The morning edition

Electric air taxis flew from St. Pete to Tampa International as Florida maps out highways in the sky

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Good Morning! On October 31, 1916, citrus grower Edward Postell Porcher and his family moved into their new Classical Revival home on Delannoy Avenue in Cocoa, built of native coquina rock with a teak staircase and oak floors. Byrnina Porcher designed the house, and her love of bridge shows in the stones cut as spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs on the front. The city of Cocoa later bought it and used it as City Hall, and 110 years on it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and open to the public.

In This Issue: Electric air taxis flew across Tampa Bay in Florida's first test of "highways in the sky", FPL wants to trim 2027 bills even with a Hurricane Isaias surcharge, and the Gators turn to Aaron Philo against Georgia. Plus a Jacksonville nurse's Halloween adoption and a Grim Reaper mystery solved in San Carlos Park.

Weather: Halloween stays mostly cloudy and breezy, with highs in the low to mid 80s, mostly dry from the Panhandle through Orlando and showers and a few storms in South Florida into the evening. Heavier rain, 1 to 3 inches, arrives Sunday and Monday, and Coastal Flood Advisories cover the Southeast and Northeast coasts at high tide. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center expects no tropical development in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf over the next seven days. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High risk Saturday along the whole Atlantic coast, with a High Surf Advisory for Palm Beach and Broward; on the Gulf side it's high from Escambia to Bay and in Franklin, and low from Levy to Lee. (NWS)

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Electric Air Taxis Fly Across Tampa Bay in Florida's First Advanced Air Mobility Test

Two electric aircraft from Joby Aviation and BETA Technologies flew Friday from Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg across Tampa Bay to Tampa International Airport, retracing the route of the world's first commercial airline flight in 1914. It was the first in a series of Florida Department of Transportation demonstrations under the FAA's eVTOL Integration Pilot Program; Florida is one of eight states selected.

Joby's aircraft takes off and lands vertically, carries a pilot and four passengers and is built to fly about 200 mph. The flights continue at Orlando International Airport and Kennedy Space Center, and the state will use the noise and airspace data to map a planned "Aerial Highway Network" along busy corridors such as Interstate 4.

FPL Asks to Make 2027 Bills Slightly Lower Than Approved, Despite Isaias Costs

Florida Power & Light asked state regulators Friday to set the typical 1,000-kilowatt-hour residential bill at $141.87 a month starting in January 2027, $1.18 less than the rate approved in its 2025 settlement. FPL credits lower projected natural gas costs and its generation fleet.

The reduction is meant to offset a proposed temporary surcharge of $3.48 a month to recover Hurricane Isaias restoration costs and refill the storm reserve, which would apply January through December 2027 if the Public Service Commission approves. FPL serves about 6.13 million homes and businesses in 41 counties.

Florida Dengue Cases Reach 485, the Largest U.S. Outbreak in Decades

Florida added 60 locally acquired dengue cases in its latest weekly report, raising the 2026 total to 485 across 12 counties, including the first two in Seminole County. Hillsborough added 39 cases for 385 since July, and Pinellas added 16 for 67.

The previous Florida record was 199 cases in 2023, and the state reported 62 last year. Manatee County confirmed its second local case Friday, and its health department is working with county mosquito control on truck fogging, aerial larviciding and checks of breeding sites. Dengue spreads through mosquito bites, not person to person, and health officials are urging residents to drain standing water and use EPA-registered repellent.

Polk Undercover Operation Ends With 281 Arrests, Including 17 Theme Park Workers

A seven-day multi-agency undercover operation in Polk County targeting online child predators and human trafficking led to 281 arrests on 488 new charges, including 198 felonies, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said. Only 40 of those arrested live in Polk; the rest came from across Florida, 20 other states and 18 countries.

Deputies ran two stings at once, one on adults accused of traveling to meet children and one on commercial sex. Those booked include 17 Walt Disney World and Universal workers (Disney fired its workers) and an Orange County school resource deputy, Sheriff Grady Judd said. Attorney General James Uthmeier joined the announcement. One More Child, a nonprofit that worked with investigators, said officials identified 11 people they believe were trafficking victims.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Catching drones by their magnetism: Miami: FIU professor Arjuna Madanayake's team built a low-cost system that spots drones from their magnetic signatures, with 98.52 percent accuracy at up to 15 meters. The work was published in the IEEE Sensors Journal.

