The morning edition

Byron Donalds is elected Florida's first Black governor as Amendment 3 clears its 60% bar

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Good Morning! On Nov. 4, 1953, Brevard County turned out with flags and bands to dedicate the new deepwater harbor at Canaveral, then a small port for shrimp boats, fishing and oil. Guests went through 5,000 pounds of fried mullet, and U.S. Sen. Spessard Holland called it "our nation's port for inner and outer space." That evening the party moved on to formal balls in Rockledge and Cocoa.

In This Issue: Byron Donalds is elected Florida's first Black governor, voters approve a bigger homestead tax break, Ashley Moody keeps her U.S. Senate seat, and Duke Energy Florida customers will see January 2027 bills about $33 lower. Plus Miami opens the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 1, and a lunch run for his wife turned a laid-off builder into a Kissimmee teacher.

Weather: Floodwaters are slowly going down in southern Brevard County and on the Treasure Coast, but NWS Melbourne says those areas remain extremely sensitive to any more rain, and Flood Warnings run through Wednesday morning for Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties, with river Flood Warnings still up in Seminole, Lake, Volusia, DeSoto, Manatee, Hillsborough and Hardee counties. Wednesday brings showers and storms likely in Miami (about 60%), a chance in the Keys and the Big Bend, and scattered afternoon storms from Tampa Bay to Fort Myers, while Orlando, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville stay mostly dry; highs run in the low to mid 80s, several degrees above normal. Minor coastal flooding continues at high tide along the St. Johns River and Duval coast into early Thursday and on the Southeast Florida coast, and morning fog is possible in Northeast Florida. Drier air arrives Thursday, and a weekend cold front brings cooler weather. Never drive into flooded roads. (NWS)

Tropical: The National Hurricane Center has raised the odds for a system in the Atlantic. Its 7 p.m. Tuesday outlook says an area of low pressure is expected to form in a day or so along a weakening front a few hundred miles south of Bermuda and could gradually take on subtropical characteristics late this week or this weekend as it drifts east over the open Atlantic, before conditions turn unfavorable early next week. NHC now gives it a low, 20% chance of development in 48 hours and a medium, 40% chance over seven days, up from near 0% and 30% on Monday. 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, on Wednesday (through the morning in Broward and Miami-Dade, the evening in Palm Beach and late Wednesday night from Martin County north), with surf around 4 feet on the Space Coast and 3 to 5 feet in Northeast Florida. It is also high on Panhandle beaches from Pensacola through Walton, Bay and Franklin counties through Wednesday afternoon and evening, and low along the Gulf coast from Levy County to Collier County. (NWS)

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UPDATE: Byron Donalds Elected Florida's First Black Governor

What's new: Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly on Tuesday, according to projections by the Associated Press and NBC News, and will become Florida's first Black governor when he is sworn in next year. Unofficial returns showed Donalds ahead about 50% to 49% with nearly all of the expected vote counted, a lead of more than 100,000 votes out of more than 8 million cast.

Jolly, a former Republican congressman running as a Democrat, conceded Tuesday night. Donalds, who raised about $130 million, succeeds term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis and will be the state's fifth straight Republican governor.

UPDATE: Two Dead in Palm Bay as Floodwaters Recede; Brevard Schools Closed a Third Day

What's new: At least two people have died in Palm Bay, one of the hardest-hit cities, and receding water is now exposing large sinkholes, washed-out roads, damaged homes and neighborhoods cut off from the rest of Brevard County. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins toured the damage Tuesday, and Mayor Rob Medina said the city is releasing emergency money from its own budget to limit the impact on residents.

Brevard Public Schools will stay closed Wednesday, a third straight day, citing flooded campuses, unsafe roads and bus routes, employees who can't safely get to work, and a major Melbourne-area water main break that put nearly 30 schools under a boil-water notice.

UPDATE: NTSB Finds Learjet's Tail Elevator Up to 3.8 Miles From Greenacres Site

What's new: NTSB board member Tom Chapman said Tuesday that most of the Learjet's left elevator, the tail surface that controls pitch, was found in three pieces 1.3 to 3.8 miles from where the jet went down in Greenacres, confirming the plane was coming apart before impact. Without the elevator the pilot could not have pulled out of the nosedive, he said, though investigators don't yet know whether its loss caused the loss of control or was a result of the forces on the plane; weather remains a key focus.

Crews removed a utility pole so investigators could reach the crater and pump out water to recover components Chapman expects to find inside. He said there is no evidence the crash had anything to do with its nearness to Mar-a-Lago, and Tuesday's was the agency's final on-site briefing; future updates will come online.

