The morning edition

A Gulf system's odds climb to 80%, and Florida charges 10 in a reef fish and sea turtle poaching ring

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Good Morning! On Oct. 6, 1949, Daytona Beach's new Peabody Auditorium was officially dedicated with an inaugural performance by the U.S. Navy Band. The fireproof brick building replaced the original 1919 auditorium, built on land donated by businessman Simon J. Peabody and destroyed in 1946 by the largest fire on record in Volusia County. Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and the London Symphony Orchestra later played its stage, and it still hosts 50 to 60 events a year.

In This Issue: a Polk County school bus crash that left a student and a driver dead, a Gulf system now given 80% odds, a death warrant that would set a state record and charges in a reef fish and sea turtle poaching ring. Plus: the Rays moving one win from the ALCS, a coalition of Black leaders backing Byron Donalds and two brothers pulling stranded drivers out of Sanford floodwater.

Weather: Showers and thunderstorms are nearly certain Tuesday around Jacksonville and Gainesville and likely across the Big Bend, Central Florida and Tampa Bay. South Florida starts mostly sunny before afternoon storm chances, and highs range from the mid-70s in the north to the upper 80s in the south. (NWS)

Tropical: No Florida watches or warnings; NHC expects a tropical depression to form midweek from AL92 in the southwestern Gulf, with a 70% two-day and 80% seven-day formation chance. (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: High rip current risk Tuesday from Escambia through Okaloosa and in Franklin County, and from Nassau through Flagler starting Tuesday afternoon. The risk is moderate in Walton, Bay and Gulf counties and from Volusia through Martin, and low from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade and on the Gulf coast from Levy to Collier. (NWS)

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

Polk County School Bus Overturns After Being Struck, Leaving a 10th Grader and Another Driver Dead

A Polk County school bus with 39 people aboard, most of them high school students, overturned early Monday in Winter Haven on its way to Winter Haven High School. Sheriff Grady Judd said an oncoming car crossed the center line and hit the side of the bus near the rear wheels, tearing off a tire; the bus then hit an oncoming Jeep head-on, and the Jeep caught fire. A 10th-grade girl and the Jeep's driver were killed, 26 students were taken to a hospital, and at least one person was in critical condition.

Judd called it "the most horrific bus tragedy we've had in decades." He said the driver of the car was headed to work and was cooperating, and that person had not been arrested or charged. Superintendent Frederick Heid said students practice drills for leaving a bus after a crash, and school board chair Justin Sharpless asked the community to support the girl's family and the school.

Gulf System Is Now Invest 92L, With 80% Odds and a Depression Expected by Midweek

The disturbance in the southwestern Gulf off Mexico is now tracked as Invest 92L, and the National Hurricane Center says it is likely to become a tropical depression this week. In its 8 p.m. Monday outlook, NHC gave it a 70% chance of forming within 48 hours and 80% within seven days, and said it should drift east-northeast before turning north; it's too early to know the specific impacts on the northern Gulf Coast. FOX 35 says it could bring heavy rain and localized flooding anywhere from the Panhandle to Louisiana, and that Isaias is the next name on the list.

News 6 meteorologist Jonathan Kegges says conditions are only marginally favorable, so a storm is likely but its strength should be held in check, especially near land, by increasing wind shear in the northern Gulf. High pressure near Florida's east coast should keep it from coming too far east into Southwest or Central Florida, and any effects on the north and northeast Gulf would come in the Oct. 9–12 window.

DeSantis Signs Warrant That Would Make Florida's 20th Execution This Year a Modern Record

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a death warrant for Jesse Guardado, 64, setting his execution for Nov. 5 at Florida State Prison. It is DeSantis' second warrant in a week. With three other executions scheduled over the next two weeks, Guardado would be the 20th person executed by Florida this year, topping the 19 carried out in 2025, the most in a single year since capital punishment resumed in 1976.

Guardado pleaded guilty to the 2004 murder of Jackie Malone, 75, in Walton County, a woman who had helped him find housing and a job after prison, and was sentenced to death in 2005. The warrant comes as Tennessee has halted executions after a failed lethal injection last week, and the group Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty warned something similar could happen in Florida. James Robertson and William Lee Thompson are set to be executed Oct. 13 and William Reaves on Oct. 20.

