The morning edition

St. Pete gas-pump arson burns woman. Lake Helen E. coli. Lawmakers add $490M emergency cash.

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Good Morning! On September 13, 1961, at 9:04 a.m. EST, NASA launched Mercury-Atlas 4 from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral. Atlas LV-3B 88-D carried uncrewed Mercury spacecraft 8A — with a mechanical crewman simulator — into the program’s first Earth orbit; USS Decatur recovered the capsule after one pass east of Bermuda. (Wikipedia)

In This Issue: A St. Pete stranger sets a woman ablaze at a gas pump, Lake Helen takes a well offline after an E. coli sample, and lawmakers pour $490M into the emergency fund.

Weather: Hot Sunday with afternoon/evening showers and thunderstorms common statewide. Tallahassee starts with patchy fog; storm chances highest Jacksonville–Gainesville (~50–65% PoP) and South Florida (~50–60%), with scattered activity Tampa Bay through Fort Myers. Highs upper 80s to low 90s; heat index near 100–108 in spots (highest NE/SE).

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings (National Hurricane Center). Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook (800 PM EDT Sat Sep 12): tropical cyclone formation is not expected in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of America during the next 7 days.

Rip Current Report: Moderate rip-current risk Sunday for the Space Coast / Volusia–Treasure Coast Atlantic (NWS MLB) and eastern Panhandle / Big Bend Gulf including Panama City–Apalachicola (NWS TAE). Low for Northeast Florida Atlantic (NWS JAX Sunday), west-central / SW Gulf including Tampa Bay through Fort Myers (NWS TBW), Southeast Florida Atlantic Palm Beach–Broward–Miami-Dade and Naples (NWS MFL), and Pensacola–Destin (NWS MOB). Swim near a lifeguard; heed beach flags.

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Stranger Sets St. Pete Woman Ablaze at Gas Pump, Police Say

St. Petersburg police say Eleanor Crawford, 41, asked a stranger pumping gas into a Volvo SUV at the Mobil at 101 40th Avenue North about 8 p.m. Thursday for her phone, then for money; when the victim refused, Crawford ignited the gasoline with a lighter, engulfing the SUV and sending the woman to Tampa General with second-degree burns (FOX 13).

Officers arrested Crawford within about 20 minutes a few blocks away; she faces attempted felony murder and arson charges, and police say the women did not know each other and no motive is known (FOX 13).

Lake Helen Takes Well Offline After E. Coli Sample

The City of Lake Helen (Volusia County) said Saturday it learned a September assessment sample from Well #2 tested E. coli–positive; the well is offline under EPA’s Ground Water Rule while crews keep sampling until the contamination is gone (ClickOrlando).

City leaders said follow-up samples collected Saturday showed no E. coli and that a boil-water order is not necessary; residents with health concerns should call a doctor, and U.S. Water can be reached at (866) 753-8292 (WESH).

Lawmakers Pour $250M Plus $240M Into Emergency Fund

Florida’s Joint Legislative Budget Commission on Friday amended the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund with an additional $250 million in the state budget plus a $240 million general-revenue transfer — the same day DEM’s overdue report flagged a possible $1.5 billion year-end deficit (WCTV).

Nearly $190 million is earmarked for immigration response under Operation Vigilant Sentry; Democrats argued the delayed DEM expenditure report (due July 15, delivered Friday) boxed lawmakers in, while Senate Appropriations Chair Ed Hooper pointed to Cat Fund and legislative reserves for storms (WCTV).

Critics Say Hope Florida Grand Jury Left Tools Unused

A Miami Herald review of the leaked Leon County grand-jury report on the $10 million Hope Florida / Centene diversion says the panel cited only four outside exhibits and lists no emails, texts, or phone logs — former prosecutors call the probe incomplete after jurors hit a “wall of silence” (ArcaMax).

The report found money was “misappropriated” into political channels but recommended no charges; 9 of 22 people named, including top Republicans, lack documented testimony in the leaked text, the Herald reported Sep 12 (ArcaMax).

