The morning edition

Florida declares a flood emergency in 7 counties as Brevard schools stay closed for Election Day

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Good Morning! On Nov. 3, 1970, Florida voters sent Lakeland's Lawton Chiles to the U.S. Senate. Months earlier, he had set out from tiny Century on the Alabama line and walked 1,003 miles over 91 days, all the way down to Key Largo, shaking nearly 40,000 hands. The boots he wore are kept at the Florida Historic Capitol Museum in Tallahassee.

In This Issue: Florida declares a flood emergency in 7 counties as Brevard schools stay closed for Election Day, Infinity Auto will refund more than $46 million to Florida drivers, and nearly 40% of Florida voters have already cast ballots. Plus No. 1 Florida beats No. 14 Miami 77-67, and an Osceola deputy gives a gator a ride to Lake Cecile.

Weather: Flooding is still the story on Election Day in Central and East-Central Florida, where a Flood Watch runs through Tuesday morning for Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee counties. NWS Melbourne says 16 to 22 inches of rain fell across southern Brevard County on Monday, flooding roads from the Melbourne area south to Grant-Valkaria, and river Flood Warnings stay up from Seminole, Lake and Volusia to Hardee, DeSoto, Manatee and Hillsborough, including much of the area under Gov. Ron DeSantis's emergency order for Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties. For voters, Tuesday brings showers and storms likely in South Florida (60% to 70% chances in Miami and West Palm Beach), scattered afternoon storms from Orlando and Tampa Bay to Fort Myers, and mostly dry skies in North Florida and the Panhandle, with highs in the low to mid 80s. Coastal Flood Advisories run until 7 p.m. Tuesday from St. Lucie County to Miami-Dade and into early Wednesday along the St. Johns River and Duval coast; rain chances ease later in the week. Never drive into flooded roads. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center's 7 p.m. Monday outlook says an area of low pressure is expected to form along a weakening front a few hundred miles northeast of the Bahamas in a day or so and could take on some subtropical characteristics late this week as it drifts over the western Atlantic, before moving east or northeast into unfavorable conditions by the weekend. NHC gives it a near 0% chance of development in 48 hours and a low, 30% chance over seven days. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: The risk of rip currents is HIGH along the entire Atlantic coast, from Nassau County to Miami-Dade, through Tuesday, with breakers of 4 to 6 feet on the Space Coast and Treasure Coast beaches. It is also high on western Panhandle beaches from Pensacola to Destin through Wednesday afternoon and in Franklin County through Tuesday evening, moderate in South Walton and Bay County, and low along the Gulf coast from Levy County to Collier County. (NWS)

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

UPDATE: NTSB Sees Signs Jet Was Breaking Apart Before Palm Beach County Impact; Nine Aboard Named

What's new: NTSB board member Tom Chapman said Monday there are indications the Learjet was breaking up before it hit the ground, so parts may be found some distance from the impact site in Greenacres, about 7 miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The pilot had reported manageable ice and moderate turbulence at 35,000 feet before the Bahamas-bound jet came down.

Families named Texas tech entrepreneur Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp, their children Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr, and nanny Anita Maria Cetina; East Coast Jets identified the pilot as Jeff Gregory, and co-pilot Nathalia G. Filgueiras, 20, earned her license at 17 through West Boca Raton Community High's aviation academy. Residents of about 77 nearby mobile homes remain in a shelter, and County Commissioner Joel G. Flores said there is no timeline for their return.

UPDATE: DeSantis Declares Flood Emergency in Seven Counties as Brevard Schools Stay Closed

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-227 Monday, declaring a state of emergency in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties after heavy rain flooded roads and threatened schools, airports and other infrastructure. Brevard County canceled school Monday and Tuesday, and the order lets FDOT waive tolls, turns on price-gouging protections and lets election supervisors in affected areas move polling places that are unsafe or cut off.

Inland, the heaviest rain fell near Avon Park and Sebring in Highlands County and in eastern Hardee and DeSoto counties, and the Peace River is expected to crest just west of Arcadia Thursday evening, when about 60 homes could flood. Forecasters expect only scattered showers Tuesday and mostly dry weather Wednesday and Thursday.

Infinity Auto to Refund More Than $46 Million to Florida Drivers

Infinity Auto Insurance will return more than $46 million to Florida drivers within 60 days after collecting too much profit in 2023, 2024 and 2025, triggering the state's excess-profits law, which requires refunds when an auto insurer's profit tops its expected underwriting profit plus 5% of premiums. In June, USAA announced a $500 million one-time auto dividend to its members, which state regulators said it offered proactively.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky said more refunds could follow as other auto insurers near the threshold, and money owed to policyholders who can't be reached will be handled as unclaimed property under Florida law.

