The morning edition

Trump seeks Presidential Golf Course in West Palm. Orange County weighs AI data-center pause. Home insurance rates fall in 51 counties.

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Sunday, September 6, 2026

Good Morning! By the morning of September 6, 1622, a hurricane had broken the Spanish Tierra Firme fleet in the Florida Straits. Among the wrecks scattered from the Marquesas Keys to the Dry Tortugas was the treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha — silver, gold, emeralds, and most of her passengers and crew gone to the bottom. Only a handful survived. (Mel Fisher Maritime Museum)

On September 6, 1908, Charles E. Magoon, provisional governor of Cuba, arrived at Knight’s Key dock on a private rail car to connect with a steamer for Havana. He remarked how similar the Keys were to Cuba and said he saw a bright future for the islands and the railroad. (Keys History)

In This Issue: Trump asks Palm Beach County to create a permanent Presidential Golf Course, Orange County weighs a yearlong pause on new AI data centers, and home insurance rates fell in 51 of 67 Florida counties.

Weather: Hot Sunday with a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms statewide. Highest coverage South Florida (Miami storms likely ~70%); elsewhere scattered to chance storms (~30–45%). Highs upper 80s to mid-90s (Tallahassee ~95). Brief downpours, lightning, and gusty winds possible.

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings (National Hurricane Center). Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook (Sat Sep 5): 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 Atlantic (NWS MLB) and eastern Panhandle / Big Bend Gulf beaches (NWS TAE). Low for Northeast Florida Atlantic (NWS JAX), Palm Beach / Broward / Miami-Dade (NWS MFL), west-central and SW Gulf including Tampa Bay through Fort Myers (NWS TBW), and Pensacola–Destin (NWS MOB). Swim near a lifeguard; heed beach flags.

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Trump Asks Palm Beach County to Make His Club a Permanent Presidential Golf Course

President Donald Trump, through attorney Harvey Oyer III, asked Palm Beach County to designate Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach — on county-leased land near Palm Beach International Airport — as a lasting U.S. Presidential Golf Course for presidents of both parties and visiting heads of state, with dedicated presidential lodging (CBS12); County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo called it a potentially “remarkable and historic opportunity” and said staff will review under the Board of County Commissioners with federal partners.

Orange County Weighs Yearlong Pause on New AI Data Centers

Orange County Vice Mayor Kelly Martinez Semrad is asking commissioners to put a moratorium of at least one year on new AI data-center applications while staff study water, power, and zoning; discussion is set for Sep 15. Semrad’s report cites large centers using up to 5 million gallons of water a day against a projected regional groundwater shortfall of 96 million gallons a day by 2045, and the land-development code lacks specific data-center rules — a pause she framed as “not anti-business, it’s not anti-technology” but a timeout for policy (ClickOrlando).

Home Insurance Rates Fell in 51 of 67 Florida Counties as Citizens Shrinks

Florida Office of Insurance Regulation figures show homeowners rates declined in 51 of 67 counties in 2026; since 2024, 44 insurers filed decreases and 48 filed no change (Florida Press). Citizens Property Insurance cut multiperil rates about 8.8% (wind-only about 5.5%), and its book fell from roughly 1.4 million policies at the 2023 peak to about 278,000 by July 2026 (~80% drop) as nearly 20 carriers re-entered (HousingWire).

Palm Bay Wins $3.5M Job Growth Grant for Phoenix Business Park Wastewater

Governor Ron DeSantis awarded Palm Bay $3.5 million through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund for wastewater infrastructure at the planned Phoenix Business Park; the city is matching $1 million for a $4.5 million project that builds about 16,000 linear feet of sanitary sewer force main (Space Coast Daily), expected to unlock about 960,000 square feet of future industrial and commercial space aimed at aerospace, defense, and manufacturing, with first-phase projections of about $42 million in private investment and more than 350 jobs.