Regulators Reject Duke Energy's Data-Center Rate Plan as Customers Get a 2027 Bill Cut

The Florida Public Service Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to reject Duke Energy Florida's proposed tariff for large data centers, finding it didn't show compliance with this year's law (SB 484) requiring such large-load customers to pay the full cost of their electric service instead of shifting it to other customers. PSC Chair Gabriella Passidomo Smith said the company can build on its work to produce a tariff that meets the Legislature's requirements, and Duke said it remains focused on making sure data centers pay their full cost of service.

Separately, the PSC approved reductions that will leave a typical residential bill (1,000 kilowatt-hours) about $33 lower in January 2027 than in January 2026, helped by a tax strategy that avoids a base-rate increase that had been scheduled for 2027, with an extra $10 monthly cut from March through November. Commercial and industrial customers will see decreases of 0.9% to 3.8%; Duke serves about 2 million Florida customers.

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❖ Miami-Dade — Bal Harbour Shops Plans a 30-Boutique Expansion: Bal Harbour: Bal Harbour Shops unveiled a three-phase expansion that adds nearly 200,000 square feet of retail, dining and experiential space, with about 30 new boutiques and bigger flagships for Chanel, Tom Ford, Louis Vuitton and Celine. CEO Matthew Whitman Lazenby says openings will roll out through 2028.

❖ Tampa Bay — '80s Club Surge Replaces Siren Downtown: St. Petersburg: Surge, an '80s-themed nightclub with live bands and room for about 500 people, opens Friday at 350 First Ave. N., replacing Siren, which lasted about nine months in the former Ringside Café space. Operators Denise Rizzica and Jeff Curtin are behind the new concept.

❖ Orlando — The Courtesy Turns Into a Christmas Bar: Winter Park: The Courtesy cocktail bar at 1288 N. Orange Ave. closed Nov. 2 after its Halloween takeover and reopens Nov. 10 for its 10th annual Miracle on Orange holiday pop-up, with food from Swine & Sons. Reservations for parties of four or more open Wednesday at noon, while smaller groups can walk in or join a text waitlist.

❖ Jacksonville — Giving Alliance Turns $150K Into $750K: Jacksonville: The Women's Giving Alliance turned a $150,000 challenge gift from philanthropist Dolores Barr Weaver into $750,000 for programs serving women and girls in Northeast Florida. The money, raised for the group's 25th anniversary, will go out as grants in 2027.

❖ Broward — Motek Opens on the Beach Thursday: Fort Lauderdale: Motek By The Sea, a 315-seat, roughly 12,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant at the W Fort Lauderdale, 401 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., opens to diners Thursday, Nov. 5. It's the Miami-born chain's first oceanfront location and takes over the former El Vez space.

❖ Keys — One Owner Now Runs Sea Tow Across the Keys: Key Largo: Steve and Cheryl Powers sold Sea Tow Key Largo, which they bought in 2008 and ran for more than 18 years serving Upper Keys boaters, to captain Chris Ward. Ward already runs Sea Tow Key West, Lower Keys and Islamorada/Marathon, so he now oversees Sea Tow service across the Florida Keys.

❖ Gulf Coast — United Way Suncoast Takes Over South County: Venice: United Way Suncoast, based in Tampa, is taking over the duties of United Way of South Sarasota County, which closed its doors about four months ago. The move adds 15 ZIP codes covering Venice, North Port, Nokomis, Laurel, Osprey and parts of Englewood.

❖ North Florida — Century-Old Summerhouse Building Comes Down: Navarre/Florosa: The long-empty Summerhouse Restaurant building on Highway 98 was demolished Oct. 26 after about 20 years sitting idle near Florosa, leaving the site vacant. The century-old structure had been moved by barge from Fort Walton Beach in 2005 to avoid demolition.

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❖ UPDATE: Moskowitz Holds Redrawn CD 25, Defeating Scott Singer — Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz won re-election in the newly redrawn 25th Congressional District, defeating Republican former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer. Unofficial returns showed him leading about 51% to 46%. The new district runs along the coast from Delray Beach through Broward County to Miami Beach. The win gives Moskowitz a third term.

❖ UPDATE: Ashley Moody Wins Senate Special Election Over Angie Nixon — Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody won Tuesday's special election, defeating Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville. The Associated Press, CBS News and NBC News all projected Moody the winner. Unofficial returns showed her leading about 51% to 48%. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody, a former state attorney general, in January 2025 to fill the seat Marco Rubio left to become secretary of state. Tuesday's win lets her serve the rest of that term, which runs through early 2029. The seat is on the ballot again in 2028.

❖ UPDATE: Amendment 3 Homestead Tax Break Clears 60% Threshold — Amendment 3, which expands the homestead property tax exemption, was approved Tuesday with about 62% yes in unofficial returns. That is above the 60% that Florida constitutional amendments need. The measure raises the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjusts it for inflation. School taxes are not affected. It also lowers the yearly assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5% and limits how local governments can spend property tax money. Gov. Ron DeSantis backed the measure. Some local officials, including rural sheriffs, had warned it could force cuts to services. Amendments 1 and 2 fell short of 60%.