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❖ Miami-Dade: Taste the Caribbean Festival is Sunday Sep 13, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (10901 Old Cutler Rd.) — Island Market vendors, Island Vibes Stage bands, cooking demos, and lawn games across the 83-acre garden (Miami and Beaches).

❖ Tampa Bay: Safety Harbor cut the ribbon Saturday on the rebuilt Fire Marshal Dick Brock Memorial Pier after 2024 hurricane destruction — more than $1 million in city/state/federal funding; Mayor Joe Ayoub said the new pier matches the old design with stronger materials (Tampa Bay 28).

❖ Orlando / Mount Dora: Mount Dora opened the Nathaniel Bell Community Resource and Recreation Center Saturday — about 31,000 square feet on Lincoln Avenue with gym, classrooms, tech lab, kitchen, and after-school space; more than 500 people registered during the soft opening; membership is free (ClickOrlando).

❖ Jacksonville: Jacksonville Farmers Market is Sunday Sep 13, 7 a.m., at Jacksonville Flower Market (9731 Beach Blvd.) — recurring Sunday produce/flower market (VenUnite).

❖ Broward: The MKT at The Loop / Las Olas Oceanside Park (3000 E. Las Olas Blvd.) is Sunday Sep 13, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. — rotating local vendors, produce, made-to-order food, handmade goods beachside (Discover Fort Lauderdale Beach).

❖ Palm Beach: Boynton Beach Community Farmers Market is Sunday Sep 13, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (Eventeny).

❖ Gulf Coast: Punta Gorda End of Summer Artisans Market is Sunday Sep 13, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., at History Park (501 Shreve St.) — produce, eggs, honey, goat cheese, crafts, breads; free admission (Fairs and Festivals).

❖ North Florida: Alachua County Farmers’ Market is Sunday Sep 13, 8:30 a.m., at 5920 NW 13th Street — recurring Sunday market (VenUnite).

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❖ Miami: At a Miami news conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected President Trump’s midterm pledge to send every American adult a $5,000 “Trump dividend,” arguing borrowing another ~$1.5 trillion to flood the economy would mean “more debt and more inflation,” and pointing instead to Florida’s rainy-day fund and nearly $10 billion in tax cuts (ClickOrlando).

❖ Space Coast: U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody said she will file legislation to locate the new United States Space Academy on Florida’s Space Coast near Kennedy Space Center — a training pipeline for Space Force, NASA, and commercial space — after the Florida delegation’s Sep 3 letter to the White House and NASA (ClickOrlando).

❖ Orlando: Florida Fish and Wildlife proposed stricter captive-sloth rules after deaths at Orlando’s planned Sloth World — including 1,000 hours hands-on experience (or 500 + exam), facility pre-inspection, applicant age 18, and written disaster plans; advocates still push an import ban (WESH).

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❖ Florida: USDA’s preliminary 2026 Commercial Citrus Inventory puts Florida citrus at 165,359 acres across 23 counties — down nearly 21% year-over-year (net loss 42,827 acres); Polk still leads at 37,529 acres after losing 10,944, with Highlands at 34,671 (ClickOrlando).

❖ Clermont: Nine small businesses at Clermont’s Downtown Exchange (639 8th St.) were told to vacate by Sep 30 under lease termination-for-convenience clauses (45 days’ notice, landlord says); Divino Market LLC has leased space to open later this year (ClickOrlando).

❖ Pinellas: Pinellas County is in phase two of the Glance traffic-preemption system — devices on 212 fire trucks and ambulances turn lights green for responders; Clearwater reported about a seven-minute savings on one Gulf-to-Bay run (Bay News 9).

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Florida Rolls Campbell 52–3 Behind Vernell Brown III

Vernell Brown III scored three second-quarter touchdowns — including consecutive punt returns — as Florida flattened FCS Campbell 52–3 Saturday in Gainesville to start 2–0 for the first time since 2020; the Gators scored 35 points in the second quarter and led 45–3 at half (AP).

