The morning edition

Learjet voice recorder goes to a D.C. lab, and the St. Johns holds at major flood near Cocoa

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Good Morning! On Nov. 10, 1975, the nonprofit journalism school now known as the Poynter Institute for Media Studies was incorporated in St. Petersburg. Nelson Poynter, owner of the St. Petersburg Times, created the school — first called the Modern Media Institute — to train journalists and to keep the newspaper under independent local control.

In This Issue: The NTSB recovered the Learjet cockpit voice recorder and sent it to a Washington lab, Okaloosa County moved the SS United States reef deployment up to Wednesday and canceled the sendoff, and the St. Johns River near Cocoa is holding at major flood stage.

Weather: Tuesday stays mostly quiet and dry under high pressure, with highs from the mid 70s in Pensacola to the mid 80s in South Florida. Expect morning fog in Jacksonville and Gainesville and patchy fog around Orlando. The St. Johns River near Cocoa has reached major flood stage and is forecast to remain near that level through the week; moderate flooding continues at Astor and above Lake Harney, and the Peace River at Arcadia is still in moderate flood. Minor flooding is forecast later this week near DeLand and Sanford. Never drive into flooded roads. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center does not expect any tropical cyclones to form in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf over the next seven days. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: The rip current risk is HIGH Tuesday from Volusia through Martin counties, with surf around 3 feet; stay out of the ocean there. The risk is moderate from Nassau through St. Johns counties (surf 3 to 4 feet), in Palm Beach County and on Walton, Bay, Franklin and Gulf County beaches. It is low from Pensacola through Okaloosa, in Broward and Miami-Dade, and along the Gulf coast from Levy County to Collier County. (NWS)

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UPDATE: NTSB Recovers the Learjet Cockpit Voice Recorder and Sends It to a Washington Lab

The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday it has recovered the cockpit voice recorder of the Learjet 60 from the Nov. 1 Greenacres site of initial impact and is evaluating the device at the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory in Washington, D.C.; excavation work at the impact site has been completed.

The Associated Press reported it was not immediately known whether the recorder had been damaged or was working; aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti told AP that photos of the orange metal shell suggested it was in decent shape and that any recoverable information would be a huge help to investigators.

UPDATE: Okaloosa County Moves the SS United States Reef Deployment Up to Wednesday, Veterans Day

Okaloosa County announced Monday it is moving the SS United States artificial-reef deployment up to Wednesday, Nov. 11, with operations beginning at 1 p.m. Central, because of forecast heavy winds and unsafe weather Thursday; the deployment had been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, and the sendoff ceremony set for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center has been canceled.

County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin said safety is a top priority and there is no reason to take an unnecessary risk when adjusting the schedule will allow the historic deployment to be carried out safely; a live viewing party will be held at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar in Destin beginning at noon Nov. 11, and the county said the live viewing link will be shared on thessus.com before the deployment.

Florida Insurance Regulators Levy More Than $12.66 Million in Penalties on Pharmacy Benefit Managers

Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky and the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation announced Monday, Nov. 9, more than $12.66 million in penalties against pharmacy benefit managers after market-conduct examinations found violations involving fair pricing models, network adequacy and access, pharmacy remittances and unilateral changes to pharmacy contracts.

OIR said many PBMs have taken or are taking corrective action, while several are contesting the findings or penalties in litigation, and that some examined companies have not paid examiner invoices since January 2025; the exams follow the 2023 Prescription Drug Reform Act, which authorized biennial PBM reviews.

UPDATE: St. Johns River Near Cocoa Holds at Major Flood Stage as the Peace River Stays in Moderate Flood

The National Weather Service in Melbourne said in an 8:04 p.m. EST Monday flood warning that major flooding was occurring and forecast on the St. Johns River near Cocoa 9W, where the stage was 17.0 feet at 7:15 p.m. Monday (flood stage 16.0 feet) and the river was expected to remain steady above flood stage at 17.0 feet, near major flood stage, through this week; at the same hour, NWS said moderate flooding was occurring above Lake Harney (9.1 feet at 7:30 p.m.; flood stage 8.0) with the potential to approach major next weekend, and at Astor (2.9 feet at 7:30 p.m.; flood stage 2.3), with a slight rise to 3 feet late this week.