Florida Charges 10 in Alleged Poaching Ring That Took Reef Fish, Shrimp and Protected Sea Turtles

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges Monday in Carrabelle against 10 people in an alleged poaching conspiracy that overharvested grouper, redfish and snapper and took protected sea turtles, including hatchlings. Authorities say the suspects ranged from the Big Bend to Tampa Bay, the haul reached about 23,000 pounds of fish, and sales of fish, shrimp and turtles topped $150,000. The investigation began in 2022, when someone involved approached an undercover officer; FWC, the Office of Statewide Prosecution and local police took part.

The most serious charges include racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and unlawful possession or sale of marine turtles, with potential sentences of 65 to 75 years, Uthmeier's office said. Uthmeier said many poaching laws are only misdemeanors and he will ask the Legislature to toughen penalties.

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

❖ Miami-Dade — Tokyo-Inspired Vinyl Speakeasy Bar Shishi Opens in Miami Beach's New Rivani Building: Bar Shishi, a Tokyo-inspired Japanese cocktail speakeasy, is inside the new Rivani building near Lincoln Road at 1691 Michigan Ave. #320. It has a collection of hundreds of playable vinyl records and a vinyl DJ, and Robert Rivani says it was inspired by Tokyo cocktail speakeasies. It's open Wednesday through Saturday.

❖ Tampa Bay — $17 Million, 80-Unit Bayonet Point Apartments Planned in Hudson: The planned $17 million Bayonet Point Apartments would add 80 apartments near U.S. 19 in a five-story building, with residences above ground-level parking. The roughly 87,000-square-foot building would take only part of a 32.29-acre undeveloped property in western Pasco owned by Bayonet Point Holdings LLC. Tampa-based Dhruv Development LLC is the general contractor.

❖ Orlando — Indian-Inspired Koffee Sutra Opens in Thornton Park: Koffee Sutra at 707 E. Washington St. in Thornton Park began its soft opening Monday, Oct. 5, with a trial run through Oct. 16. Its Indian-inspired drinks include rose cardamom lattes, saffron cold brew and turmeric tonics. Soft-opening hours are 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

❖ Jacksonville — Café Nairobi Roasts Kenyan Coffee in Jacksonville, Now on Fresh Market Shelves: Martin Kakabi's Café Nairobi roasts single-origin Kenyan coffee from Kiambu in Downtown Jacksonville and is now stocked in Fresh Market stores. Kakabi says he's talking to Publix and Sprouts and aims to get into 10 supermarkets across the country over the next five years. He shut his previous business, Grower's Alliance, in 2024.

❖ Broward — Oh Ship! Opens in Tamarac With Around-the-Clock Package Drop-Off: Oh Ship!, a shipping and business-services center at 8267 N. Pine Island Road in the Cypress Commons plaza, has opened. Mailbox holders get 24/7 package drop-off for USPS, FedEx, UPS and SpeedX. Owner Keenan Singh's regular hours are 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday.

❖ Palm Beach — West Palm Beach's Green Terrace Condo Complex Sells for $13.5 Million: Green Terrace, an 84-unit condominium community across 13 buildings at 2800 Georgia Ave., has sold for $13.5 million to Green Terrace Owner, LLC, according to Avison Young and Fisher Auction. The bankruptcy sale included all condominium units and a roughly 0.32-acre clubhouse and pool parcel. Avison Young Principal John K. Crotty said the offering combined scale, location and future development potential.

❖ Gulf Coast — Coffee Rush Opens Second Southwest Florida Drive-Thru in Cape Coral: Coffee Rush opened its second Southwest Florida location at 1189 SW Pine Island Road, just east of Chiquita Boulevard. The 388-square-foot drive-thru is the first built on the company's new double-drive-thru prototype, designed by Fort Myers-based MK Architecture. The Oregon-born company entered Southwest Florida at 9670 State Road 82 in Fort Myers.