Rays Edge Astros 3–2; Baker Notches 40th Save

Postseason-bound Tampa Bay beat Houston 3–2 Saturday at Tropicana Field — Richie Palacios’ two-run single, Nick Madrigal’s seventh-inning sac fly, and Bryan Baker’s majors-leading 40th save (CBS Sports).

Marlins Snap Dodgers’ Eight-Game Streak, 4–3

Miami beat Los Angeles 4–3 Saturday at loanDepot park, ending the Dodgers’ eight-game win streak (FOX Sports).

Scoreboard

Rays 3, Astros 2 — FINAL (Sat)

Marlins 4, Dodgers 3 — FINAL (Sat)

Schedule

NFL Week 1 Sunday Sep 13: Buccaneers at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, Paycor Stadium); Dolphins at Raiders (evening, Allegiant Stadium); Browns at Jaguars (Jacksonville) (NFL)

MLB Sunday: Rays vs Astros (series finale, Tropicana); Marlins home set continues — confirm first pitch on club sites.

CFB next Saturday: Florida at Auburn; UCF hosts Georgia State.

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Florida regular averaged $4.1515 a gallon Saturday (AAA) — down less than a cent from Friday ($4.1551) and up about 23 cents from a week ago ($3.9265), and still about 16 cents under the national $4.3104. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive named metro at $4.3027; Panama City is cheapest at $3.9766 (Pensacola $3.9785; Crestview–Fort Walton Beach $3.9966). (AAA)

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❖ St. Petersburg: A kitten survived a roughly 55-foot fall from the I-275 overpass over 3rd Avenue South Friday after jumping from a signpost during a rescue; FHP, Road Rangers, Pinellas Animal Control, and St. Pete Fire recovered the kitten in fair condition for medical evaluation (FOX 13).

❖ Indian Shores: Seaside Seabird Sanctuary marked its 10th anniversary by releasing about 40 rehabilitated brown pelicans, laughing gulls, and double-crested cormorants back onto the beach — many recovered from fishing-hook injuries; the nonprofit says it receives no state funding (FOX 13).

❖ Gainesville: Staff at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital helped Camie Cummings marry Sandy Adams at her mother’s ICU bedside so the mother, fighting stage 4 liver cancer, could witness the wedding — decorations, cake, and sparkling lemonade included (WCJB).

❖ Central Florida: GROW Healthy Kids is distributing more than 1,200 recess kits to 41 K–5 public schools across nine counties (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Volusia, Brevard, Lake, Polk, Pasco, Pinellas), stocking gear for about 23,000 students (ClickOrlando).

❖ Hillsborough: Five-week-old kitten “Dash,” stranded on I-275, was chased down by HCSO deputies and an FHP trooper Sep 8 and adopted by the responding deputy’s family (CBS12).

Today’s Quote

“To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”

— Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing Crescent; about 8% illuminated (timeanddate / Orlando). New Moon was Thu–Fri Sep 10–11.

Sunrise / sunset (Sunday Sep 13; Orlando, EDT): 7:09 a.m. / 7:34 p.m. (times vary; Pensacola is Central).

Gardening: Mid-September remains a strong window for cool-season starts (broccoli, kale, carrots, lettuce, collards, cabbage) by region. Central and South Florida can prep strawberry beds for late-September set dates; North Florida strawberries usually wait until October. Warm herbs (basil, mint, rosemary) still go in. Check local fertilizer blackouts through September. (UF/IFAS)

Coastal note: FWC written statewide red-tide status dated September 11, 2026 (next written report due Fri Sep 18). Sep 11 update: Karenia brevis was not observed in samples collected statewide over the past week; no red-tide–related fish kills or respiratory irritation reported. Pair beach plans with the rip-current map in the weather strip. (FWC red tide)

Florida by the Numbers

Florida’s highway network includes 7,285 highway bridges (2025 count), according to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Transportation Fast Facts (updated February 2026). (FDOT)