NWS Tampa Bay, in an 8:13 p.m. EST Monday warning, said moderate flooding was occurring and forecast on the Peace River at Arcadia at S.R. 70, where the stage was 14.2 feet at 7:30 p.m. (flood stage 11.0 feet) and the river was expected to fall below flood stage Friday evening; separately, Seminole County Emergency Management division manager Steven Lerner told ClickOrlando and Spectrum News 13 that area lakes are expected to crest about Nov. 20–23, with Lake Monroe possibly more than 6 feet and Lake Harney 9.7 to 10.3 feet, and that water may linger into December.

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❖ Miami — Waldorf Astoria Miami Set to Be Florida’s First Supertall, Due in 2028: Miami: The Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences in downtown Miami, a 100-story stack of nine cubes designed by Carlos Ott and Sieger Suarez, is expected to be completed in 2028 and will be Florida’s first “supertall,” meaning it stands over 300 meters, or 984 feet, WLRN reports. Developer PMG, led by managing partner Ryan Shear, is already planning another supertall, Delano Residences Miami, a block north on SE 3rd Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

❖ Tampa Bay — Tampa General Breaks Ground on 170-Unit Linden Workforce Housing in Brandon: Brandon: Tampa General Hospital has broken ground on The Linden, a 170-unit workforce housing community in Brandon for eligible Tampa General and USF Health employees earning 80% to 120% of area median income, Bay News 9 reports. The project, developed with The Michaels Organization after four years of planning, includes $12.5 million in state funding and $2 million from Hillsborough County, TGH president and CEO John Couris said.

❖ Orlando — Downtown Venues Ask the City to Reconsider After-Midnight Alcohol Permit Fees: Orlando: Downtown Orlando businesses that serve alcohol between midnight and 2 a.m. in the Downtown Entertainment District are asking the city to reconsider its After-Midnight Alcohol Sales permit program and suspend the fees, FOX 35 reports. The National Independent Venue Association, representing venues including The Beacham and Celine, said 39 downtown businesses were billed more than $4.3 million for off-duty police officers over two years; Beacham owner Frank Hamby said the club is paying almost $30,000 a month, or about $350,000 a year, and has cut staff from about 300 employees to about 200.

❖ Jacksonville — The FIRM in Starke Reopens Its Full 1.6-Mile Road Course: Starke / Bradford County: The Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park, a 420-acre facility in Starke about an hour from Jacksonville, has reopened its full 1.6-mile road course after pavement repairs and changes to its turns and straightaways, WOKV reports. Business-development director Bailey Thomas said the rebuilt layout is significantly faster than the short course drivers had been using.

❖ Broward — ’70s Bar Good Night John Boy Opens on SE Sixth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale: Fort Lauderdale: Good Night John Boy, a 1970s-themed bar from Forward Hospitality Group, has opened at 270 SE Sixth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale, taking over the former Howl at the Moon space, Miami New Times reports. The Fort Lauderdale location, led by Michael Schwartz and Bobby Rutter, joins sister bars in Delray Beach and St. Petersburg.

❖ Palm Beach — Briar Bay Floodwaters Linger as Mayor Says Hamal Pumps Cannot Run Together: West Palm Beach: West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James said Monday that floodwaters are still standing in Briar Bay, The Cove at Briar Bay and Hamilton Bay, and that the two Hamal Community Development District pumps in the surface-water system cannot operate at the same time, WPTV reports. The Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District has provided two additional pumps, and Hamal CDD told the city Monday morning that an electrician was being brought in so the existing pumps can run simultaneously; HOA treasurer Phillip Hutchinson had told WPTV on Sunday the Hamal pumps were not running the previous Sunday, leaving residents off Jog Road with water in the streets nearly a week after the rain stopped.