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❖ Miami-Dade / South Dade: Pinnacle completed structural framework for Caribbean Isles, a 142-unit affordable senior (62+) community at Caribbean Blvd and U.S. 1 next to the South Dade BRT — 90 one-bed / 52 two-bed for households ≤60% AMI; $68 million with South Miami Heights CDC.

❖ Tampa Bay / Hillsborough: Hillsborough County Commission voted 5–2 to raise unincorporated stormwater assessments; typical residential rates climb from about $86.50 to nearly $92.60 a year, adding about $2.7 million for ditch clearing, mowing, and pipe/inlet cleaning.

❖ Orlando / Orange: Downtown Orlando’s Church Street Festival Street project is moving forward with Phase 1 construction underway (Garland to Magnolia; curbless festival-style street, two 11-foot lanes); Phases 2–3 aim toward summer 2028 completion.

❖ Jacksonville: Jacksonville International Airport’s third parking garage (~2,000 spaces / six levels / ~$102 million) is on track to open before Thanksgiving, lifting total airport parking toward about 10,800 spaces as Labor Day lots already hit full.

❖ Broward: Broward County Public Schools opens seven community meetings this month on schools under review for closure/restructuring after opening with 11,358 fewer students (~$100 million revenue hit) and about 60,000 empty seats districtwide; first meetings Sep 9 Everglades High (Miramar) and Sep 10 McArthur High (Hollywood), all 6 p.m., livestreamed at becon.tv/redefining.

❖ Palm Beach / Wellington: Related Ross closed on land for Village Landing in Wellington (180-room hotel; 300,000+ sq ft retail-office-restaurant; six plazas / lakefront boardwalk); groundbreaking eyed this fall — first major Related Ross expansion beyond West Palm Beach.

❖ North Port: North Port City Commission voted 4–1 to advance an 18-month data-center moratorium after a marathon meeting with more than 400 public comments (~7 hours). A pending North Port Holdings 300 LLC plan calls for seven buildings / 896,000 sq ft / ~50 MW; second reading Sep 22.

❖ Pensacola: Mayor D.C. Reeves launched Civic Dialogues with Change.org (Sep 3–Oct 12): residents submit and rank ideas at civicdialogues.org/pensacola; top topics feed a mid-November resident panel; mayor commits to review actionable proposals.

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❖ Orlando: U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost opened an Orlando “Organizing Hub” as a year-round campaign/community workspace; Democratic statewide candidates including Angie Nixon, Gwen Graham, and Annette Taddeo pitched there Sep 5.

❖ Orlando: State Rep. Anna Eskamani asked the Florida Athletic Commission to revoke the license of MMA promoter Ryan Toole Inc. (Duel Arena) after a Nazi salute and swastika-flag demonstration at an Orlando Kia Center card, citing permit and Chapter 548 issues.

❖ St. Petersburg: Charlie Crist again outraised Ken Welch on cash only for Aug 22–28: St. Pete Shines raised more than $49,000 versus Progress Florida’s about $8,500, leaving PC cash near $300,000 versus under $9,000 (FlaPol). Disclose: FlaPol notes the publisher’s spouse chairs St. Pete Shines.

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❖ Fort Lauderdale: GXO Logistics will locate a new 35,000-square-foot regional office at T3 FAT Village in Fort Lauderdale to support Americas and Asia Pacific growth; the company employs about 150,000 people in 27 countries and serves roughly 30% of Fortune 100 firms.

❖ Lakeland: Publix is advancing more than $200 million in permits for its Lakeland distribution campus expansion (produce center ~$159M, return center ~$17.5M, site work ~$23.5M) at the County Line Road / Allen K. Breed Highway campus.

❖ Florida: AAA Auto Club Group of Florida projected a busy, more expensive Labor Day travel weekend; Orlando ranked No. 2 U.S. domestic destination, with higher airfare and lodging costs vs last year.

❖ Jacksonville: Foundry Commercial’s Baymeadows Gateway 95 industrial park (~$43 million) cleared for construction in Jacksonville.