❖ Tampa Bay — A global honor for the convention center: Tampa: EXHIBITOR Magazine named the Tampa Convention Center a 2027 Center of Excellence, its second time on the top-25 list, and a global finalist for best center with 100,000 to 500,000 square feet of exhibit space. The center hosted 94 events and more than 340,000 attendees in 2026, worth an estimated $149 million to the local economy.

❖ Orlando — Gateway Osceola apartments: Kissimmee: Muirfield Development plans Gateway Osceola, a four-story, 252-unit apartment community on 12 acres in the NeoCity corridor near Osceola Heritage Park, at a cost of more than $60 million. BBL Building Co. aims to finish it by summer 2028, with a clubhouse, pool, freestanding fitness center and lake trails.

❖ Jacksonville — The Skyway stops early: Jacksonville: JTA closed the downtown Skyway on Friday morning because of staffing problems, hours before the planned pause that evening ahead of service changes on Nov. 2. No reopening date has been announced, the La Villa platform is fenced off, and some riders told the station they believe the monorail is closing for good.

❖ Broward — A new soccer field in Davie: Davie: Fort Lauderdale United FC is investing about $350,000 to regrass the baseball field at Broward College's A. Hugh Adams Central Campus and convert it for soccer, for college intramurals and the club's youth programs. Irrigation work is underway, and new sod is due in early November.

❖ Palm Beach — Arden fights Project Tango: Loxahatchee/Arden: The Arden HOA is preparing a legal challenge to an Oct. 7 county staff ruling that lets the Project Tango data center west of the community expand from about 200,000 to more than 700,000 square feet. The HOA has 30 days from the ruling to object, and County Mayor Sara Baxter says the application came in before September's one-year data center moratorium.

❖ Gulf Coast — A new preserve with camping: Cape Coral: The $6 million Yellow Fever Creek Preserve is open, with nature trails, a fishing pond, disc golf and more than 20 camping spots. The park was paid for by the 2018 voter-approved parks bond and opened about two years late because of contractor problems.

❖ North Florida — FSU Health's new building: Tallahassee: Florida State opened a four-story, 140,000-square-foot, $125 million research and collaboration building on the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare campus, which FSU trustees named for Wilton Simpson on Friday. FSU Family Medicine, which sees more than 12,000 patients a year, is part of the push as FSU and TMH move toward one combined health system, President Richard McCullough said.

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❖ Trump Rallies for Donalds and Moody in Daytona Beach — President Trump brought his midterm push to the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach on Friday night, where thousands of supporters filled the roughly 9,300-seat arena four days before Tuesday's election. He campaigned for Republican governor nominee Byron Donalds, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and U.S. Rep. Randy Fine; Donalds and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott spoke before the president took the stage. Trump landed at Daytona Beach International Airport around 7 p.m. and spoke for about 90 minutes, according to FOX 35. Donalds faces Democratic nominee David Jolly in Tuesday's governor's race.

❖ Florida Republicans Shrug Off Democrats' Early-Vote Edge — Democrats have turned out in bigger numbers in early in-person and mail voting than four years ago, and in Polk County, where Republicans hold a 13-point registration edge, GOP voters had cast just 468 more ballots than Democrats as of Friday morning. Republican strategist Anthony Pedicini says GOP "super-voters" show up on Election Day, and university analysts still expect Republicans to carry the state. More than 4.4 million Floridians had voted by Friday afternoon, with Republicans casting 40.4% of ballots and Democrats 38.4%, per the University of Florida Election Lab. Early voting ends Saturday in many counties and Sunday, Nov. 1, in some.

❖ DOJ Warns Election Officials About People Posing as Federal Monitors — The Justice Department has warned local election officials to watch for impostors posing as federal election monitors after reports of impostors. Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia said early voting has run smoothly and no impostors have turned up there, and Broward reported none either. Real DOJ monitors carry ID, watch from outside and may not enter polling sites. A Justice Department email said legitimate monitors would be at voting sites only on Election Day, and a department spokesperson told CNN it had no monitors in the field. Garcia said poll workers have been trained to spot impostors.

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❖ St. Pete Businesses Cash In on Three Days of World Series Crowds — St. Petersburg: The three World Series games at Tropicana Field drew 121,391 fans, more than twice the Rays' regular-season average of 17,469, and businesses nearby felt it. Ferg's Sports Bar owner Mark Ferguson told the Catalyst his bar went through 42,000 chicken wings and 3,500 cases of beer and seltzer, and Grand Central Brewhouse said sales ran 30% above the prior Monday through Wednesday and 85% above the same days last year. Many of the customers were Milwaukee fans who flew in for tickets far cheaper than at home. EDGE District leaders also credited Hawkers, Green Bench Brewing and the Moxy hotel, and warned that losing the Rays to Tampa in 2029 will leave a hole for the neighborhood.