❖ North Florida — HCA Florida Capital Hospital's $9.5M Southwood ER Expansion Will Add 9 Beds: Tallahassee: HCA Florida Capital Hospital is expanding its Southwood Emergency Room with a $9.5 million investment that will add nine beds and more staffing, bringing the total bed count to 21. When the Southwood location opened in 2019, staff expected it to serve 12,000 patients a year; CEO Dale Neely said the surge in patient volume created the need for more rooms.

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

❖ Donalds Pitches a 'Coastal Corridor' to Protect Florida's Waterways — Republican governor candidate Byron Donalds on Monday unveiled a "Florida's Coastal Corridor" proposal he promised to enact if elected, calling it the marine equivalent of the Florida Wildlife Corridor that lawmakers passed in 2021, linking Gulf and Atlantic coastal waterways with the inland watersheds that feed them. Speaking at Caddy's in Indian Shores, he said the plan adds no new bureaucracy or regulations and won't restrict fishing, instead bringing existing agencies and programs "under one coordinated, operational plan." Democrat David Jolly's campaign website ties water quality to broader environmental investment, including septic-to-sewer conversions and agriculture runoff rules.

❖ Palm Beach GOP Keeps Suspended Clerk Caruso on Its Voter Guide as State Party Pulls Support — The Palm Beach County Republican Party's voter guide lists suspended Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Mike Caruso as the party's pick, even though he faces pending charges involving a child, to which he has pleaded not guilty. The guide briefly came down from the party's Instagram after WFLA asked for comment, then went back up unchanged with a note about a "formatting error." Florida GOP Chair Evan Power wrote on X Monday that the state party "pulled our support the moment he was arrested, and asked the local party to pick a replacement, which they did," adding, "Mike refused to withdraw."

❖ New I-95 Interchange at Oslo Road Opens a Year Early — Gov. Ron DeSantis cut the ribbon Monday on the new I-95 interchange at Oslo Road in Indian River County, which he said is the first new interchange built in the area in almost 50 years. The nearly $100 million project, paid for with federal and state money, began in 2023 and is meant to ease congestion at the Indrio Road and State Road 60 exits. DeSantis said it will cut commutes from Oslo Road to the interstate in half and shorten local emergency response times by up to 56%.

❖ More Than Two Dozen Black Leaders Form a Coalition Backing Donalds — More than two dozen Black leaders from around the state, including Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, have launched the Florida Coalition of Black Leaders for Donalds. The coalition of pastors, sheriffs, state lawmakers, business owners, educators and civic leaders backs Byron Donalds and his running mate, Bryan Avila; if elected, Donalds would be Florida's first Black governor. Chestnut, a Democrat, introduced Donalds at a University of Florida town hall last week and has drawn criticism from members of her party for backing a Republican over Democrat David Jolly.

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

❖ El Dorado Furniture to Pay $1.3 Million to Settle Federal Hiring-Bias Charge — El Dorado Furniture Corp., which runs 19 stores across Florida, including in Fort Myers and Naples, has agreed to pay $1.3 million to resolve a federal hiring-discrimination investigation, WGCU reports. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it found reasonable cause that the company favored Hispanic applicants for all positions and failed to hire a class of white, Black and other non-Hispanic applicants from November 2022 through February 2026, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The money goes to that class of applicants. The case was settled through the EEOC's pre-litigation conciliation process, and El Dorado also agreed to revise its hiring policies and give annual discrimination training to everyone involved in recruiting or hiring.

❖ Tallahassee Airport Gets $1.5 Million Federal Grant to Try to Revive Houston Flights — Tallahassee International Airport is set to receive a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant, mainly for start-up costs and marketing for flights to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to WCTV. The airport was one of 14 selected for the grant. TLH's earlier Houston service began in 2020 and ended in less than a year. Director of Aviation David Pollard blamed pilot shortages and low profitability, said the airport has addressed those issues, and said it is now in talks with United Airlines to bring the route back. He hopes to announce it officially in the first half of 2027. Pollard also said Breeze Airways' new Raleigh-Durham route is not performing as well as expected.