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No. 7 Miami Rolls Stanford 45–6 Behind Mensah and Toney

No. 7 Miami beat Stanford 45–6 Friday; Darian Mensah threw 5 TD passes (27 of 30, 401 yards) in his Hurricanes debut and Malachi Toney set the school receiving record with 12 catches / 234 yards / 3 TDs. Miami hosts Florida A&M Thursday at Hard Rock.

Jaguars Release Interior Renderings for $1.4B Stadium of the Future

The Jacksonville Jaguars released additional interior renderings (Sep 2) for the $1.4 billion Stadium of the Future rebuild of EverBank Stadium — bars, clubs, concessions, in-seat tech, wider concourses — targeted to open August 2028 under the city/taxpayer partnership.

Aranda’s 10th-Inning Homer Lifts Rays Past Rangers 6–3

Tampa Bay beat Texas 6–3 in 10 innings Saturday at Globe Life Field; Jonathan Aranda’s 3-run homer (409 ft) in the 10th scored Mateo and Díaz after the Rangers tied it in the eighth. The Rays moved to 85–57.

Scoreboard

Rays 6, Rangers 3 (FINAL, 10 inn.)

Cubs 6, Marlins 5 (FINAL)

Schedule

Marlins host Cubs — Sun Sep 6

FAMU vs South Carolina State — Orange Blossom Classic, Sunday Sep 6, 3 p.m. ET, Hard Rock Stadium, ESPN

Miami hosts Florida A&M — Thursday night, Hard Rock

Buccaneers at Cincinnati — Sunday Sep 13, 1 p.m. ET FOX

Jaguars host Browns — Sunday Sep 13, 1 p.m. ET CBS

Dolphins at Raiders — Sunday Sep 13, 4:25 p.m. ET FOX

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Florida regular averaged $3.9265 a gallon Saturday (AAA) — down about 3 cents from Friday ($3.9516) and up about a cent from a week ago ($3.9173), and still about 22 cents under the national $4.1459. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the dearest named metro at $4.0794; Tallahassee is cheapest at $3.8716 (Orlando $3.8807; Panama City $3.8810).

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❖ Daytona Beach Shores: A Daytona Beach Shores beach safety sergeant used the department’s Live 911 system to hear a mother’s call in real time, locate a nearby condo, and clear a choking 9-month-old’s airway with back slaps; the baby was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover.

❖ Webster: Central Florida’s Chase Sanctuary in Webster offers up-close encounters with lemurs, otters, sloths, and other animals while supporting endangered-species conservation projects abroad; a recent ClickOrlando Insider visit followed red-ruffed lemurs, an otter swim, and ring-tailed lemurs on site.

❖ Cocoa Beach: Juice N Java Cafe in Cocoa Beach is offering ages 12 and under 1 free classic pancake on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through Sep 30.

❖ Seminole County: Seminole County is considering a ban on elective cat declawing.

❖ Lake Worth Beach: The Mango Music & Art Festival debuts in Lake Worth Beach Sep 5–6 with 14 bands.

Joke of the Day

A Florida Friday-night high school football game is not sports. It is a town hall with a kickoff.

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning Crescent, about 30% illuminated Sunday Sep 6 (timeanddate / Orlando). Next New Moon: Thu Sep 10.

Sunrise / sunset (Sunday Sep 6; Orlando, EDT — times vary across the state; most of Florida is Eastern; Pensacola is Central): 7:06 a.m. / 7:40 p.m.

Gardening: Early 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 4, 2026: Northeast Florida bloom samples from prior weeks were Karenia papilionacea (not K. brevis); no brevetoxins detected there in that event. Over the past week, K. brevis was at background in one Northwest Florida (Franklin County) sample and not observed in Southwest Florida. Pair beach plans with the rip-current map above. (FWC red tide)

Florida by the Numbers

Florida’s 2025–26 FEFP Second Calculation budgets 3,234,902 unweighted full-time equivalent (FTE) K–12 students statewide (Florida Department of Education, July 18, 2025). (FLDOE FEFP Second Calculation)