❖ Tampa Developer Buys the 325-Room Westshore Grand, Plans Renovation Through 2028 — Tampa: Tampa-based Ally Capital Group, partnering with Black Diamond Capital, has bought the 325-room Westshore Grand, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel, and plans phased renovations of guest rooms, meeting space and restaurants through 2027 and 2028. Ally already owns the neighboring Urban Centre office towers, which it bought for $123 million in 2023. The price wasn't disclosed; Valley National Bank financed the deal. The hotel sits across from the 53-acre WestShore Plaza site, where a proposed redevelopment would replace the mall with a mixed-use district. Ally hasn't named a construction start date or said how the work will affect hotel operations.

❖ $463 Million Loan Keeps St. Regis Sunny Isles Tower Rising — Sunny Isles Beach: Fortune International Group and Château Group secured $463 million from Madison Realty Capital for The St. Regis Residences at 18801 Collins Avenue, refinancing Bank OZK debt and funding construction of the 62-story South Tower, which is more than 80% sold with 170 condos. A second 62-story tower with 150 units is planned, with phases due in 2028 and 2029. The towers will rise about 750 feet on a 4.7-acre site with roughly 435 feet of ocean frontage, and a $113.75 million City National Bank of Florida loan announced in April supports early work on the second tower.

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Kucherov Tells the Lightning He Won't Re-Sign and Asks for a Trade

Reigning NHL MVP Nikita Kucherov has told the Tampa Bay Lightning he will not re-sign and has asked to be traded, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The 33-year-old winger is in the final season of an eight-year, $76 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He helped Tampa Bay win two Stanley Cups, has led the league in scoring three times and won the Hart Trophy twice. Kucherov became the franchise's career points leader last weekend, passing Steven Stamkos, and has 15 points in 12 games this season. General manager Julien BriseBois had said in September that the goal was a long-term deal, and the team did not immediately comment.

Philo Gets the Start for No. 17 Florida Against No. 3 Georgia

Florida will start quarterback Aaron Philo against third-ranked Georgia in Saturday's rivalry game in Atlanta, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. Coach Jon Sumrall had not announced it publicly. Philo missed the Oct. 17 win at Texas with an injured throwing shoulder. Backup Tramell Jones Jr. won that start, going 22 of 35 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and both quarterbacks were listed questionable this week. Speedy receiver Vernell Brown III was listed probable after missing three games with a sprained knee, though the Sentinel later reported he was downgraded to questionable. Receiver Bailey Stockton and linebacker Jaden Robinson are doubtful.

Heat Unveil a Remade Dwyane Wade Statue After Years of Jokes

The Miami Heat on Friday showed off a new head on the Dwyane Wade statue outside their downtown arena, two years after the original was widely mocked because the face looked little like the Hall of Famer. Wade said in an essay published Friday that he agreed to the change after asking why people shouldn't feel a connection when they look at it. The work was finished in recent days under a plywood box. The statue recalls Wade's March 2009 double-overtime winner against the Chicago Bulls, when he jumped onto the scorer's table and shouted "This is my house." Wade said the fix isn't meant to disrespect the original artists. "It may be my likeness," he wrote, "but it will always be our house."

Scoreboard

NHL: Panthers 5, Jets 2 FINAL

NBA: Magic 121, Raptors 114 FINAL

NBA: Heat 145, Pacers 125 FINAL

Schedule (all times ET)

Sat Oct 31 — NCAAF: UAB at USF, Raymond James Stadium, noon ET, ESPNU

Sat Oct 31 — MLS: Orlando City at Charlotte FC, 1pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Oct 31 — NHL: Lightning at Predators, 2pm ET, The Spot

Sat Oct 31 — NCAAF: Florida vs. Georgia, Atlanta, 3:30pm ET, ABC

Sat Oct 31 — NCAAF: FIU at Liberty, 3:30pm ET, CBS Sports Network

Sat Oct 31 — NCAAF: Clemson at FSU, 7pm ET, ACC Network

Sat Oct 31 — NCAAF: Miami at North Carolina, 7:30pm ET, ABC

Sun Nov 1 — NFL: Falcons at Bucs, 1pm ET, Fox

Sun Nov 1 — NFL: Colts at Jaguars, 1pm ET, CBS

Sun Nov 1 — NBA: Celtics at Magic, 3:30pm ET, MagicTV 27

Sun Nov 1 — NFL: Patriots at Dolphins, 4:25pm ET, CBS

Sun Nov 1 — NWSL: Pride at Seattle Reign, 5pm ET, ESPN+

Sun Nov 1 — MLS: Inter Miami at New England, 7pm ET, Apple TV

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF

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Florida regular averaged $3.92 a gallon Friday (AAA, as of 10/30/26), down about 5 cents from Thursday ($3.96) and down about 21 cents from a week ago ($4.13). That is about 29 cents under the national average of $4.20. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.08, and Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.68.

