The morning edition

Panhandle lights are nearly all back after Isaias, and a SpaceX launch painted a jellyfish over Florida

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Good Morning! On Oct. 14, 1902, a group of 53 residents formed the Town of Sarasota. Between 1902 and 1908, the town had two marshals, T.F. Blair and D.S. McCrae. The marshal got $1 per arrest and $3 for taking care of the streetlights, even though at the time the town had none.

In This Issue: Panhandle lights nearly all back after Isaias, a SpaceX launch that painted a "space jellyfish" over Florida, Medicaid changes reaching 177,000 Florida immigrants and why SeaWorld's Mako sat idle. Plus: Orlando airport's first new tram, a new Stetson poll, a Clearwater cybersecurity startup's $5.6 million, the Hurricanes' playoff odds and an Ocala family reunited with their horse after 16 years.

Weather: Sunshine covers most of Florida Wednesday after morning fog around Jacksonville and Gainesville, with a chance of storms only in Miami and the Keys. Highs run from 85° to 89°. (NWS)

Tropical: The Atlantic is quiet: NHC says "Tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the next 7 days." Florida's Isaias state of emergency covers 30 counties (Executive Order 26-212). (National Hurricane Center)

Rip Current Report: No beaches carry a high rip current risk Wednesday; the risk is moderate on the Atlantic from Nassau through St. Johns, from Volusia through Martin and from Palm Beach through Miami-Dade. It is low along the Panhandle from Escambia through Franklin, in Collier and on the Gulf coast from Levy through Lee. (NWS)

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Isaias Toll Rises to Six as Florida Outages Fall to About 41,000 and Mail Returns

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that Florida's Hurricane Isaias death toll has reached six, up from two. He said one person died in a car accident at an intersection where the traffic light was out and two died from "health care interruptions"; no details were given on the others. About 41,000 customers were still without power at 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to poweroutage.com.

FPL said restoration was essentially complete in six of eight affected counties and that it had restored more than 85% of affected customers, more than 380,000 outages, as of 10 p.m. Monday, with Escambia and Santa Rosa on track to be essentially finished by the end of Tuesday, per CEO Scott Bores. USPS says mail is again being delivered in almost all of the 324 and 325 ZIP areas, though retail service remains unavailable in some places.

SpaceX Resupply Launch Lifts Off on Time, Leaving a "Space Jellyfish" Over Florida

SpaceX's 6:33 a.m. Tuesday launch from the Space Coast sent a resupply mission toward the International Space Station and created a glowing "space jellyfish" in the sky, seen across Central Florida and as far away as Roanoke, Va.

About 177,000 Florida Immigrants Face Loss of Medicaid as Federal Coverage Changes Hit

Refugees, asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking and domestic violence lost access to federal Medicaid and CHIP on Oct. 1 under last year's federal Medicaid changes, and KFF Health News estimates nearly 177,000 immigrants in Florida are at risk of losing coverage, WLRN reports. Green-card holders are not affected.

An International Rescue Committee official told WLRN the Florida groups most affected include refugees from Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, and urged people to check the state's Medicaid eligibility site or seek help clarifying eligibility.

SeaWorld Orlando's Mako Coaster Sits Idle After Six Flags Pulls Similar Rides

SeaWorld Orlando temporarily closed its Mako coaster "out of an abundance of caution," a spokesperson told FOX 35, after a fatal incident on a similar Bolliger & Mabillard coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Mako opened in 2016 and reaches 73 mph and 200 feet.

ClickOrlando reported Mako was not operating Tuesday but that it was unclear whether that was related, and that SeaWorld had not indicated it would follow Six Flags, which shut nine similar coasters at six parks.

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❖ Miami-Dade — UM Doctoral Student Builds AI Tool to Spot Abnormal DNA Folding: Coral Gables: University of Miami computer-science doctoral student Bishal Shrestha and his mentor, Zheng Wang, built a deep-learning tool that spots abnormal changes in DNA's 3D folding inside cells. Shrestha started out building a robot vacuum for a ninth-grade science project in Kathmandu, and the tool could point researchers to new clues about disease.