❖ Universal's Volcano Bay Water Park to Close Oct. 26 for Extended Refurbishment — Universal Orlando says its Volcano Bay water park will close for scheduled maintenance starting Oct. 26 and expects to reopen on or before April 1, 2027, according to WESH. Until the closure, the park is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, with hours extended to 6 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.

❖ SpaceX Seeks State Approval for a 32-Mile Gas Pipeline to Fuel Cape Canaveral Launches — A SpaceX subsidiary, Coastal Connect Services, has asked the Florida Public Service Commission to approve a tariff for a new 32.4-mile, 16-inch natural gas transmission pipeline in Brevard County, Reuters reports, citing a September state filing. The line would carry gas from the existing Florida Gas Transmission interstate pipeline to SpaceX's Cape Canaveral operations; SpaceX uses liquefied methane as Starship propellant. In its petition, the company said truck deliveries and existing local pipelines can't meet its growing needs. Reuters notes SpaceX has sought a similar 8-mile line at its Boca Chica site in Texas.

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

Rays Beat Sloppy Yankees 5-2, Move One Win From ALCS

Richie Palacios hit a two-run single to cap a four-run fifth inning, and the Rays took advantage of four Yankees errors to win 5-2 Monday night at Tropicana Field and lead the best-of-five AL Division Series 2-0. Tampa Bay knocked out Cam Schlittler after 4 1/3 innings (four runs, two earned). Freddy Peralta gave up one run in 4 2/3 innings, and Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth for his second save. Ben Rice's two solo homers were New York's only runs. The Rays can clinch Wednesday in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium.

Panthers Still Waiting on Barkov Timeline; Maurice Waves Off 10-12 Week Report

Captain Aleksander Barkov saw doctors Monday, and coach Paul Maurice said the Panthers still don't have a return timeline. Asked about a report that the injury will cost him 10 to 12 weeks, Maurice said, "Do not bet your hard-earned money on that one," and promised a firmer answer Tuesday. Barkov, already on long-term injured reserve, was hurt Oct. 1 at San Jose in only his second game back after missing all of 2025-26 following right-knee surgery. Lars Eller has moved up to center the top line, and Brad Marchand made his season debut Sunday.

Bucs Lose Winfield to Fractured Rib as Winless Team Heads to Dallas on Short Week

Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss two to four weeks with a rib fracture from late in Sunday's 17-14 loss to Green Bay, coach Todd Bowles said Monday. That's another blow for a team already off to its first 0-4 start since 2014 and already without quarterback Baker Mayfield, with little time to regroup before Thursday night's game at Dallas.

The Bucs have lost 11 of 13 games since a 6-2 start last season, and Dallas comes in at 2-2. "Our record says what we are," Bowles said, and tackle Tristan Wirfs added that "no one is coming to save us."

Jaguars' Defense Has Allowed Just 53 Points in 3-1 Start

Jacksonville has given up 53 points through four games, second fewest in the NFL and second fewest in franchise history at this point. The Jaguars haven't allowed a 75-yard rusher in 21 straight games and rank second in the league with eight takeaways, three of them in the red zone. With 10 defensive starters back under coordinator Anthony Campanile, coach Liam Coen says the defense and the takeaways are "part of our DNA." Next up is the Eagles in London on Sunday.

Scoreboard

Mon Oct 5 — Rays 5, Yankees 2 FINAL (ALDS Game 2; Rays lead series 2-0). Lightning 4, Flyers 1 FINAL.

Schedule (all times ET)

Tue Oct 6: Panthers at Kings, 10 p.m., ESPN

Wed Oct 7: ALDS Game 3, Rays at Yankees, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Thu Oct 8: Wild at Lightning, 7 p.m., The Spot

Thu Oct 8: USF at UTSA, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Thu Oct 8: ALDS Game 4 (if necessary), Rays at Yankees, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Thu Oct 8: Buccaneers at Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video

Fri Oct 9: Florida State at Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN

Sat Oct 10: UCF at Oklahoma State, noon, ESPN2

Sat Oct 10: South Carolina at Florida, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network

