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Thursday, October 22, 2026
Good Morning! On October 22, 2005, the Cape St. George Light, a brick lighthouse that had stood for 153 years on St. George Island in Franklin County, fell into the Gulf of Mexico. Island volunteers salvaged about 24,000 of its 160,000 bricks from the water and rebuilt the tower on a safer site, finishing the restoration in 2008. It still shines today, flashing white every six seconds.
In This Issue: Dengue has reached Seminole County, king tides raise flood risk on the Atlantic coast, and an FIU wind machine shows what 110 mph hurricane winds do to a mobile home. Plus: the Rays get ready for Friday's World Series opener. |
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Tallahassee ☀️ 81°/53° | Jacksonville ☀️ 76°/57° | Gainesville ☀️ 79°/53° | Orlando ☀️ 79°/60° | Tampa ☀️ 80°/60° | Fort Myers ☀️ 82°/64° | Miami 🌦️ 82°/74° | West Palm Beach 🌦️ 80°/75° | Key West ☀️ 83°/74° | Pensacola ☀️ 80°/56° | Daytona Beach ☀️ 77°/67°
Weather: Sunny and pleasant across most of Florida Thursday, with a chance of showers in Southeast Florida. Coastal Flood Advisories cover Duval, Flagler, St. Johns and eastern Clay and Putnam counties until 4 p.m. Thursday, and coastal Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade until 11 p.m. Thursday. (NWS)
Tropical: The low the National Hurricane Center had been tracking as AL93 became Subtropical Storm Josephine on Wednesday, with 65 mph winds a few hundred miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast, and it's expected to speed northeast away from the United States. A disturbance east-southeast of Bermuda has a low, 10 percent chance of development, and Florida’s Isaias state of emergency still covers 30 counties (Executive Order 26-212). (National Hurricane Center)
Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Thursday along the entire Atlantic coast from Nassau through Miami-Dade, with surf of 4 to 6 feet from Nassau through Palm Beach and a High Surf Advisory for Palm Beach into Friday. The risk is moderate in Bay County and low elsewhere in the Panhandle and along the peninsula’s Gulf coast. (NWS) |
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Dengue Reaches Seminole County as State Issues Health Advisory
The Florida Department of Health has confirmed a locally acquired dengue case in Seminole County and issued a health advisory Wednesday. It is coordinating with Seminole County Mosquito Control on surveillance and prevention, though officials did not say where in the county the case turned up.
The new case adds another county to Florida's largest dengue outbreak in years, which has produced hundreds of local cases in counties including Hillsborough, Polk, Orange and Brevard. Health officials are urging residents to use repellent, dump standing water and keep doors and windows shut.
Florida Nursing Grads Rank Near Bottom on Licensing Exams
A new Florida Center for Nursing report finds that Florida has more NCLEX-RN test-takers than any other state, but its 2025 first-time pass rate for registered nurses, 81.82%, ranked 47th. Its practical-nurse pass rate, 78.56%, ranked last. Both fell below the national averages.
Across the state's 497 prelicensure programs, the report also points to faculty vacancies, driven by noncompetitive academic pay and a thin applicant pool, and to scarce clinical training sites. Both limit how many new nurses Florida can train.
FIU Wind Test Flips Mobile Home, Exposing Decades-Old Code
Researchers at Florida International University's Wall of Wind put a full-scale single-wide manufactured home through 110 mph winds. Its anchoring screws sheared and the unit rolled over twice. The team says it was the first controlled test of the federal design standards for such homes.
The engineers write that the federal manufactured-housing wind standards date to 1988, and that their findings show these affordable homes can be built to hold up if state and federal codes are seriously updated, especially their anchoring and roof-to-wall connections.
King Tides and Rough Surf Raise Flood Risk on Florida's Atlantic Coast as Josephine Spins Offshore
Subtropical Storm Josephine formed Wednesday far off the Mid-Atlantic coast with 65 mph winds. Forecasters expect it to possibly reach hurricane strength Thursday while moving north, away from the U.S. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
In South Florida, the National Weather Service has posted coastal flood advisories for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, a high surf advisory for Palm Beach and a high rip-current risk on Atlantic beaches through Friday. Forecasters say king tides, onshore winds and heavy weekend rain (a level-2 flash-flood risk Saturday from Port St. Lucie to Miami) could worsen flooding Saturday through Monday. |
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❖ Two Elections Supervisors Object After Border Patrol Agents Appear at Early Voting Sites — Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies criticized a Border Patrol stop near the Key Largo early voting site Tuesday. "We were assured repeatedly by our contacts at the Department of Homeland Security that this would not occur, so we are stunned," she said, Keys Weekly reports. In Tallahassee, Leon County Supervisor Mark Earley said he filed an FBI complaint after two Border Patrol vehicles parked about 10 minutes at the county's busiest early voting site Monday, WTXL reports.