Brightline Halts Orlando–West Palm Beach Trains as High Water Floods Brevard Corridor

Brightline suspended service between Orlando and West Palm Beach Monday because of high water along its tracks in Brevard County, and gave no estimate for when trains will resume. Crews working with Florida East Coast Railway will inspect tracks, signals and crossings once the water drops; service between Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach is running normally, and passengers with affected reservations will be contacted directly.

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

❖ Miami-Dade — New York Italian Spot Debuts in Coral Gables: Coral Gables: La Pecora Bianca, the Manhattan Italian restaurant founded by Mark Barak, opened Monday at the Shops at Merrick Park. It's the brand's first location outside New York City, with about 300 seats and more than 10 house-made pastas.

❖ Tampa Bay — 552 Apartments Planned Where a Call Center Stood: Pinellas Park: Preliminary plans were approved for 552 apartments in nine four-story buildings at 10222 MCI Drive, replacing a defunct call center. Developer MAST Capital says at least 221 units will be affordable under the Live Local Act, which could make it one of the largest multifamily projects in Pinellas County.

❖ Orlando — Trader Joe's Opens Thursday in East Orange: Orlando: Trader Joe's opens its Waterford Lakes store, the chain's third in Orange County, Thursday, Nov. 5, at 1444 N. Alafaya Trail in a former Party City. The grocer already has stores in Winter Park and Dr. Phillips and is also working on locations in Kissimmee and Maitland.

❖ Jacksonville — Baptist Adds Two Pediatric Practices: Jacksonville: Baptist Health took over two Pediatric Care Centers practices on Nov. 1. They are now Baptist Jacksonville Beach Pediatrics at 274 Third Ave. S. and Baptist Southside Pediatrics at 8990 RG Skinner Parkway. The Fleming Island office was not part of the deal.

❖ Broward — $140M Loan Launches 400-Unit Tower: Fort Lauderdale: Alta Developers secured a $140.2 million construction loan from JVP Management for Alta New River, a 35-story, 400-unit rental tower at 100 SW Sixth St., two blocks from the New River Riverwalk. Construction starts this month on the tower, where apartments will average about 840 square feet, and it is set to finish in late 2028.

❖ Palm Beach — Boynton's Driftwood Closes for Good: Boynton Beach: Driftwood, the restaurant featured on Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," closed after a final dinner Sunday, nearly 10 years after it opened. Co-owner Jimmy Everett announced the closure after the Oct. 14 death of his wife, co-owner and chef Ilia Gonzalez.

❖ Gulf Coast — Mote Counts 4,928 Turtle Nests: Sarasota County: Mote Marine Laboratory counted 4,928 sea turtle nests this season along 35 miles of beach from Longboat Key to Venice: 4,732 loggerheads and 196 greens, with no Kemp's ridley or leatherback nests. Mote, which has monitored the beaches since 1982 with staff, interns and more than 300 volunteers, also logged 253 turtle disorientations and is asking beachfront owners to cut lighting and clear beach furniture at night.

❖ North Florida — MagLab Gets an $18M Super-Magnet: Tallahassee: The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is planning a new facility for a 23.5-tesla NMR magnet, one of the strongest in the country, funded by an $18 million National Science Foundation grant. The magnet is due to be installed in 2028 and open to researchers in 2029.

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

❖ UPDATE: Nearly 40% of Florida Voters Cast Ballots Before Election Day — Final early-vote figures from the Division of Elections show 5.4 million of Florida's 13.7 million voters had already voted by mail or in person as of Monday, about 69% of the state's total 2022 midterm turnout; 49% of registered Democrats, 38.2% of registered Republicans and 31% of no-party voters have cast ballots, and Republicans hold a 1.5 million registration edge heading into Tuesday. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the state will begin posting results after 8 p.m. Eastern, once polls close in the Central time zone Panhandle counties.

❖ UPDATE: Donalds and Jolly Close Governor's Race in Polk County — On the campaign's last day, Democrat David Jolly rallied at a church in Haines City and Republican Byron Donalds met supporters at a South Lakeland sports bar, after Gov. Ron DeSantis posted last week that Republicans were underperforming in Polk County despite their registration edge, then shared an update showing the GOP margin improving. Polk Republican Party Chairman Sam Romain said newcomers commuting to Orange, Osceola and Hillsborough are making the county more of a battleground; Donalds said more Republicans now vote on Election Day, while Jolly said he is counting on crossover votes from independents and Republicans.