❖ Gulf — Study Finds Sarasota Bay Dolphins Ingest About 10,000 Microplastics a Day: Sarasota: Dolphins in Sarasota Bay ingest about 10,000 microplastics a day, most likely while hunting baitfish such as pinfish and toadfish, according to research from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program reported by WUSF. Randy Wells, then-director of the program, and co-authors wrote in Marine Mammal Science that the results indicate predominant microplastic contamination in the bay, with washing-machine wastewater a likely source; the WUSF account notes the study does not itself report whether that load is harmful.

❖ North Florida — New $4.2 Million Visitor and Nature Center Opens at Topsail Hill: Santa Rosa Beach / Walton County: A new $4.2 million visitor and nature center has opened at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, giving visitors an interpretive stop before the beach tram, WJHG reports. Florida State Parks director Chuck Hatcher and Florida State Parks Foundation communications director Tim Linafelt said the park contributes about $33 million in economic impact and about 470 local jobs in Walton County, and that leftover project money will help the state open four more visitor centers.

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❖ UPDATE: Judge Keeps Garcia on Canvassing Board as CD 27 Recount Runs Overnight — A federal judge on Monday ruled against Democrat Eliott Rodriguez’s lawsuit seeking to remove Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia from the canvassing board overseeing the 27th Congressional District machine recount. Officials said nearly 250,000 ballots are being recounted at Elections Headquarters in Doral and that the count will run through the night into Tuesday.

❖ Donalds and Avila Name Four-Person Gubernatorial Transition Team — Gov.-elect Byron Donalds and Lt. Gov.-elect Bryan Avila on Monday named Miami-area businessman Manny Kadre as chairman of their transition team, Ryan Smith as executive director, Tarren Bragdon as policy chair and Teresa Ressel as senior adviser. Donalds said the group is already at work so the administration can be ready when he is sworn in on Jan. 5, 2027.

❖ Florida Midterm Turnout Hits 60.9%, Second Highest in 30 Years — Overall turnout in Florida’s midterm election was 60.9%, the second-highest in the last 30 years, the News Service of Florida reported, about 7 percent ahead of 2022 and two percentage points behind 2018. Secretary of State Cord Byrd said more than 8 million Floridians voted; the report put the total at 8.3 million.

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❖ Winn-Dixie Sells Last Georgia Stores to Focus on Florida — Winn-Dixie has agreed to sell its last five Georgia grocery stores, in Brunswick, Folkston, Lake Park, St. Simons Island and Valdosta, to Food Lion, completing the Jacksonville-based grocer’s shift to a Florida-focused strategy. The stores will remain open as Winn-Dixie until the sale closes, then briefly close for conversion and reopen as Food Lion stores in mid-December, Food Lion said, with about 375 hires expected. After the sale, Winn-Dixie expects to operate more than 120 grocery stores and more than 100 liquor stores in Florida and said it will direct more resources toward expanding in its home state. President and CEO Raymond Rhee said Florida has been the company’s home for more than 100 years and that the move builds on a year of new stores and a single-brand operation.

❖ Port Tampa Bay Adds 32 Acres for GLOVIS 10,000-Vehicle Terminal — Port Tampa Bay announced a long-term agreement Monday with GLOVIS America for a 32-acre expansion of its car-shipping terminal, increasing the company’s operating footprint by approximately 66% and expanding its existing 48.5-acre operation to more than 80 acres, with planned capacity for 10,000 vehicles. The deal gives GLOVIS control of berth-adjacent land and about 3,000 added storage spaces so more arriving cars can stay at the terminal. The partnership, which began in 2022, has helped move more than 160,000 vehicles through the port, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Raul Alfonso said. Work on the first 12 acres began in August 2026; the remaining 20 acres are targeted for completion by the end of 2027. GLOVIS has renovated a 33,000-square-foot building and is developing a car wash and body shop. Terms and duration were not disclosed.

❖ Palm Beach County Proposes $250K Grants for Military Trail Businesses — Palm Beach County is proposing a $250,000 Military Trail Business Interruption Grant Program, funded with ad valorem revenue, for businesses affected by the Nov. 1 Learjet crash and the Military Trail closure near Greenacres. Eligible businesses could receive up to $5,000, with one award per legal business, applying through the county Housing and Economic Development Department. Funds may cover rent or mortgage, payroll, utilities, essential inventory and supplies, and other approved operating costs, but not personal expenses, expansion, owner distributions, or costs already covered by insurance or other aid. Commissioner Joel Flores said the program followed hundreds of calls from small businesses. Eddie Rivera, owner of Señor Lechon, said his restaurant has 15 employees and has been closed more than a week. Flores said businesses could begin reopening within days, though Military Trail has no firm reopening date.

