The morning edition

Clay County custody shootout. Lake inmate $5k plot. Dengue death confirmed.

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Good Morning! On September 20, 1959, at 4:00 p.m., Wallace M. Quinn High School in Apalachicola dedicated its new gymnasium — locker rooms, storage, and public restrooms ending years when the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams played night games on an outdoor asphalt court lit by car headlights and warmed by burn barrels. Legendary Florida A&M University football coach Alonzo “Jake” Gaither delivered the dedicatory address. Quinn, the modern campus that replaced Paul Laurence Dunbar School after the 1943 fire, was the center of Franklin County’s Black educational life until schools integrated in 1967. (City of Apalachicola)

In This Issue: Clay County custody shootout, Lake inmate’s $5,000 witness plot, and DOH dengue death confirmation.

Weather: Warm, humid Sunday with afternoon storm chances statewide under a light northeast breeze. Panhandle and Big Bend start mostly sunny then pick up storm chances (Pensacola chance storms ~50% near 92; Tallahassee storms likely mid-afternoon ~60% near 92). Northeast and north-central stay partly sunny with storm chances (Jacksonville ~50% near 89; Gainesville ~40% near 90). Central Florida partly sunny then afternoon storms (Orlando ~50% near 90; Tampa scattered storms ~50% near 90; Daytona Beach chance storms ~30% near 87). Southwest and Southeast keep higher storm chances — Fort Myers scattered storms (~50% near 90), Miami storms likely (~80% near 87), West Palm Beach storms likely (~70% near 85), Keys storms likely (~60% near 90). Heat still near the upper 80s to low 90s where storms hold off.

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings (National Hurricane Center). Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook (800 PM EDT Sat Sep 19): NHC is issuing advisories on newly formed Tropical Depression Six, several hundred miles southwest of the Azores (Advisory 2: ~32.9°N 33.4°W, NNE ~5 mph, 35 mph max sustained / 1007 mb — far eastern Atlantic, not a Florida land threat). Tropical cyclone formation is not expected elsewhere in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or Gulf during the next 7 days.

Rip Current Report: Moderate rip-current risk Sunday for Northeast Florida Atlantic (Nassau–Duval–St. Johns beaches; NWS JAX SRF), East-Central / Treasure Coast Atlantic including Volusia–Brevard–Indian River–St. Lucie–Martin (NWS MLB SRF), and eastern Panhandle Gulf including South Walton / Santa Rosa Beach, Panama City Beach, Coastal Franklin / Apalachicola, and Gulf County state-park / south-facing beaches (NWS TAE SRF — west-facing Gulf beaches Low Sun; south-facing and state parks Moderate). Low Sunday for Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Atlantic and Collier Gulf (NWS MFL SRF), west-central / SW Gulf including Nature Coast through Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee (NWS TBW SRF), and Pensacola–Destin / Escambia–Santa Rosa–Okaloosa coastal (NWS MOB SRF). Swim near a lifeguard; heed beach flags.

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Clay County Custody Exchange Ends in AR-Style Shootout; Homes Hit

Clay County deputies arrested Darrius Elighah Winard Kirkland, 32, after he opened fire with an AR-style rifle during a Friday evening child-custody exchange in the Oakleaf area, sending rounds into the father’s vehicle and several homes; Kirkland faces attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and child abuse, authorities said, and no one was struck by gunfire though a neighbor’s home was hit twice while her 8-year-old son was inside (News4Jax). (News4Jax)

Deputies said Kirkland accompanied his girlfriend to the exchange, pointed the rifle at the father’s vehicle, and fired several times before the father returned fire and fled through yards; the mother got both children to safety, Kirkland crashed the girlfriend’s vehicle into a tree (sparking fires that Clay County Fire Rescue extinguished), then hid in a nearby yard until a K-9 team and community members found him — Piedmont Manor Drive stayed shut for hours while detectives collected evidence (News4Jax; First Coast News twin). (First Coast News)

Lake County Inmate Charged With Offering $5,000 to Kill Witness

Lake County Jail inmate David Butka is charged with solicitation to commit murder after investigators say he offered another inmate $5,000 to kill a witness in his aggravated-assault case, providing the person’s first name, description, morning schedule, and how to find the home; the inmate reported the plot Sep 16, and detectives confirmed $300 from Butka’s credit card had already been deposited into the inmate’s commissary account (ClickOrlando). (ClickOrlando)