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❖ Tampa Bay Investors Buy 75-Year-Old Clearwater Textile Brand Pellon — PCP Ventures LLC, a Tampa Bay investment group led by Adam Schoenbaum and Ron Ciganek, bought Pellon on Oct. 1 through a bankruptcy process. The 75-year-old brand employs about 95 people at a 220,000-square-foot plant in Clearwater, making interfacings, stabilizers, quilt batting, fiberfill and foams sold at Walmart, Michaels and Hobby Lobby and through distributors serving more than 5,000 stores. The new owners say big capital investments in machinery come first, along with drop-shipping and technology upgrades, and they want to grow in drapery and home décor. The purchase price wasn't disclosed.

❖ Coast Guard Detains the MSC Poesia at PortMiami, and the Cruise Line Cancels an 11-Night Sailing — The U.S. Coast Guard detained the MSC Poesia at PortMiami on Sunday for an "expanded examination" to verify the ship's compliance with international standards and U.S. regulations, and MSC Cruises has canceled the ship's 11-night sailing. The cruise line said a regulatory matter came up before departure that it couldn't resolve in time. Guests will get a full refund of their cruise fare and can stay aboard until Thursday while they arrange travel home. It wasn't immediately clear what regulations may not have been met. The ship holds 3,223 guests and 1,039 crew members, and its itinerary included Jamaica, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize, according to CruiseMapper.

❖ Bradenton's First Watch Opens 16 Restaurants as Quarterly Revenue Climbs to $350 Million — Bradenton-based First Watch opened 16 restaurants in 11 states during the third quarter, bringing it to 681 locations, as revenue rose 10.7% to $349.9 million, according to results released Tuesday. Net income rose to $4.8 million from $3 million a year earlier. Customer traffic at established restaurants fell 1.9%, but comparable restaurant sales rose 1% as diners spent more per visit. The breakfast, brunch and lunch chain raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to about $136 million, the high end of its earlier range, and CEO Chris Tomasso said results came in ahead of expectations. First Watch still plans to add 60 net restaurants in 2026.

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Miami Is No. 1 in the First College Football Playoff Rankings, With Notre Dame Up Next

Unbeaten Miami (8-0) is No. 1 in the College Football Playoff committee's first rankings of the season, released Tuesday night, ahead of Georgia and unbeaten Utah. The committee put Notre Dame (7-1) at No. 11, seven spots below its AP ranking, and chair Hunter Yurachek said the Irish lack a signature win. That puts extra weight on Saturday night, when the Hurricanes play at Notre Dame. Florida (5-3) came in at No. 24. Five more rankings come out on Tuesdays before the bracket is set on Sunday, Dec. 6.

FSU's Top Receiver, Duce Robinson, Will Miss the Rest of the Season

Florida State receiver Duce Robinson, the team's leading pass catcher, will have season-ending knee surgery, a person familiar with the decision told the AP on Tuesday. The 6-foot-6 senior finishes with 24 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns, a year after a 1,000-yard, All-ACC season. The news came two days after FSU fired coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles (3-5) are also without their top two running backs: Ousmane Kromah is out for the season and Samuel Singleton Jr. is out indefinitely. Interim coach Rick Stockstill's first game is Saturday at Boston College.

Carson Hocevar Is Benched by His Own Team for NASCAR's Homestead Finale

Spire Motorsports pulled Carson Hocevar from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway after his driving at Martinsville, where he was accused of brake-checking Austin Cindric on a restart. Hocevar denied doing it on purpose but later called it "an embarrassing day for me" and said he crossed the line. Co-owner Jeff Dickerson said the team didn't want to leave the penalty to NASCAR: "Our integrity matters." Justin Haley will drive the No. 77. Hocevar had already been eliminated from title contention. The championship race is Sunday at 3pm ET on NBC.

Scoreboard

NHL: Red Wings at Lightning — PENDING FINAL

Schedule (all times ET)

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

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

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

Thu Nov 5 — NBA: Magic at Suns, 9pm ET, Arizona's Family 3TV

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

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 — NHL: Panthers at Capitals, 12:30pm ET, Scripps Sports

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

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: Missouri State at FIU, 4pm ET, ESPN+

Sat Nov 7 — MLS: Charlotte FC at Inter Miami, 4pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Nov 7 — MLS: New England at Orlando City, 4pm ET, Apple TV

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: No. 1 Miami at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30pm ET, NBC

Sat Nov 7 — NCAAF: Oklahoma at No. 24 Florida, 7:45pm ET, SEC Network

Sat Nov 7 — NHL: Lightning at Wild, 8pm ET, The Spot

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

Sun Nov 8 — NHL: Panthers at Bruins, 1pm ET, NHL Network

Sun Nov 8 — NASCAR: Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami, 3pm ET, NBC

Sun Nov 8 — NHL: Lightning at Jets, 7pm ET, The Spot

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

More Scores: NFL | NBA | NHL | NCAAF

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Florida's average for regular is $3.86 a gallon, AAA says, up less than a penny from yesterday but about 19 cents below a week ago ($4.05). That's about 29 cents under the national average of $4.15. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at about $4.02; Pensacola is the cheapest at about $3.63.