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❖ Home for Halloween: Jacksonville pediatric nurse adopts 13-year-old Daniel, one of 29 kids placed in a day: At Family Support Services' "Home for Halloween" adoption day at the Duval County Courthouse, 29 children got forever families, among them Daniel, 13, who has cerebral palsy and weighed just 29 pounds when he was at Wolfson Children's Hospital. His new mom, pediatric nurse Scotesha Terry, showed up to the process with three pages of questions and is now a mother of four, with 12-year-old Kingston as Daniel's new brother. Judge Michael Kalil presided; the agency says 335 children in Duval and Nassau counties are still waiting, more than 100 of them teens.

❖ Tampa's "one-man museum": Rudy Scaglione, 82, shows off 70 years of collecting: Rudy Scaglione, 82, has spent about 70 years collecting pieces of history — Kennedy items, moon-landing and civil-rights keepsakes, 9/11 memorabilia and Hollywood treasures from Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe — and now displays them in the lobby of Brookdale Bayshore, his assisted-living community. Helper Millie Post assists with the exhibit, and one prized piece is a thank-you letter from Taylor herself.

❖ Wellington quarterback Olivia Nagel launches "Flag It Forward" to outfit girls who can't afford gear: Olivia Nagel, a junior and the starting quarterback for Wellington High School's girls flag football team, started Flag It Forward this summer to collect, clean and give away used flag football gear to young players who can't afford it. Using donation bins at Breakthru Athletic League games in The Acreage, she has already gathered 30 shirts, 14 pairs of cleats and five sets of receivers' gloves, which she washes and stores in her family's garage. Nagel, who has played since she was 8, also coaches flag football for Special Olympics athletes in Palm Beach County.

❖ Winter Garden named one of Hallmark's 25 Official Christmas Towns: Winter Garden has been named an Official Hallmark Christmas Town, one of 25 communities across the country to get the designation. The city didn't win the overall "Merriest" title, but it can display the Hallmark seal for two years, and a holiday photo station is going up at Centennial Plaza downtown.

❖ Tampa veteran Tanya Lea gets her life story turned into a song through Operation Song at the Straz: Tanya Lea fell for the stage at 5 when she saw Sandy Duncan fly in "Peter Pan," but life took her into the military as a radio operator and cryptologic specialist, and later into mind-body medicine. Now she's one of the veterans picked for Operation Song at Tampa's Straz Center, where professional songwriters turn service members' stories into original music. The Nashville-born program says it has written more than 2,000 songs with veterans since 2012.

❖ A Grim Reaper in San Carlos Park turns out to be a kid in a costume: A cloaked Grim Reaper standing in a San Carlos Park neighborhood had resident Haley Harris and her neighbors spooked enough that two of them called the non-emergency line. The Lee County Sheriff's Office checked it out and reported back that the Reaper was a child in a Halloween costume with no bad intentions.

Today’s Quote

"A Florida ghost story begins, 'It was a dark and stormy night.' Then it clears up in twenty minutes and everybody goes back outside."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning gibbous on Halloween Saturday, about 63% lit; last quarter is Sunday, Nov. 1.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 7:37 a.m., sunset 6:41 p.m. EDT, 11h 4m of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time. Saturday is the last day of daylight saving time: clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, so Sunday's sunrise and sunset come about an hour earlier on the clock.

Gardening Notes: Go vertical this winter with English peas, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says: in Central and South Florida they can be planted from September through February, while North Florida gardeners should wait for January through March. 'Sugar Snap' and 'Wando' are two good Florida varieties; give them full sun, enriched soil and something to climb, and the pods should be plump and ready in a few months.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's Oct. 30 update found bloom-level red tide in six samples from Bay and Gulf counties, with suspected fish kills and respiratory irritation reported in Gulf County; it was not observed in Southwest Florida or on the East Coast.

Florida by the Numbers

22,517: Florida's net gain from people moving in from other states in the year ending July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, down from 58,411 the year before and 310,892 in 2022. Florida still added 196,680 residents, second only to Texas, mostly from international migration, to reach about 23.46 million.