The morning edition

Griffin’s $3B brings Carnegie Mellon to Wynwood. Dozen new laws take effect. Bucs turn to Daniels.

Thursday, October 1, 2026

Thursday, October 1, 2026

Good Morning! Walt Disney World Resort opened to the public on Oct. 1, 1971, in Lake Buena Vista, with the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in the first phase. Disney staged a soft opening for roughly 10,000 guests to avoid Disneyland’s 1955 opening-day crush; Roy O. Disney dedicated the resort later that month and insisted the name honor his late brother Walt. The opening helped turn Central Florida into a global tourism destination.

In This Issue: Ken Griffin’s $3 billion gift launching a Carnegie Mellon campus in Wynwood, a dozen new Florida laws taking effect Thursday, two former Pinellas deputies charged over Flock and database misuse, and Lee County helicopters joining Hillsborough’s dengue fight.

Weather: Thursday is mostly sunny and hot across the Panhandle while the peninsula turns partly sunny with afternoon storm chances, heaviest from Southwest Florida through South Florida and the Keys. Highs are mid-80s to near 91° in Tallahassee. (NWS)

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings. NHC’s 8 p.m. Wednesday outlook expects no tropical cyclone formation over the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea or Gulf of America during the next seven days. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Thursday on the Atlantic from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade, and along Northwest Florida beaches including Pensacola–Okaloosa, South Walton, Bay and Franklin. Moderate risk from Nassau County through Martin County. Low along the Gulf coast from Levy through Collier. (NWS)

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Ken Griffin’s $3 Billion Gift Brings Carnegie Mellon Campus to Wynwood

Carnegie Mellon University and Citadel founder Ken Griffin announced a historic $3 billion gift Wednesday — the largest individual gift in higher-education history — with $2 billion to launch Carnegie Mellon University Miami on more than 35 acres in Wynwood and $1 billion for CMU’s Pittsburgh campus (including renaming the School of Computer Science for Griffin). The campus is planned for more than 3,500 students, nearly 300 faculty and 600-plus staff, with construction targeted for 2027 and first enrollment in 2028, pending regulatory approvals; CMU said the Miami campus will organize learning around societal challenges rather than traditional majors.

CBS Miami reported the deal includes a $1.1 billion purchase of Wynwood parcels from developer Moishe Mana; Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez praised the selection, and Griffin and CMU President Farnam Jahanian are expected to brief with Gov. Ron DeSantis and local leaders in Wynwood Thursday morning.

Dozen New Florida Laws Take Effect Thursday — Meg’s Law, Crash Reports, Rental Fraud

A package of more than a dozen 2026 laws becomes enforceable Thursday, Oct. 1, including Meg’s Law (SB 432) banning nitrous-oxide sales at gas stations and smoke shops after Kathleen Dial’s sister died of addiction; HB 1293 making rental-identity fraud a third-degree felony; HB 559 toughening animal-cruelty penalties when minors are involved; and SB 488 raising the property-damage crash-report threshold from $500 to more than $2,000.

Other Oct. 1 changes expand “criminal gang member” criteria (HB 429), create new penalties for willful no-contact pretrial violations (HB 397), start specialty-plate pre-sales (SB 246), and require career-offender annual sheriff registration (SB 1332); Florida’s voter-approved $15 minimum wage took effect a day earlier on Sept. 30.

Two Former Pinellas Deputies Charged After Misusing Flock and Law-Enforcement Databases

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Wednesday that a media inquiry into improper Flock-style camera use led to charges against two former deputies: Carl Gwynn allegedly ran Flock and other systems more than 381 times while pursuing a woman who had rebuffed him, and Travis Stanton allegedly used databases to track a 17-year-old, including at her job and school.

Gwynn faces four counts of unlawfully accessing a computer system plus official misconduct; both men are off the force and could face jail, Gualtieri said, while defending Flock cameras as a “people problem” and noting FDOT’s order to clear remaining units from state roads (about 11 still awaiting state removal as of Tuesday night).

Lee County Helicopters Join Hillsborough Dengue Fight as Local Cases Near 170

Four Lee County Mosquito Control helicopters flew low grid patterns over Hillsborough County on Wednesday, spraying a bacteria treatment officials say is safe for people and pets, targeting areas with dengue-positive mosquitoes and possible human cases after Hillsborough reported about 170 locally acquired dengue infections — the most in Florida.

FOX 13 reported the mutual-aid flights lifted from Tampa Executive Airport as Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco remain under local dengue emergencies; Lee County crews are scheduled to return Tuesday for another round while residents are urged to dump standing water.

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❖ Coral Gables: Gallery Night returns Friday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 10 p.m. along Giralda, Aragon and Ponce de Leon, with open houses at Garcia Art Gallery, H. Benitez, Cernuda Arte, The Americas Collection and the Coral Gables Museum; the museum courtyard adds DJ Kauze, a free 45-minute salsa class at 7:30 p.m., Capture Coral Gables photography winners and the tactile America Touched, America Seen show with Miami Lighthouse (Gables Gazette).