Butka was already jailed on a July Clermont rock-throwing aggravated-assault case and was scheduled for court release Sep 17 — deputies added the solicitation charge before he could leave and notified the alleged target; Butka denied the plot, saying the card was for a $2,400 attorney bill and claiming the other inmate floated the killing idea first (ClickOrlando / LCSO Sgt. Jim Vachon). (ClickOrlando)

PBSO Deputy Fatally Shoots Man Who Attacked Her Outside Substation

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot Rex Alexander Magann, 31, outside the District 19 Substation in the Town of South Palm Beach after Magann asked for medical help around 7:35 a.m. Thursday, then shoved the deputy to the pavement, tried to take her service weapon, and struck her repeatedly in the head during a struggle for the gun, authorities said; Magann died at the scene and the deputy was placed on administrative leave pending review by FDLE, the State Attorney’s Office, and PBSO Violent Crimes (TampaFP). (Tampa Free Press)

PBSO records released with the case note Magann’s prior Palm Beach arrests (burglary, battery on specified personnel, resisting, fleeing, criminal mischief, felony property-damage traffic) and four prior Baker Act incidents (Miami-Dade 2013 and 2023, Martin County June 2025, West Palm Beach July 2025) (TampaFP; WFLX twin). (WFLX)

DOH Confirms Dengue Death as Hillsborough Mosquito Pools Signal Waning

The Florida Department of Health confirmed Friday that locally acquired dengue caused the death of an 80-year-old Tampa woman who died Sep 4 after a mosquito bite near her Bayshore Boulevard home — among at least 134 Hillsborough locally acquired cases (~90% of statewide) — and WUSF reported Saturday that recent mosquito-pool samplings have not found the virus, which Hillsborough Mosquito Management’s Paolo Pecora called a sign new infections are waning (WUSF / AP). (WUSF)

USF’s Kristy Miley said the death appears to be the first dengue fatality in the Tampa Bay area in nearly a century; Pinellas added two locally acquired cases in the latest reporting period (7 since July), Miami-Dade also has seven, and Orange County’s Friday Apopka cases triggered a Mosquito-borne Illness Alert (county total 3) while alerts remain in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Duval, Orange, and Miami-Dade (WUSF). (WUSF)

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❖ Miami-Dade: Pinecrest Farmers Market runs every Sunday 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (free yoga 8:30 a.m.) at Pinecrest Gardens (11000 SW Red Road) — 80+ local vendors under the historic banyan trees with Redlands/Homestead produce, artisan breads, honey, flowers, and crafts; dog-friendly, rain-or-shine, free parking (Pinecrest Farmers Market). (Pinecrest Farmers Market)

❖ Tampa Bay: Water Street Sunday Market is the 3rd Sunday each month — Sunday Sep 20 falls on the third Sunday — 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (June–Sep hours) on Water Street Downtown Tampa between Channelside Drive and Cumberland Avenue; 70+ vendors with artisanal goods and food, family- and dog-friendly with free parking (Tampa Bay Markets). (Tampa Bay Markets)

❖ Orlando: Orlando Farmers Market is Sunday Sep 20, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., free at Lake Eola Park (Southeast corner — Eola Drive & Central Boulevard) — Central Florida produce, baked goods, crafts, plants, and prepared foods in a gathering place running since 1987 (City of Orlando). (City of Orlando)

❖ Jacksonville: Maker’s Market at Bold Bean Riverside is listed Sunday Sep 20 at Bold Bean Coffee Roasters (Riverside / Stockton Street corridor) — local makers, coffeehouse setting, afternoon market hours per Jax List calendar (The Jax List). (The Jax List)

❖ Broward: Flamingo Flea at Tarpon River Brewing is Sunday Sep 20, noon–4 p.m., free at 280 SW 6th Street — handmade/local vendors, brunch, craft beer, and live music (Flamingo Flea). (Flamingo Flea)

❖ Palm Beach: The Gardens GreenMarket operates Sundays in Palm Beach Gardens — produce, plants, and local vendors as the city’s standing Sunday green market (City of Palm Beach Gardens). (City of Palm Beach Gardens)

❖ Gulf Coast: Newtown Farmers Market is Sunday Sep 20, noon–6 p.m., free at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (2523 Cocoanut Ave., Sarasota) — local produce, goods, and affordable vendor space for small businesses; also runs Thu/Fri/Sun noon–6 and Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (Eat Play SWFL). (Eat Play SWFL)

❖ North Florida: Lily Hall Vintage Night Market is Sunday Sep 20, 4–9 p.m., at Lily Hall (415 N. Alcaniz St., Pensacola) — vintage vendors and evening market programming downtown (HappeningNext / Lily Hall listing). (HappeningNext)