Sat Oct 10: Wild at Panthers, 6 p.m., Scripps Sports

Sat Oct 10: Lightning at Islanders, 7:30 p.m., The Spot

Sat Oct 10: ALDS Game 5 (if necessary), Yankees at Rays, 8 p.m., TBS/truTV

Sun Oct 11: Eagles vs. Jaguars (London), 9:30 a.m., NFL Network

Sun Oct 11: Bengals at Dolphins, 1 p.m., FOX

Mon Oct 12: Panthers at Sabres, 1 p.m., Scripps Sports

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

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

Florida regular averaged $4.060 a gallon Monday (AAA, as of 10/5/26). That is down 2.2 cents from Sunday ($4.082) and 28.4 cents from a week ago ($4.344), and 30.5 cents under the national average of $4.365. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.26, and Pensacola is the cheapest at $3.910.

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

❖ Brothers rescue stranded drivers from flooded Sanford roads: Bradley Hager and his brother, Chance Major, used tow straps and "a bit of swimming" to pull two cars out of floodwater on North Oregon Street and State Road 46, after Seminole County officials said nearly 4 inches of rain fell in less than 90 minutes. Then they drove the drivers all the way home. Major's advice: "Turn around, don't drown."

❖ Girl delivered in a rescue truck reunites with Martin County firefighters: Charlotte recently found photos from the morning she was born and asked her mom, Kristina, about the firefighters who helped deliver her in the back of a Martin County Fire Rescue truck. The two returned to Station 21 to meet the crew who were there that day, and the department shared photos from her birth and from the reunion.

❖ Opossum rescued from a swimming pool at a Miami-Dade home: Video from Only In Dade shows a woman who spotted an opossum in her pool: "Oh, my God, I love opossums with all my heart." She scooped it out with a skimmer net, and it took a breath and ran off into the yard.

❖ Up close with the worms at Marineland's Whitney Lab: At UF's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Science in Marineland, Elaine Seaver studies Capitella teleta, a small pink marine worm that can regrow the lost part of its body when it's cut in half. She hopes the work will help scientists understand how to help people who have lost body parts. Her lab has a sign that reads "Worms are people, too," and a worm species, amphiglena seaverae, is named after her.

❖ Cuban artist finds freedom, hope through painting in America: Lee County art teacher and artist Miguel Saludes grew up in Cuba and started painting American landscapes after finding a new life here: "America is my adopted home." Now, after more than a decade, he is painting Cuba again, this time Havana in darkness with a little girl holding a candle. "She is the last light," he said.

❖ Florida Keys Bull Sharks donate sports equipment to children's shelter: The Florida Keys Children's Shelter received $2,000 worth of new sports equipment from the Florida Keys Bull Sharks, a nonprofit youth travel baseball organization, through a grant from the Ocean Reef Community Foundation. Founder Sam Steele delivered it personally. "Many children who come to the shelter are already involved in athletics or have dreams of becoming athletes," shelter president and CEO Ben Kemmer said.

Today’s Quote

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same;"

— Rudyard Kipling, "If—"

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent Tuesday, Oct. 6 (about 18% illuminated). New moon is Saturday, Oct. 10, at 11:50 a.m. EDT, and first quarter is Sunday, Oct. 18 (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Tuesday, sunrise is at 7:21 a.m. and sunset at 7:05 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours, 44 minutes of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says several bulbs can be planted this fall without the chilling tulips need: gladiolus grows anywhere in the state and blooms within three months, and society garlic suits Central and South Florida. Early fall is also a good time to divide bulbs and replant the offsets.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC’s latest statewide update (Oct. 2) found background to very low red tide levels in Gulf County, background levels in Sarasota County and none on the East Coast, with no fish kills or respiratory irritation reported. The next report is due Friday, Oct. 9.

Florida by the Numbers

Florida’s highest natural point, Britton Hill in Walton County, stands just 345 feet above sea level, the lowest state high point in the nation, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Today’s Poll

With forecasters expecting a tropical depression to form in the southwestern Gulf this week, do you support Floridians starting storm preparations now, before any watches are issued?

Yesterday’s Results

Do you support Florida's plan to remove some vaccines from the list required for school entry?

Strongly support 26% · Somewhat support 37% · Oppose 26% · Not sure 11%