❖ UPDATE: Amendment 3 Property Tax Cut Needs 60% as Rural Sheriffs Warn of Cuts — Amendment 3 would raise Florida's $50,000 homestead property tax exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and it needs 60% voter approval to pass. Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose office developed it, the Republican Party of Florida and Florida Realtors back it as tax relief for homeowners. Opponents, including Senate President Ben Albritton, rural sheriffs such as Gadsden County's Morris Young and firefighter groups, warn of longer response times and fewer services, and Sarasota nonprofits NAMI Central Suncoast and United Way Suncoast, which take no position, say their programs could shrink.

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

❖ Raffles Plans Its First Stand-Alone Condo Tower in Coconut Grove — Raffles Hotels & Resorts, part of Accor, plans Raffles Residences Coconut Grove, a 35-unit waterfront condominium at 2545 South Bayshore Drive in Miami. It will be the brand's first residential-only building, with no hotel attached, unlike Raffles Boston, its mixed-use hotel and residential development. Mast Capital and BH Group are developing the project with Brandon Haw Architecture. Two- to four-and-a-half-bedroom homes and penthouses will start at $4.5 million, with butler service, and owners will get Accor perks including preferred rates at more than 5,800 hotels. Sales are expected to begin before the end of 2026, and no construction timeline has been announced.

❖ Orlando Sentinel Joins Lawsuit Accusing Brave of Reselling News to AI Companies — The Orlando Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune and New York's Daily News sued Brave Software in federal court in Manhattan on Monday. They accuse the browser company of scraping their reporting and selling it to artificial intelligence firms. The New York Times filed a similar suit the same day. The Times' complaint says Brave built an index of more than 30 billion web pages with a crawler publishers can't block, and it names Anthropic, Perplexity, Mistral, xAI and Cohere as customers. The suits also take aim at a Brave feature that gets around paywalls, and at Brave blocking publishers' ads while selling its own. Brave didn't immediately respond.

❖ Citizens Insurance Drops to a Record-Low 217,000 Policies — Citizens Property Insurance, Florida's state-backed insurer of last resort, now covers about 217,000 policies, a record low. That's less than 16% of the roughly 1.4 million policies it carried in 2023. State leaders had warned that a very large Citizens could leave taxpayers covering costs after a major hurricane, and officials now say that risk has gone down. Florida's insurance commissioner expects more policyholders to leave Citizens in the coming months.

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

UPDATE: Kucherov Says His Trade Request Is About Respect, Not Money

Lightning star Nikita Kucherov spoke publicly for the first time Monday about his trade request. "It was never about the money for me; more about poor communication and respect," he said, adding that he and general manager Julien BriseBois have talked only twice in four months and that BriseBois made it clear he's free to walk on July 1. The reigning MVP is in the last year of an eight-year, $76 million contract. He said he told his teammates before the news broke and will do all he can to help them win until then. The Lightning still say they have no intention of trading him. Tampa Bay plays its first home game since the request on Tuesday night against Detroit.

Jaguars Lose DaVon Hamilton and Eric Murray for the Season Before Baltimore

Sunday's 42-7 rout of the Colts cost the Jaguars two defensive starters. Coach Liam Coen said defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, who reportedly tore a quad, and safety Eric Murray, who hurt his elbow, are both out for the season. Safety Antonio Johnson also missed Sunday's game, which leaves Jacksonville without both of its opening-day starting safeties, though Coen said Johnson may return this week. The Jaguars (5-2) play Thursday night at Baltimore (4-4), where the Ravens placed quarterback Lamar Jackson on injured reserve after thumb surgery. Trevor Lawrence leads qualified NFL passers with a 112.6 rating.

No. 1 Florida Opens Its Season by Beating No. 14 Miami 77-67 in Tampa

Thomas Haugh had 19 points and 10 rebounds as top-ranked Florida beat No. 14 Miami 77-67 at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Monday night, in the season opener for both teams. The preseason SEC Player of the Year added four assists and made 4 of 8 three-pointers without a turnover. Rueben Chinyelu grabbed 14 rebounds. Miami's Acaden Lewis, a Villanova transfer, scored 24 in his Hurricanes debut. Miami cut the lead to 53-51 in the second half before the Gators held it without a field goal for about five minutes. The game included two technical fouls and three fouls upgraded to flagrants. Florida hosts Jacksonville on Thursday.