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❖ Statewide: Gov. Ron DeSantis, speaking at the University of Alabama’s Shelby Institute while in town for Florida State’s game, said Amendment 3 is “a live issue” and “I don’t know if it’s going to pass with 60%,” adding he wanted a bolder package than the Legislature’s proposal to raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and cut the non-homestead assessment-increase cap from 10% to 5%; the same week’s St. Pete Polls survey had support near 45%, short of the constitutional supermajority (CBS12). (CBS12)

❖ Statewide: A St. Pete Polls survey of 913 likely voters (Sep 15–17, MOE ±3.2) for Florida Politics shows the attorney general race inside the margin — Republican James Uthmeier at 43% and Democrat José Javier Rodríguez at 42%, with about 15% undecided — while Fox49 framed the governor’s and U.S. Senate contests as equally tight snapshots the same week (Fox49). (Fox49)

❖ Statewide: FlaglerLive’s Florida Politics write-through on the same St. Pete Polls package underscored Amendment 3’s path math — 45% yes / 30% no / 25% undecided, with undecideds needing roughly a 3-to-2 break yes to clear 60% — and noted Florida Realtors’ $10 million into Vote Yes on 3 while the Florida Sheriffs Association, Fraternal Order of Police, and Professional Firefighters oppose, even as DeSantis and Byron Donalds back the measure (FlaglerLive / Florida Politics). (FlaglerLive)

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❖ Statewide: Florida’s August unemployment rate fell to 4.5% from 4.6% in July — the third straight 0.1-point decline — covering about 502,000 unemployed out of an 11.1 million workforce (12,000 fewer than a month earlier), still above the 4.1% national average and 0.5 points higher than a year ago, the Department of Commerce told WLRN; state economist Amy Baker told lawmakers employment growth is expected to stay mostly under 1% annually while average wages rise 4%+, and the hourly minimum wage climbs to $15 ($11.98 tipped) on Sep 30 (WLRN). (WLRN)

❖ Statewide: Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O’Connor said August single-family inventory fell 13% year over year (and below August 2024 levels) while condo/townhouse inventory dropped 11.5%, helping the statewide single-family median sale price rise just over 1% to $415,000 (sixth straight month of annual gains) and condo/townhouse medians nearly 3% to just under $298,000 even as closed sales dipped about 1.5% / under 2% respectively (Florida Realtors). (Florida Realtors)

❖ Jacksonville: Facing a $39 million budget hole, Jacksonville Transportation Authority interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson III said the agency will cut spending from $178 million (FY 2026) to a $139 million FY 2027 plan, with up to 194 job cuts including as many as 150 frontline operations roles plus 44 administrative layoffs already counted, reduce weekday bus frequency to Saturday schedules Nov 2, halt the Downtown Skyway Nov 2 (~$10 million savings), and end NAVI autonomous shuttles Jan 1 when Oxa software support expires (~$487,000/month) (Jacksonville Today). (Jacksonville Today)

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Buccaneers Host Browns for Home Opener After Ball-Security Stumble

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Cleveland Browns for their 2026 home opener Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium (CBS locally) after a 33–27 Week One loss at Cincinnati that turned on four lost fumbles (24 Bengals points); Baker Mayfield faces his former club for the first time as a Buc, and the team notes it has not opened 0–2 since 2014 while looking for cleaner ball security and more pass-rush after just 1.0 sack in Cincy (Buccaneers.com). Game-day injury notes vs. Browns: CB Jacob Parrish and WR Jalen McMillan listed as game-day decisions; S Miles Killebrew limited earlier in the week (Buccaneers.com). (Buccaneers.com)

Florida–Auburn SEC Opener Still LIVE at File — FINAL Pending

Undefeated Florida (2–0) led Auburn (2–0) 44–32 with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter of the SEC opener Saturday night at Jordan–Hare Stadium; CBS Sports play-by-play still showed the game in progress at file time ~10:34 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Gametracker / floridagators.com). (CBS Sports)

Padres Blast Marlins 8–2; San Diego Ties Wild-Card Pack

Ty France’s three-run homer capped a six-run fifth as the San Diego Padres beat the visiting Miami Marlins 8–2 Friday night at Petco Park, pulling San Diego into a three-way NL wild-card tie (85–69) with the Cubs and Phillies; Agustin Ramirez homered for Miami’s first run and the Marlins managed 10 hits in the loss (Reuters). (Reuters)

Scoreboard

Rays 2, Red Sox 1 (Sat — ESPN scoreboard)

Padres 8, Marlins 2 (Fri night at Petco — Reuters)

Florida @ Auburn — LIVE 44–32 (~1:57 4Q) at ~10:34 p.m. ET; final score still pending at file.