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NBA Plans a Nov. 30 Event to Name Miami Host of 2028 All-Star Weekend

The NBA is planning a Nov. 30 event to announce Miami as the site of the 2028 All-Star weekend, a person with knowledge of the matter told the AP on Monday, speaking anonymously because neither side had announced details. Commissioner Adam Silver and Heat chairman Micky Arison are expected; the person said Miami was picked “several months ago,” a logo is already approved and the date is slightly fluid. It would be Miami’s first All-Star weekend since 1990, a gap the AP ties to conflicts with a large Miami boat show. Tentative plans call for some 2028 events at the University of Miami’s arena. This season’s All-Star weekend is in Phoenix.

Jaguars Deal Six Picks for Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux

A day before the NFL trade deadline, Jacksonville acquired Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder, the last and most significant of three Monday moves. The Jaguars (6-2) also traded a 2027 second-rounder and a 2028 fifth-rounder to Atlanta for safety Jessie Bates III, and a 2028 sixth-rounder that could become a 2027 sixth-rounder to New Orleans for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux — six future picks in all. General manager James Gladstone called Davis “a well-rounded premier player.” Davis had 1½ sacks and one interception in nine games this season (4½ sacks and 72 tackles last year) and is expected to fill in for nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, who went on injured reserve last week. Bates has 60 tackles, three forced fumbles and one interception this season; Jacksonville lost starter Eric Murray to a season-ending elbow injury. The Jaguars visit Tennessee (1-7) on Sunday.

Florida State Names Alumnus Jeff Purinton Athletics Director

President Richard McCullough named FSU alumnus Jeff Purinton vice president and director of athletics, bringing him back to the school where his career began more than 30 years ago. McCullough cited Purinton’s “experience, judgment and championship pedigree” as a two-time graduate and former athletics employee. Purinton joined FSU’s athletics communications office as an undergraduate in 1994, later served as director of football communications, and was on staff for the 1999 national championship and Chris Weinke’s 2000 Heisman season before leaving in 2006. He spent 15 years at Alabama, rising to executive deputy athletics director during Nick Saban’s championship run, then was vice chancellor for athletics at Arkansas State and a senior executive at Learfield. “Florida State is home to me in so many ways,” Purinton said. He is a Palatka native.

Scoreboard

No Florida pro finals Monday.

Schedule (all times ET)

Tue Nov 10 — Florida at Florida State (men’s basketball), 6pm EST — ESPN2

Tue Nov 10 — Panthers at Blue Jackets, 7:30pm EST — ESPN+

Tue Nov 10 — Heat at Jazz, 9pm EST — KJZZ-TV

Wed Nov 11 — Lightning at Sabres, 7pm EST — TNT

Thu Nov 12 — Memphis at USF, 8pm EST — ESPN

Thu Nov 12 — Red Wings at Panthers, 7:30pm EST — ESPN+

Fri Nov 13 — Florida State at Pittsburgh, 7pm EST — ESPN

Sat Nov 14 — Duke at Miami, 12pm EST — ABC

Sat Nov 14 — Arizona State at UCF, 3:30pm EST — ESPN2

Sat Nov 14 — Florida at Kentucky, 6:15pm EST — ESPN

Sat Nov 14 — Pistons at Heat, 8pm EST — NBA TV

Sat Nov 14 — Panthers at Blues, 7pm EST — Scripps Sports

Sun Nov 15 — Dolphins at Colts, 1pm EST — CBS

Sun Nov 15 — Jaguars at Titans, 1pm EST — Fox

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF

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Florida’s average for regular is $3.79 a gallon, AAA says, down about a penny from yesterday ($3.80) and about 7 cents below a week ago ($3.86). That’s about 22 cents under the national average of $4.01. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $3.97; Panama City is the cheapest at about $3.49.