❖ Tampa Bay — Moffitt to Open 250,000-Square-Foot Research Wing in Pasco: Land O' Lakes: Moffitt Cancer Center is set to open its Discovery and Innovation Center, a 250,000-square-foot research wing on the 775-acre Speros campus in Pasco County. It will hold 20 faculty labs, 12 shared resource facilities and about 250 researchers.

❖ Orlando — Orlando Airport Puts First New Gate Link Tram Into Service: Orlando: Orlando International Airport put the first of four new Gate Link trams into service between Terminals A and B and Gates 100-129. Each new tram carries up to 240 passengers on a ride of about 90 seconds, part of a $253 million replacement project.

❖ Jacksonville — Mayo Clinic Florida Marks 40 Years: Jacksonville: Mayo Clinic in Florida marked 40 years since opening on Oct. 13, 1986, with 35 physicians and 145 support staff. Today it has nearly 12,000 staff across 50 specialty areas and ranks No. 1 in Florida on U.S. News & World Report's 2026-27 list.

❖ Broward — Bob Swindell to Retire as Head of Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance: Fort Lauderdale: Bob Swindell, 65, will retire in 2027 as president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, which he has led since 2009. During his tenure the agency oversaw the creation of more than 62,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in private investment in Broward.

❖ Palm Beach — FAU Harbor Branch Study Finds Corals Handle Ocean Heat Differently: Boca Raton: A Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch study in Scientific Reports, done with the University of Hawaiʻi, found that two common reef-building corals handle ocean heat differently. Finger coral from cooler, exposed water showed significantly greater heat tolerance, a clue to which reefs may survive warming.

❖ Gulf Coast — $123 Million Cortez Bridge Replacement Starts in November: Bradenton Beach: Work on the $123 million Cortez Bridge replacement begins in November. The fixed span will have 65 feet of clearance and replace a drawbridge built in 1956.

❖ North Florida — United Cajun Navy Volunteers Help Milton Families After Isaias: Milton: Thousands of United Cajun Navy volunteers set up at a church in Milton to help Hurricane Isaias-hit families clear debris and get supplies. "Chainsaws roaring, trucks, you know, everybody's trying to cut their way out of their homes right now," said incident commander Josh Gill.

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❖ Stetson Poll Has Donalds and Moody Each Up 52% to 41%, With None of the Three Amendments at 60% — A new Stetson University survey, conducted Oct. 1-9, has Republican Byron Donalds leading Democrat David Jolly 52% to 41% among modeled likely voters in the governor's race, with 5% undecided, Florida Politics reports. Stetson found Donalds with 27% of Black voters and Jolly with 57%, while Jolly leads 52% to 27% among voters outside the major parties. The online panel reached 826 adults. Stetson says its 4.2-point precision estimate isn't a conventional margin of error.

❖ Jolly Tells FAMU Students He'd Use Executive Action to Shield Diversity Programs and 'Make Them Sue Us' — At a town hall at Florida A&M on Monday, Democrat David Jolly said that as governor he would issue guidance giving state agencies a "safe harbor" to fund diversity programs that have a socioeconomic justification, despite this year's law restricting them, Florida Politics reports. "We won't violate the Constitution, but we might test the limits," he said, inviting a lawsuit. Jolly also said he would consider a ballot question on an independent redistricting commission.

❖ 'Goat to Vote' and 'Polls to Pilates': St. Petersburg College Students Court Young Voters — With the general election three weeks away, St. Petersburg College's student-led, nonpartisan Project Citizen Fellows is using events such as "goat to vote" and a "polls to pilates" class to get young people to check their registration and vote, Spectrum Bay News 9 reports. "It's all about getting information, nonpartisan information out to students on how to vote, not ever who to vote for," student Sabrina Wasilewski said.