❖ Hollywood: BTI Partners has opened the Bread Building, a 25-story, 362-unit downtown tower with studios to two-bedrooms (about 507–1,210 sq ft), more than 30,000 sq ft of amenities, 15,407 sq ft of ground-floor retail including a Walgreens, and the restored Hollywood Bread Building sign in the lobby (REBusinessOnline).

❖ Palm Beach Gardens: World Market held its Palm Beach Gardens grand opening Friday, Sept. 25, in the former Office Depot bay at Prosperity Centre, bringing international foods, furniture and home décor after a two-year site prep; neighbors Michael and Heather Sharin lined up opening day, and the plaza also gained Plum Market next door in March (WPTV).

❖ Tampa: Totum Market & Eatery is soft-open at Nebraska Avenue and Ray Charles Boulevard in the Encore district, bridging downtown, Channelside and Ybor, with a grand-opening weekend set for Oct. 10–11 (FOX 13).

❖ Orlando: Construction is underway on phase one of the RoseArts District at the long-vacant 65-acre Lake Orlando Golf Course site, with four buildings planned for up to 150,000 sq ft of retail and about 1,600 homes including 160 affordable units; the full build is pitched at more than 5,500 residences and an impact study cites roughly 11,000 temporary jobs (ClickOrlando).

❖ Jacksonville: The Jacksonville Home + Patio Show opens Friday, Oct. 2, at the Prime Osborn Convention Center (1000 Water St.) through Sunday, Oct. 4, with hundreds of home-improvement vendors, America’s Test Kitchen hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison, felt-flower workshops, Eat Your Yard Jax gardening classes and luxury Christmas-tree displays; hours 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Fri–Sat and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sun (Action News Jax).

❖ Fort Lauderdale: The Las Olas Association and Flamingo Flea present the first Las Olas Autumn Festival Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 1224 E. Las Olas Blvd., with a free marketplace of local makers, live music on the Good Night John Boy Haystack Stage, Artisano Studios photo spots, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Kids’ Corner and food vendors (Las Olas Boulevard).

❖ Bonita Springs: The 22-story North Tower at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay (5000 Coconut Road) has topped out inside the 500-acre Saltleaf community — 224 residences total across two towers, South Tower open since March, North Tower delivery aimed at 2027 — with developer London Bay citing more than $750 million in project sales and Saltleaf Marina / Acqua Bistecca already open to the public (Florida YIMBY).

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❖ Common Cause Florida announced Wednesday it is joining the Save Our Services campaign urging a “no” vote on Amendment 3, the Nov. 3 homestead property-tax measure that needs 60% to pass. Executive Director Amy Keith called the amendment a “power grab scam that will only benefit the super-rich,” warning of cuts to local services, higher fees for renters and small businesses, and pressure on Supervisor of Elections offices funded by property taxes (WLRN).

❖ Separately Wednesday, the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute said Amendment 3’s higher homestead exemptions ($150,000 in 2027, $250,000 in 2028 for non-school taxes) would remove roughly $12 billion a year from local budgets, with two-year county hits ranging from about $250 million in Sarasota to $714 million in Pinellas and nearly $1 billion in Hillsborough; FPI’s Sadaf Knight said mosquito control, emergency response and children’s services are among programs at risk (WUSF).

❖ Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet on Tuesday appointed Larry Keefe — former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, public-safety czar and first executive director of the State Board of Immigration Enforcement — as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, succeeding Mark Glass, who is moving to a No. 2 role at the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office; the appointment needs Senate confirmation (WUSF).

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❖ RTX’s Collins Aerospace is moving ahead on a $26.5 million expansion at its Largo plant (7887 Bryan Dairy Road / Young-Rainey STAR Center) to ramp production of Condor Mk3 and ASR-XM radars under a $438 million FAA contract, with interior construction underway and more than 100 new jobs expected by 2027 on top of nearly 800 already there; Pinellas County Economic Development said it provided no direct incentives (St Pete Catalyst).

❖ Port Canaveral executed a new lease of up to 25 years with longtime cargo operator GT USA for an additional 10 acres beside its existing 20-acre North Cargo Berth 6 footprint, with GT USA committing to at least 15 hurricane-resistant warehouses totaling nearly 170,000 square feet for lumber, steel and project cargo; CEO Capt. John W. Murray called the deal a supply-chain and job-creator play for Central Florida (Port Canaveral).

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Bucs Turn to Undrafted Rookie Jalon Daniels as Mayfield Sits; McMillan to IR

With Baker Mayfield out at least three weeks after dislocating his throwing thumb, undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels took first-team practice reps Wednesday and is set to become the first undrafted rookie quarterback to start for the Buccaneers — hosting Green Bay at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Tampa Bay also placed third-year WR Jalen McMillan on injured reserve Wednesday (knee/PCL, eligible to return after four games), promoted S Ifeatu Melifonwu to the active roster and signed QB Brett Rypien to the practice squad behind Daniels and Easton Stick.

Lightning Open 2026-27 Season Thursday Night at Madison Square Garden

The Tampa Bay Lightning open the season Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. ET against the New York Rangers at MSG (The Spot / Lightning Radio), with Andrei Vasilevskiy listed in net and lines from Wednesday practice featuring Brayden Point between Ilya Mikheyev and Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman paired with Charle-Edouard D’Astous.