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❖ Coral Springs Quilt of Valor for a 100-Year-Old WWII Tail Gunner: A World War II veteran who turned 100 in July received a handmade Quilt of Valor from the Coral Springs Quilt Guild on Saturday, Nov. 7. Herbert Schwartz served in the U.S. Army as a tail gunner aboard a B-17 bomber; Jean Nevin nominated him, and he attended with his son and Jean McManus, a former Marine who accompanied him on a 2025 Honor Flight. The Quilts of Valor Foundation will enter his name in its national records.

❖ Collier Deputies Free a Kitten Stuck in a Wheel Well: A Collier County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant on patrol Monday morning in Golden Gate Estates saw a kitten run up into a vehicle’s wheel well and wedge itself near the suspension. A corporal helped free the animal, and deputies surrendered it to Collier County Domestic Animal Services for evaluation.

❖ Ocala Grill Cook Hits 1 Million Steaks and Is Named a Legend: Luis Torres of Ocala earned LongHorn Steakhouse’s Grill Master Legend title after grilling his one-millionth steak in a 26-year career, a distinction the brand says only 40 grill cooks have received. Family, coworkers and LongHorn president Laura Williamson surprised him with a custom gold chef coat, a $5,000 award and a $1,000 annual bonus for as long as he remains with the restaurant.

❖ Tallahassee Marker Honors Educator Lydia Smith: Florida TaxWatch unveiled a historical marker Monday outside its Tallahassee office, on the site of Lydia G. Smith’s former home. Smith, who came to the city as a free Black woman before the Civil War, opened a day school with her husband, James, that became one of Tallahassee’s most respected institutions. President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said the marker recognizes a pioneer in education whose name should be better known.

❖ Volunteers Make More Than 500 Oyster Pots for Tampa Bay Reefs: At Philippe Park in Safety Harbor on Saturday, volunteers including Pinellas County resident Richard Denlinger made more than 500 oyster rag pots in two hours with Oyster River Ecology. Alex Castaneda and University of South Florida marine biology student Inga Zukauskas say each pot can support about 100 oysters, and Pinellas County, with partner Stacy Day, is working under a grant to restore about four acres near the park plus 10 acres in the Manatee River.

❖ Anonymous Gift Lets Gulf Breeze Will Do Fund Every Finalist: Gulf Breeze Will Do went into its Sunday annual meeting with $46,500 and 10 finalists asking for more than $52,000, then an anonymous member added about $5,760 so every project was fully funded, for a total of $52,260.35. The women’s giving circle had 18 applications totaling more than $112,000; the two largest awards were $10,000 for five AEDs at Gulf Breeze Middle School and $9,708.59 in thermal imaging cameras for Midway Fire District. President Leslie Perino said the last-minute gift is why the group exists.

Today’s Quote

“In Florida, the day before Veterans Day, somebody is already out in the yard making sure the flag hangs true.”

— original / Front Porch

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing crescent, 2% lit.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando sunrise 6:44 a.m., sunset 5:34 p.m. EST, 10h 50m of daylight. Times are Eastern Standard (Pensacola and the western Panhandle are on Central time); times vary across the state.

Gardening Notes: Brussels sprouts can be grown in a Florida home garden even though they aren’t a commercial crop here, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says: plant them in late fall, because they need cool weather to make firm, crunchy sprouts. Two varieties suggested for Florida are ‘Jade Cross’ and ‘Long Island Improved.’

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s Nov. 6 report finds red tide at bloom levels in six samples from Gulf County, with lower levels elsewhere in Northwest Florida and a single background sample in Pinellas County; none on the East Coast. Next update: Nov. 13.

Florida by the Numbers

24,359,111 active vehicle and vessel registrations in Florida as of Oct. 12, 2026, according to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. That includes 17,260,938 autos and pickups and 924,576 vessels.

Today’s Poll

How closely will you follow Wednesday’s planned sinking of the SS United States off Destin?

Yesterday’s Results

How closely will you follow Florida’s leftover election counts this week?

Very closely — I want every update 22% · Somewhat — the big margins are enough 27% · Only if my district is still open 24% · Not following election leftovers 27%