Scoreboard

NHL: Red Wings 5, Panthers 3 (final)

NBA: Wizards 103, Magic 94 (final)

NBA: Heat at Lakers — PENDING FINAL

Schedule (all times ET)

Tue Nov 3 — NHL: Red Wings at Lightning, 7pm ET, The Spot

Wed Nov 4 — NHL: Blackhawks at Panthers, 7:30pm ET, TNT

Wed Nov 4 — NBA: Heat at Clippers, 10:30pm ET, ClipperVision

Thu Nov 5 — NFL: Jaguars at Ravens, 8:15pm ET, Prime Video

Thu Nov 5 — NHL: Blackhawks at Lightning, 7pm ET, The Spot

Thu Nov 5 — NBA: Heat at Warriors, 10pm ET, NBA TV

Thu Nov 5 — NCAAF: UTSA at FAU, 7:30pm ET, ESPN

Fri Nov 6 — NCAAF: USF at East Carolina, 7:30pm ET, ESPN2

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: FSU at Boston College, 12pm ET, ACC Network

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: UCF at Kansas, 3:45pm ET, ESPN2

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame, 7:30pm ET, NBC

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: Oklahoma at Florida, 7:45pm ET, SEC Network

Sun Nov 8 — NFL: Lions at Dolphins, 1pm ET, Fox

Sun Nov 8 — NFL: Bucs at Bears, 8:20pm ET, NBC

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

Florida's average for regular is $3.86 a gallon, AAA says, down about a penny from yesterday's $3.87 and about 23 cents below a week ago ($4.09). That's about 31 cents under the national average of $4.17. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.02; Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.64.

Receive Front Porch Florida Free Each Morning · Send to a Friend

❖ Osceola Deputy Wrangles a Gator Barehanded, Gives It a Ride to a Lake: Osceola County Deputy Nicholas Pippin pulled a 4-foot, roughly 40-pound alligator out from under a fence near Celebration Hardware Company on Blake Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. He taped its mouth shut, set it in the back seat of his patrol car and drove it to Lake Cecile, where it was let go unharmed.

❖ After 30 Years, Misha McRae Hands Off the Key West Garden He Helped Grow: Misha McRae, who started at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden as a volunteer in 1997 and became executive director in 2013, will retire Jan. 31, 2027. On his watch the garden grew from 5.5 to 15 acres, secured a 99-year city lease, and built a nursery of more than 2,000 plants from 180 species. A Butterfly Ball will mark the garden's 91st year.

❖ Delray Beach Teen Turns Math Into Confidence for Younger Kids: Ben Kaufman, a senior at American Heritage Schools, tutors kindergarten through fifth-grade students at the Milagro Center in Delray Beach, some of whom started two to three grade levels behind in math. Milagro CEO Barbara Stark and parent Kendra Williams say his work is paying off, as the center marks 30 years.

❖ Make-A-Wish Puts a Valrico Teen in the NFL Broadcast Booth: Justin Pogorzala, 15, of Valrico, who lives with an implanted defibrillator, wanted to call football games. Make-A-Wish Southern Florida took him to the Chiefs–Dolphins game at Hard Rock Stadium, where he met CBS announcer Kevin Harlan and put on a headset in the broadcast booth.

❖ Venice Crews Find Swimmer 1.5 Miles Offshore After Nearly Two Hours: Venice Fire Rescue's Ski 51, Venice police marine and drone units and FWC officers located a swimmer about 1.5 miles off the Venice Fishing Pier after nearly two hours in the Gulf. The swimmer was checked out and released, and the city thanked the Coast Guard, Sea Tow Venice, Sarasota County EMS and the sheriff's office.

❖ Pine Island Artist Hides Painted "YOLO Stones" for Neighbors to Find: Pine Island artist Parker Carwile paints rocks and leaves them around the island; finders are invited to post their stones at yolofestflorida.com.

Today’s Quote

"Then I laughed, and I suppose that broke the spell, but it was enough to make anyone laugh, for the Florida heron, wading leg deep in the St. Johns River, has the same self-conscious dignity, the same absurd rhythmic hesitancy of motion as a wedding procession going up the aisle."

— Winthrop Packard, Florida Trails (1910)

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent, about 30% lit, two days past Sunday's last quarter; the new moon arrives Nov. 9.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 6:39 a.m., sunset 5:39 p.m. EST, 11h 0m of daylight. Times are Eastern Standard (Pensacola and the western Panhandle are on Central time); times vary across the state.

Gardening Notes: Collard greens are a low-maintenance cool-season staple, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says: plant them September through April in North Florida, through February in Central Florida and through January in South Florida. Give them full sun, compost and 12 to 24 inches of room; transplants are ready in about 50 to 70 days (70 to 90 from seed), and picking the older outer leaves first keeps new ones coming all season.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's latest update (Oct. 30) finds red tide only in Northwest Florida, with bloom levels in six samples from Bay and Gulf counties and fish kills and breathing irritation reported in Gulf County; it was not seen in Southwest Florida or on the East Coast. FWC's next update is due Friday, Nov. 6.

Florida by the Numbers

$4.70 billion: Florida's net general revenue collections in September, $429 million (10.1%) above the state's August forecast, almost all of it from a $463 million surge in corporate income tax, according to the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research. Three months into the budget year, collections total $12.19 billion, up 3.8% from a year earlier.