tackle in training camp, and the team picked up his fifth-year option in April.

Gators' Skye Blakely Wins Gymnastics World All-Around Title

University of Florida junior Skye Blakely is the world's all-around gymnastics champion. She won Friday at the World Championships in Rotterdam with 55.733 points, finishing ahead of Russia's Liudmila Roshchina and China's Ke Qinqin. The title caps a comeback for Blakely, 21, whose 2021 and 2024 Olympic Trials both ended in injuries, the second a ruptured Achilles. She is the ninth American woman to win the world all-around and the first to do it in the middle of an NCAA career.

Dolphins Rookie WR Caleb Douglas Returns vs. Jets

Dolphins rookie receiver Caleb Douglas will play Sunday against the New York Jets. He has missed three games with a right ankle injury since Sept. 20. Douglas caught seven passes for 113 yards in the first two games, still the third-most on the team. Miami averages just 153.6 passing yards a game, second-lowest in the NFL. Coach Jeff Hafley is keeping expectations measured for a rookie who missed weeks of reps. Running back Jaylen Wright is also expected to play.

Scoreboard

Brewers 3, Rays 2 (World Series G1; Brewers lead series 1-0)

Timberwolves 115, Magic 93

Pistons 128, Heat 111

Avalanche 6, Lightning 3

Schedule (all times ET)

Sat Oct 24 — NCAAF: Pitt at No. 1 Miami, 12pm ET, ESPN

Sat Oct 24 — NCAAF: Rice at FAU, 12pm ET, ESPNU

Sat Oct 24 — NCAAF: No. 2 BYU at UCF, 3:30pm ET, Fox

Sat Oct 24 — MLS: Inter Miami at Red Bull New York, 5:30pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Oct 24 — NBA: Heat at Hornets, 6pm ET, NBA League Pass

Sat Oct 24 — MLS: NYCFC at Orlando City, 7:30pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Oct 24 — MLB: World Series Game 2, Rays at Brewers, 8pm ET, Fox

Sat Oct 24 — NHL: Lightning at Mammoth, 9pm ET, ESPN+

Sun Oct 25 — NFL: Dolphins at Jets, 1pm ET, CBS

Sun Oct 25 — NFL: Buccaneers at Panthers, 1pm ET, Fox

Sun Oct 25 — NHL: Panthers at Blackhawks, 3pm ET, Scripps Sports

Sun Oct 25 — NWSL: Gotham at Orlando Pride, 3pm ET, CBS Sports Network

Sun Oct 25 — NBA: Magic at Knicks, 7pm ET, NBA League Pass

Mon Oct 26 — NBA: Mavericks at Heat, 7:30pm ET, NBA TV

Mon Oct 26 — MLB: World Series Game 3, Brewers at Rays, 8pm ET, Fox

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

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Florida regular averaged $4.13 a gallon Friday (AAA, as of 10/23/26), up about 7 cents from Thursday ($4.06) but about 6 cents below a week ago ($4.19). That is about 16 cents under the national average of $4.29. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at $4.28, and Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.80.

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❖ Cocoa Caregiver, 85, Retires After Nearly 63 Years: Madine "Mary" McCurry, 85, retired from Health First after 62 years and 10 months — its longest-tenured associate — after starting at Cape Canaveral Hospital when it was a two-story building a year old and spending 47 years as a CNA. Health First celebrated her Thursday; her great-granddaughter Iesha Robinson started there in August as a surgical tech, the fifth generation of the family drawn to caregiving.

❖ Orphaned Manatee Calf Cullen Goes Home to the Keys: Cullen, rescued with his mother off Islamorada by Dolphin Research Center on May 10, 2025, was released Tuesday in Tavernier after 17 months of care at SeaWorld Orlando and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. His mother did not survive a boat-strike injury; FWC and Zoo Miami helped with the release.

❖ From Wedding Bells to Cowbells at the Trop: Winter Haven couple Aaron and Kathleen Doll married at a Seminole church in 2009, then held their reception at Tropicana Field, buying 150 game tickets and handing out cowbells as wedding favors. The Rays sent a wrapped team SUV, the couple wore custom jerseys, and Daughtry played the postgame concert.

❖ Fort Pierce Water Tank Named Best in North America: The Jaycee Park storage tank, painted with sea turtles, dolphins, manatees and pelicans by Stuart-raised artist Christian Stanley, won the 2026 Tank of the Year in the contest's 20th year. Stanley was runner-up in 2024; Fort Pierce Utilities Authority commissioned the mural.

❖ 100 Volunteers Repaint 14 Tildenville Homes: About 100 volunteers painted 14 homes for free in the West Orange community of Tildenville through Orange County's "fixing up the neighborhood" program with Rebuilding Together. Brothers Jerry and Terry Irby, who have lived in their late mother's house for 44 years, were among those helped.

❖ Miami Ballet Dancers Bring Class to Cancer Patients: Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, co-founded by Jennifer Kronenberg, is teaching "Dance & Wellness" classes for patients at Baptist Health's Wertheim Cancer Institute. A South Arts grant funds the program through year's end, and participants will put on two public performances by next summer.

Today’s Quote

"A Florida Saturday keeps its schedule on a tide chart, not a calendar."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing gibbous, 97% lit Saturday; full moon Monday, Oct. 26, at 12:12 a.m. ET.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 7:32 a.m., sunset 6:47 p.m. ET, 11h 15m of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: Central Florida's strawberry planting window runs through about Oct. 25, and South Florida's runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says (North Florida's closed Oct. 15). Set plants 10 to 18 inches apart and expect berries about 90 to 110 days later; 'Sweet Charlie' and 'Festival' are among the varieties suited to Florida.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's Oct. 23 update found red tide in 12 Gulf Coast samples, with the St. Joseph Bay bloom covered in Top Stories d, and none on the East Coast.

Florida by the Numbers

12.50 feet: Lake Okeechobee's level as of Oct. 22, about 2.6 feet below its long-term average for the date (15.06 feet) and nearly a foot and a half lower than a year ago (13.96 feet), according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.