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❖ Clearwater Cybersecurity Startup Guardare Raises $5.6 Million Ahead of Series A — Clearwater cybersecurity startup Guardare has raised another $5.6 million to expand sales and hiring at the 25-employee company before a larger Series A round, TBBW reports. An Oct. 7 SEC filing shows $10.7 million in total equity sold to 10 investors. Utah's Album led the round, joined by Tampa Bay Ventures, DeepWork Capital and the Florida Opportunity Fund. CEO Lars Letonoff is a former KnowBe4 co-president.

❖ Marion County Eviction Filings Jump 18% to 839 in First Half of 2026; Foreclosures Highest Since 2019 — Landlords in Marion County filed 839 eviction cases from January through June, up 18% from a year earlier and the most for that period since at least 2019, according to UF Shimberg Center court data compiled by the Ocala Gazette. Foreclosure filings, which jumped 39% to 843 in 2025, are up another 11% this year.

❖ Oprah-Backed True Food Kitchen Closes Its Only Miami Restaurant in $42 Million Bankruptcy — True Food Kitchen, the Oprah Winfrey-backed health-conscious chain, has permanently closed its only Miami location, at The Falls, among 12 restaurants shut nationwide after a Chapter 11 filing with about $42 million in debt, Miami New Times reports. Its Boca Raton and West Palm Beach restaurants remain open while the company pursues a court-supervised sale.

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Peralta, Hicks Lift Rays Past Guardians 3-1 to Even ALCS

Freddy Peralta threw six innings of four-hit ball, Liam Hicks lined a two-run single after a José Ramírez fielding error, and the Rays beat Cleveland 3-1 Tuesday night to even the American League Championship Series at 1-1. Ramírez's fourth-inning misplay led to three unearned runs against rookie lefty Parker Messick. Chase DeLauter’s RBI double cut it to 3-1 in the seventh, and Bryan Baker finished a perfect ninth for his fourth postseason save. Game 3 is Thursday night in Cleveland.

Jaguars Lose Left Tackle Anton Harrison for at Least Four Games

Jaguars left tackle Anton Harrison will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee when the team returns from London and will miss at least four games. Jacksonville (4-1) placed Harrison on injured reserve Tuesday, ruling him out for Sunday's game against Houston at Wembley Stadium. Backup Walker Little is expected to replace him. Harrison twisted his knee early in the third quarter of Sunday's win over Philadelphia. "It was a weird play," coach Liam Coen said.

Hurricanes Hold Nation's Second-Best Playoff Odds Heading Into FSU Week

Miami has the second-best chance in the country to reach the College Football Playoff at 94.7%, behind only Georgia's 95.7%, according to ESPN Analytics. The Hurricanes lead the nation in both scoring offense (49.6 points per game) and scoring defense (9.8), behind quarterback Darian Mensah. Miami comes off a bye week to host Florida State on Saturday, but its place in the pecking order will likely be settled Nov. 7 at Notre Dame.

Scoreboard

Tue Oct 13 — Rays 3, Guardians 1 FINAL (ALCS Game 2; series tied 1-1)

Tue Oct 13 — Panthers 7, Blue Jackets 3 FINAL

Tue Oct 13 — Rangers 4, Lightning 1 FINAL

Schedule (all times ET)

Wed Oct 14: NYCFC at Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Wed Oct 14: Orlando City at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Thu Oct 15: Rays at Guardians, ALCS Game 3, 6 p.m., TBS/truTV

Thu Oct 15: Kraken at Lightning, 7 p.m., The Spot

Thu Oct 15: Canucks at Panthers, 7 p.m., Scripps Sports

Fri Oct 16: Rays at Guardians, ALCS Game 4, 6 p.m., TBS/truTV

Sat Oct 17: Canucks at Lightning, 4 p.m., The Spot

Sat Oct 17: Kraken at Panthers, 6 p.m., Scripps Sports

Sat Oct 17: Inter Miami at Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sat Oct 17: D.C. United at Orlando City, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV

Sun Oct 18: Texans at Jaguars (London), 9:30 a.m., NFL Network

Sun Oct 18: Steelers at Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS

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

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Florida regular averaged about $4.12 a gallon Tuesday (AAA, as of 10/13/26), up about 4.7 cents from Monday (about $4.07) and down about 3.2 cents from a week ago (about $4.15). That is about 22.6 cents under the national average of $4.34. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive metro at $4.29, and Pensacola is the cheapest at $3.98.