❖ DeSantis Campaigns for Amendment 3 at Miami Roundtable — Gov. Ron DeSantis held a Miami roundtable Wednesday backing the homestead property tax amendment, after saying in June he likely wouldn't campaign for it, the Florida Phoenix reports. "You're seeing a lot of local governments basically coming out of it and try to tell people that the sky is going to fall," DeSantis said. He praised local officials who "reject fear-mongering" and argued that local budgets have grown faster than population and inflation.
❖ Moskowitz and Singer Make Their Cases at Boca Raton Forum in Redrawn CD 25 — Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Republican Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer discussed Israel, antisemitism, insurance and housing costs at a forum at Congregation B'nai Israel, WPTV reports. Moskowitz called himself "the most pro-Israel Jewish Democrat in Congress" and pointed to his bipartisan record. Singer highlighted lower taxes, border enforcement and his record as mayor. The redrawn district now stretches from Delray Beach into Miami-Dade. |
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❖ NASA Subcontractor Aetos Systems to Lay Off Up to 126 at Kennedy Space Center — Aetos Systems, which provides IT and engineering management services at Kennedy Space Center, expects to lay off up to 126 employees there, according to a Florida WARN notice filed Oct. 16. The notice says the company's work on a unified cloud, network and cybersecurity system for NASA centers will be handled in-house by NASA workers. Aetos was a subcontractor to Leidos, which NASA awarded the 10-year, $2.5 billion AEGIS contract in 2021. Aetos says some or all affected employees could be offered in-sourced positions with NASA; those who don't accept will be let go by Dec. 31.
❖ BJ's Wholesale Club Opens First Ocala Warehouse Friday — BJ's Wholesale Club will hold the grand opening of its first Ocala warehouse Friday, Oct. 23, at 7351 SW 60th Ave. in the Winding Oaks development near State Road 200, making it Marion County's second warehouse club alongside Sam's Club on Southwest College Road. The club will include a tire and propane service center, grocery departments and an attached 2,200-square-foot liquor store, plus curbside pickup and same-day delivery. Company representatives said the location has partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to donate surplus food.
❖ Coral Gables' Havana Harry's Reopens After Yearlong Closure — Havana Harry's, the Cuban restaurant founded in 1995, reopened Monday, Oct. 19, on Le Jeune Road in Coral Gables after more than a year closed. The city ordered it shut in August 2025 over building-related issues, including reported electrical and permitting concerns; ownership said it improved the kitchen, plumbing and interior during the closure. Centurion Restaurant Group, which bought the restaurant in 2022, has resumed daily lunch and dinner, with breakfast returning Dec. 1. |
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Pitching Coach Kyle Snyder's Reclamation Projects Carry Rays Into World Series
Bryan Baker, Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez and Cam Booser all struggled elsewhere before thriving in Tampa Bay under pitching coach Kyle Snyder, who has run the staff since 2018. This season the Rays led the American League in WHIP (1.14) and were seventh in ERA (3.70). "I'm certainly biased, but I think he's the best in baseball at what he does," manager Kevin Cash said. The World Series begins Friday night in Milwaukee.
Gators' Thomas Haugh Named Preseason AP All-American
Florida forward Thomas Haugh, the Gators' leading scorer last season at 17.1 points per game, earned 56 votes from a 58-person media panel for the preseason AP All-America team, second only to Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. (57). Haugh put off a shot at being an NBA lottery pick to return and chase a second national title. "It's national championship or bust for this team," Haugh said.
Sportsbooks Brace for Big Payouts on Long-Shot Rays
The Rays opened the season at 80-to-1 at DraftKings, so a $100 preseason bet would net an $8,000 profit if Tampa Bay wins its first title. A Rays win would tie the 1991 Minnesota Twins as the longest preseason underdog to win a World Series, according to SportsOddsHistory.com. At Hard Rock Bet, Florida's only authorized online sportsbook, 21.2% of in-state World Series futures tickets backed the Rays. Milwaukee is a -160 series favorite.