Schedule

Buccaneers vs. Browns — Sunday Sep 20, 1 p.m. ET, Raymond James Stadium (CBS)

Dolphins vs. 49ers — Sunday Sep 20 (FOX Sports Week 2 listing)

Jaguars vs. Broncos — Sunday Sep 20 (NFL.com / team schedules)

Florida @ Auburn — Sat Sep 19 night — final pending at file; next: Florida vs. Ole Miss Sat Sep 26, 3:30 p.m., Ben Hill Griffin (ABC/ESPN per Gators schedule)

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Florida regular averaged $4.3171 a gallon Saturday (AAA current as of filing) — down about 1.6 cents from Friday ($4.3326) and up about 16.6 cents from a week ago ($4.1515), and still about 15.9 cents under the national $4.4759. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive named metro at $4.4608; Panama City is cheapest at $4.0394 (Pensacola $4.0607; Crestview–Fort Walton Beach $4.0623). (AAA)

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❖ Escambia: Escambia County Animal Welfare Sgts. Roberson and Agrecy freed a red fox tightly tangled in netting on Stout Road near Molino after a resident called it in Sep 17; officers cut the mesh carefully, secured the fox in a carrier, and took it to the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida for evaluation and rehab before a planned wild return (NorthEscambia.com). (NorthEscambia.com)

❖ Stuart: Martin County Fire Rescue and MCSO Animal Control pulled a tiny kitten from a storm drain near Southeast Gran Park Way in Stuart and delivered it to the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast for evaluation and adoption (CBS12). (CBS12)

❖ Treasure Island: Treasure Island Fire Rescue on Sep 16 recovered sea turtle hatchlings that had been disoriented by artificial light and wandered into a storm drain, then turned them over to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for care toward a Gulf return; crews urged beachfront turtle-friendly lighting (The Animal Rescue Site / Treasure Island Fire Rescue). (The Animal Rescue Site)

❖ Pinellas: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office bodycam showed a deputy locating and rescuing two dogs, Zoey and Monkey, trapped at the bottom of a seawall near Joe’s Creek after their owner fell and dropped the leashes on a walk; the dogs were returned safely (The Cool Down / PCSO). (The Cool Down)

❖ Destin: Destin Fire Rescue Ladder 9 firefighters helped Emergency Veterinary Clinic staff free a dog whose paw was tightly wrapped in an object, using a small drill in a careful procedure after the animal could not walk (WFLA). (WFLA)

❖ Lauderhill: Lauderhill’s second annual Hurricane Preparedness Kit Giveaway on Sep 19 handed free storm supplies to Broward families — community readiness feel-good (WSVN). (WSVN)

Today’s Quote

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

— Frances Hodgson Burnett

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing Gibbous (two days after First Quarter 4:44 p.m. ET Fri Sep 18); about 61–67% illuminated (wttr Orlando ~61%; Almanac calendar ~66.8% for Sep 20). Next Full Moon (Harvest Moon): Sat Sep 26 (12:50 p.m. ET).

Sunrise / sunset (Sunday Sep 20; Orlando, EDT — times vary across the state; most of Florida is Eastern; Pensacola is Central): 7:13 a.m. / 7:25 p.m..

Gardening: Mid-to-late 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 Vegetable Gardening Guide / regional calendars)

Coastal note: FWC written statewide red-tide status dated September 18, 2026 (next written report due Fri Sep 25). Karenia brevis was observed at background concentrations in one Southwest Florida sample (Sarasota County) over the past week; not observed in Northwest Florida or along the East Coast. No red-tide–related fish kills or respiratory irritation reported. Prior Northeast Florida bloom samples were Karenia papilionacea (not K. brevis). Pair beach plans with the rip-current map in the weather strip. (FWC red tide)

Florida by the Numbers

Florida has 21 primary commercial-service airports (2025), according to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Transportation Fast Facts (updated February 2026). (FDOT)

Today’s Poll

After a Clay County custody-exchange shootout sent rounds into homes with a child inside, should Florida tighten how custody handoffs are supervised?

Yesterday’s Results

Should Florida declare a public-health emergency over locally acquired dengue after the first confirmed death?

Yes — statewide emergency powers and intensified mosquito control 14% · County-level response is enough; keep spraying and standing-water checks 43% · Wait for more case data before escalating 43%