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❖ Ocala Family Reunited With Long-Lost Horse After 16-Year Search: Louisa Barton and her daughter, Megan Asencio, had to part with their quarter horse, Vision, 16 years ago because of financial struggles, and they had been searching for him ever since. They found him when Reddick Collier Elementary School shared information about a 25-year-old quarter horse named Vision that it had found for its equine education program. Asencio had carried a lock of Vision's hair for 16 years, and now he will help students learn about horses and their care.

❖ Orlando's Oldest Living Retired Firefighter, 96, Gets an Emotional Send-Off: Retired Lt. Jim Turrisi joined the Orlando Fire Department in 1954 and served nearly 23 years, then volunteered giving tours at the Orlando Fire Museum, housed in the Firehouse 3 where he once served. The department and the Friends of the Fire Museum held a farewell party for the 96-year-old before his move to Tennessee. "When you live 24 hours with somebody … you get to know them like family," he said.

❖ Pensacola Emo Band ihatesundays Is Breaking Out of Its Shell: The members of ihatesundays almost talked themselves out of a band: one was too shy to say the band name out loud, one was nervous to play live, and one admits he's bad at making friends. They formed in April 2025, and frontman Will Hannah just tested his new people skills on a weekend tour to Tallahassee and Orlando. "We're not as serious as our music is," Hannah said.

❖ West Palm Beach Church Serves Free Hot Breakfast Before School: Trinity United Methodist Church serves a free hot breakfast every Tuesday and Friday from 6 to 8 a.m. during the school year, for students, families and people experiencing homelessness. The ministry started in 2016 and switched to grab-and-go during the pandemic. One student's menu that morning: "Eggs, sausage, and grits."

❖ "GTA VI" Murals Come to Wynwood, With Free Entry for Miami-Dade Residents: Rockstar Games has partnered with Wynwood Walls to offer Miami-Dade residents free admission through 2028 with a photo ID showing a county address. Wynwood inspired "Stockyard," an area in the game's fictional Vice City, and 10 new murals of art commissioned for "GTA VI," including work by Miami artists Atomik and Tatiana Suarez, are now on display in and around the Walls.

❖ Coast Guard Crew Frees Entangled Loggerhead Off Sarasota Coast: A Coast Guard Station Cortez crew freed an entangled loggerhead sea turtle Sunday about a mile offshore between Venice Inlet and Big Sarasota Pass. Reserve and active-duty crew members brought the turtle alongside their boat, removed the line and released it, and the turtle swam away under its own power.

Today’s Quote

"I would always rather be happy than dignified"

— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing crescent Wednesday, Oct. 14 (about 16% illuminated). First quarter is Sunday, Oct. 18, and full moon is Monday, Oct. 26 (USNO).

Sunrise / Sunset: In Orlando on Wednesday, sunrise is at 7:26 a.m. and sunset at 6:57 p.m. EDT, for about 11 hours, 31 minutes of daylight. Times vary across the state, and Pensacola is on Central time.

Gardening Notes: Datil peppers have been grown around St. Augustine since the 1700s, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says, and they pack 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville units, in the same range as habaneros and Scotch bonnets. The plants grow 1½ to 5½ feet tall, and the peppers turn from green to orange when mature.

Coastal / Red Tide: FWC's latest update (Oct. 9) found background to very low red tide levels along the Gulf Coast and none on the East Coast.

Florida by the Numbers

Stone crab season opens Thursday, Oct. 15, and runs through May 1. Recreational harvesters may keep only claws at least 2 7/8 inches long, up to 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less, according to FWC.