Scoreboard
NBA: Hawks 132, Magic 125 FINAL NBA: Timberwolves 131, Heat 106 FINAL NHL: Senators 5, Panthers 1 FINAL
Schedule (all times ET)
Thu Oct 22 — NHL: Panthers at Penguins, 7pm ET, Scripps Sports Fri Oct 23 — NBA: Timberwolves at Magic, 7pm ET, NBA League Pass Fri Oct 23 — MLB World Series Game 1: Rays at Brewers, 8pm ET, Fox Fri Oct 23 — NBA: Pistons at Heat, 8pm ET, WTCN My15 Fri Oct 23 — NHL: Lightning at Avalanche, 9pm ET, ESPN+ Sat Oct 24 — MLS: Inter Miami at Red Bull New York, 5:30pm ET, Apple TV Sat Oct 24 — NBA: Heat at Hornets, 6pm ET, NBA League Pass Sat Oct 24 — MLS: NYCFC at Orlando City, 7:30pm ET, Apple TV Sat Oct 24 — MLB World Series Game 2: Rays at Brewers, 8pm ET, Fox Sat Oct 24 — NHL: Lightning at Mammoth, 9pm ET, ESPN+ Sun Oct 25 — NHL: Panthers at Blackhawks, 3pm ET, Scripps Sports Sun Oct 25 — NBA: Magic at Knicks, 7pm ET, NBA League Pass Mon Oct 26 — MLB World Series Game 3: Brewers at Rays, Tropicana Field, 8pm ET, Fox
More Scores: NFL | MLB | NBA | NHL | NCAAF | WNBA |
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Florida regular averaged $4.02 a gallon Wednesday (AAA, as of 10/21/26), down about 2 cents from Tuesday ($4.04) and about 18 cents from a week ago ($4.20). That is about 24 cents under the national average of about $4.26. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.20, and Pensacola is the cheapest at $3.86. |
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❖ "You Messed With the Wrong Girl": Bay County Teacher Kept Showing Up Through Cancer Fight: First-grade teacher Rochelle Bowman of Merriam Cherry Street Elementary kept working part time through stage three breast cancer. Her daughter, then 13, kept her going, and now Bowman teaches her students "that we do hard things." After two years of treatment, she's ready to move forward. "You messed with the wrong girl because I'm still going to live my life and do everything that I did before."
❖ Manatee Kindergartner Remy, 5, Wants to Be a Comic-Book Hero: Remy, a 5-year-old Manatee County kindergartner whose favorite superhero is Iron Man, is competing in the Stan Lee's Super Kid Contest to become a character in a comic book. His mom says his superpower is making people feel loved and special.
❖ 47 Pairs of New Ballet Shoes for Sullivan Elementary: The Straz Center gifted 47 Sullivan Elementary students brand-new ballet shoes as part of a partnership with the school that's about 20 years old. Second through fifth graders get more than two hours of ballet a week, and kindergarten and first grade join after the new year. Trisha Stever: "It started small and it's grown over the years."
❖ Uninvited Guest: Bear Raids Naples Fridge, Grabs a Drink: A bear strolled through an unlocked gate onto Celine Emerson's Naples patio, opened the refrigerator and swiped an alcoholic drink, leaving a massive paw print on the counter. "I figured he was thirsty," said Emerson. FWC notes bears eat more in the fall.
❖ Havana Artists' Co-op Opens a New Gallery Just Off Main Street: Artists Helping Artists, a cooperative started nearly seven years ago, has opened its new gallery in downtown Havana. About 16 artists from Leon, Gadsden and Thomas counties show their work there, and members work shifts behind the counter. Quilter Dianne Cleveneger joined because she "was running out of space in my house with my paintings."
❖ 300 Elementary Students Take the Podium at Sawgrass Springs Speech and Debate: Sawgrass Springs Middle School hosted a speech and debate tournament for about 300 elementary students.
Today’s Quote "Thursday is Friday's front porch. You can already see the weekend from here." — original / Front Porch |
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Florida Almanac
Moon: Waxing gibbous Thursday. The full Hunter's Moon arrives at 12:11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26 (Eastern).
Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando sunrise 7:30 a.m., sunset 6:48 p.m. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.
Gardening Notes: Beets can go in from as early as August to as late as February, depending on where you live in Florida, which makes them ideal for succession planting, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says. Sow seeds an inch apart and half an inch to an inch deep, then thin seedlings to 2 to 4 inches apart; the greens are edible too.
Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s Oct. 16 update found only background red tide levels in Southwest Florida, with low levels pending in St. Joseph Bay. |
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Florida by the Numbers
Florida took in $3.84 billion in general revenue in August, $2.99 billion of it from sales tax, according to the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Two months into the 2026-27 budget year, collections total $7.85 billion, up 1.6 percent from the same point last year. |
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Today’s Poll
Has king-tide flooding ever reached your street or your commute?
Yesterday’s Results
(FINAL, n=32)
Now that Floridians can buy federal flood insurance online, do you carry flood coverage?
Yes 16% · No, but I'm considering it 22% · No 37% · Not sure 25% |
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Florida Lottery
CASH POP Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 3 CASH POP Late Night — Wed Oct 21 — 5 PICK 2 Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 1-0 Fireball 3 PICK 3 Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 2-0-8 Fireball 3 PICK 4 Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 7-4-2-4 Fireball 3 PICK 5 Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 4-0-6-9-2 Fireball 3 Fantasy 5 Evening — Wed Oct 21 — 3-15-21-33-36 Florida Lotto — Wed Oct 21 — 8-10-16-37-51-53 Powerball — Wed Oct 21 — 1-21-44-50-57 Powerball 5 Power Play 2x Jackpot Triple Play — Tue Oct 20 — 17-20-26-30-35-44 Mega Millions — Tue Oct 20 — 13-28-33-35-48 Mega Ball 3 |
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