No. 8 Florida Heads to No. 25 Missouri Seeking First Columbia Win in Seven Years

The Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC), ranked No. 8 after a 52–28 win over then-No. 4 Ole Miss, visit No. 25 Missouri (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday looking to end a seven-year drought in Columbia; coach Jon Sumrall said midseason rankings “mean absolutely nothing” and warned against treating Missouri’s homecoming as a cakewalk.

Rays Host ALDS Game 1 Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Tropicana Field

MLB set Division Series times: the Rays host Game 1 Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Game 2 Monday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. against the Yankees–Red Sox Wild Card winner after clinching the AL East and home-field advantage.

Scoreboard

No Florida pro final Wednesday night. The Panthers opened Tuesday at Carolina, the Lightning open Thursday at the Rangers, and the Rays await the ALDS.

Schedule

Lightning at Rangers — Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. ET, MSG / The Spot

Panthers at Sharks — Thursday, Oct. 1, 10 p.m. ET (Western swing)

Rays ALDS Game 1 vs. Yankees–Red Sox winner — Saturday, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m., Tropicana Field

No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri — Saturday, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Packers at Buccaneers — Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m., Raymond James Stadium

Rays ALDS Game 2 — Monday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m., Tropicana Field

Lightning vs. Flyers — Monday, Oct. 5 (home)

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

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Florida regular averaged $4.253 a gallon Wednesday (AAA, as of 9/30/26). That is down about 4.6 cents from Tuesday ($4.299) and down about 4.1 cents from a week ago ($4.294), and roughly 18.1 cents under the national average of $4.434. Naples is the most expensive metro at $4.426 (West Palm Beach–Boca Raton $4.420). Pensacola is the cheapest at $4.005 (Panama City $4.007).

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❖ Davie / Stirling Road: Andrea Rivera was driving behind a pickup on Stirling Road on Sunday when she saw something thrown from the window, realized it was a black kitten, stopped and ran back into traffic to scoop up Enola; an emergency vet found no broken bones, and Rivera has since adopted the playful kitten days before Florida’s tougher animal-cruelty law takes effect (CBS Miami).

❖ Boynton Beach: Rex, a black lab rescued earlier this month after witnesses reported alleged leash abuse along South Federal Highway, has been adopted following care from Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control and Bless Paws Animal Rescue; police posted photos of Rex with his new furry siblings (WPTV).

❖ Volusia / Oak Hill: A Volusia animal-control call that began as a stray pickup found Tanner covered in sores and infection under 34 pounds; shelter staff started emergency care, and ClickOrlando reports he has since gained more than 15 pounds while the claimed owner faces aggravated animal cruelty charges (ClickOrlando).

❖ Cape Coral: Cape Coral Rescue 5 answered a call about a kitten in an engine bay and found four smoke-colored kittens instead; crews freed all four, could not locate the mother, and Lee County Domestic Animal Services listed them for adoption at the Fort Myers shelter (5600 Banner Drive) (WINK).

❖ Tallahassee: School Resource Deputy Ryan Dehner of Lincoln High School was named Leon County Schools’ 2026 School Related Employee of the Year on Friday, Sept. 25 — only the second school resource deputy to earn the honor — with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office praising SROs for protecting campuses with “professionalism, compassion, and respect” (FOX 49).

❖ Tallahassee: Tallahassee Fire Department’s Gene Liford and Brandon Corley brought home national medals from the Firefighter Challenge U.S. National Championship in Erie, Pa. (Sept. 23–26), finishing second nationally in both the Male Hybrid Relay and Coed Hybrid Relay, with Liford also taking third in Coed Tandem and Division 1 / 30–39 male individual events (FOX 49).

Today’s Quote

"A Florida Thursday is the week loosening its collar — not weekend yet, but the porch already knows."

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning gibbous, about 71% illuminated Thursday (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Thursday, sunrise is at 7:19 a.m. and sunset at 7:11 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours 52 minutes of daylight (USNO). Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: UF/IFAS’s Central Florida Gardening Calendar says October is a good time to begin cool-season color with dianthus, petunia and pansy, plant herbs such as parsley, cilantro, chives, garlic and sage, and set winter crops including broccoli, collards, kale and lettuce. It also says to prepare beds and set strawberry plants this month.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s latest update (Sept. 25) found the red tide organism at very low levels in Gulf County and at background levels in Charlotte and Lee counties and offshore of Monroe County, with none on the East Coast. No related fish kills or respiratory irritation were reported. The next report is due Oct. 2.

Florida by the Numbers

In 2024, Florida accounted for 33% of U.S. sweet corn sales by value — about $293 million — according to USDA figures cited by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Today’s Poll

Citadel founder Ken Griffin is giving $3 billion to launch a Carnegie Mellon campus in Wynwood. Do you support major private gifts funding new university campuses in Florida?

Yesterday’s Results

Florida's Cabinet voted to designate CAIR, antifa and more than 90 other groups as terrorist organizations. Do you support that move?

Strongly support 19% · Somewhat support 24% · Oppose 29% · Not sure 28%