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❖ Key West Motor Officer Back on Duty Months After Escaping a Big Pine Key House Fire: Key West Police Officer Mike Pettee is back at work, the department's recruiting section said in a Facebook post that ended "Welcome back, Officer Pettee." Pettee and his now-wife, Monroe County Sheriff's Office Deputy Tiffany Rodda, escaped a fire at their Big Pine Key home on May 7; he was badly burned and spent nearly two weeks on a ventilator. The department said each day of their recovery has brought new progress.

❖ A Lunch Run for His Wife Turned a Laid-Off Builder Into a Kissimmee Teacher: German Ortiz lost his construction job in 2008 and started bringing McDonald's lunches, the number-six meal, to his wife at her school, which led him into the classroom himself. About 15 years later, he is in his first year at Cypress Elementary in Kissimmee, teaching fifth-grade math and science.

❖ Marianna Cowgirl Wins Barrel Racing at Bonifay on a Late Mentor's Horse: Wendy Taylor-Monroe of Marianna won barrel racing at the 82nd Northwest Florida Championship Rodeo in Bonifay, which began in 1944 as a Kiwanis Club fundraiser. She won in 17.45 seconds on Mercedes, a horse owned by Kimberly Zaben. Zaben's mother, barrel-racing pioneer Gayle Jones, died Sept. 12 at 82, and she had predicted the horse would "win big." It was Mercedes' first run after her death.

❖ Marion County's "Adrenaline Man," 65, Plans a Free Fall With No Parachute for a New TV Series: Andre Alexsen, a stuntman for more than 40 years whose credits include "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," moved to northeast Marion County about two years ago and volunteers at the American Honor Foundation's warbird museum at Jumbolair Airport in Anthony. His 10-episode series "The Adrenaline Man" includes a planned chute-less jump from 17,000 feet, with another jumper catching him about 3,000 feet up. He has logged about 2,000 parachute jumps, and the trailer is due Dec. 29.

❖ Palm Coast's Citizens Academy Graduates Its 60th Class, With an 88-Year-Old Running the Meeting: The 60th session of the Palm Coast Citizens Academy, which ran seven weeks starting Sept. 21, ended with a mock City Council meeting. Marilyn Millar, 88, took the center seat as mayor. She went through the academy with her daughter, Meryl Hether, who says her mom has been telling everyone she got to be mayor for a day.

❖ Vero Beach Honors the Bagpiper Who Has Played for Veterans for 30 Years: The Vero Beach City Council read a proclamation on Oct. 27 honoring Michael Hyde, a retired Merchant Marine chief engineer who took up the pipes in 1996. Hyde has played at more than 2,000 funerals from Miami to Jacksonville to Tampa, including at the national cemeteries in Bushnell, Cape Canaveral and Lake Worth. Col. Tony Young gave the tribute.

Today’s Quote

"Everybody in eastern Florida came from somewhere, as well as I could make out."

— Bradford Torrey, A Florida Sketch-Book (1894)

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waning crescent, about 21% lit, three days past Sunday's last quarter; the new moon arrives Nov. 9.

Sunrise / Sunset: Orlando: sunrise 6:40 a.m., sunset 5:38 p.m. EST, 10h 58m of daylight. Times are Eastern Standard (Pensacola and the western Panhandle are on Central time); times vary across the state.

Gardening Notes: Carrots thrive in Florida's cool season, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says: plant them August to March in North and Central Florida and September to March in South Florida, in deep, loose soil cleared of rocks and roots about a foot down so the roots don't fork. Sow seeds about a quarter-inch deep, 1 to 3 inches apart in rows 10 inches apart, give them up to 8 hours of sun, and stagger plantings every few weeks for a steady harvest.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's latest report (Oct. 30) finds red tide only in Northwest Florida, at bloom levels in six samples from Bay and Gulf counties, with fish kills and breathing irritation reported in Gulf County; none was seen in Southwest Florida or on the East Coast. Next update: Friday, Nov. 6.

Florida by the Numbers

517: manatee deaths FWC has documented in Florida from Jan. 1 through Oct. 30, down from 578 over the same stretch of 2025 and well below the five-year average of 654. Boat strikes, though, account for 96 of them, the most for that period of any year in FWC's six-year comparison (five-year average: 82).