The morning edition

DeSantis calls Amend 1 foolish. Dems press Alcatraz. MIA cargo jet moved.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Good Morning! On September 16, 1923, a large crowd filled the auditorium of the new Monroe County High School at 1300 White Street in Key West for its dedication. Dr. William R. Warren was the main speaker; Superintendent of Public Instruction Virgil S. Lowe and contractor B.A. Johnson also addressed the gathering. The neoclassical building later served as a junior high and Glynn Archer Elementary before becoming today’s Key West City Hall — still a familiar landmark on White Street. (Keys Libraries)

In This Issue: DeSantis calls Amendment 1 foolish, Florida Democrats demand Alcatraz accountability, and feds move the fatal MIA cargo jet.

Weather: Hot Wednesday under a northeast breeze. Panhandle and Big Bend stay mostly clear and dry (Tallahassee sunny ~92; Pensacola mostly sunny ~92). Northeast and north-central mostly sunny with only slight shower chances (Jacksonville–Gainesville–Orlando–Tampa). Afternoon storm chances climb for southwest and Southeast Florida — Fort Myers scattered storms (~50%), Miami chance (~40%), West Palm Beach and Keys storms likely (~60%). Heat index near 99–108 in spots along the SE and SW coasts.

Tropical: No Florida tropical watches or warnings (National Hurricane Center). Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook (800 PM EDT Tue Sep 15): a trough of low pressure about 700 miles east-southeast of Bermuda continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Formation chance near 0% in 48 hours and low (30%) in 7 days; not a Florida land threat. No Atlantic tropical cyclones at this time.

Rip Current Report: High rip-current risk Wednesday for Northeast Florida Atlantic (Nassau–Duval–Flagler–St. Johns; NWS JAX SRF/CFW through late Thu night), East-Central Atlantic including Volusia–Brevard–Treasure Coast (NWS MLB SRF – High Wed), Palm Beach Atlantic (NWS MFL SRF High), eastern Panhandle Gulf including Coastal Bay / Panama City and Coastal Franklin / Apalachicola (NWS TAE SRF/CFW High), and Pensacola–Destin / Escambia–Santa Rosa–Okaloosa coastal (NWS MOB CFW High Wed–Thu). Moderate for Miami-Dade Atlantic (NWS MFL) and some south-facing Big Bend Gulf beaches (NWS TAE). Low for west-central / SW Gulf including Nature Coast through Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Fort Myers Beach, and Naples (NWS TBW / MFL Collier). Swim near a lifeguard; heed beach flags.

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DeSantis Calls GOP Rainy-Day Amendment 1 ’Foolish’

Gov. Ron DeSantis broke with the Republican Party of Florida after the party endorsed Amendment 1 and Amendment 3 for the Nov. 3 ballot, posting that Amendment 1 — which would raise the budget stabilization fund cap from 10% to 25% of prior-year general revenue and direct annual deposits of up to $750 million until that level is reached — is a “foolish constitutional amendment proposal” and recommending a NO vote (ClickOrlando).

DeSantis said the rainy-day fund is already maxed out amid the largest surpluses in state history and that extra revenue should go to lower taxes — including grants so homestead properties can be exempt from local property tax — and later to removing tolls; legislative leaders had passed the measure (HJR 5019) in 2025 100–1 in the House and 29–4 in the Senate, and it still needs 60% voter approval (WGCU / NSF).

Florida Democrats Demand Accountability After Alcatraz OIG Report

All seven Democratic members of Florida’s U.S. House delegation, led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, sent a joint letter Tuesday demanding transparency and legal accountability after a DHS Inspector General report documented conditions at the now-closed Everglades “Alligator Alcatraz” detention camp, including 79 detainees held in outdoor metal enclosures of roughly 16–18 square feet for up to about two hours (WLRN).

The letter went to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and FDEM Executive Director Jared Perdue; DeSantis on Monday in Miami defended state officials as aiming to meet or exceed federal standards, while OIG investigators said staff called the cages “calming areas” and warned of heat and insect exposure risks (WLRN).

Feds Move Fatal MIA Cargo Jet From Crash Site to Nearby Lot

Investigators on Tuesday used specialized heavy equipment to push and pull more than 412,000 pounds of the Boeing 767-300 that overran as Prime Air Flight 7598 on Sep. 6 at Miami International Airport — moving the jet from the Northwest 67th Avenue crash site to a nearby lot while the NTSB investigation continues (Local10).

The overrun killed five Professional Ocean Service Corp. workers in a van and injured others, including the pilot and co-pilot (Joseph Carroll, 55, and Jaime Silva, 37), who were released, while Roosevelt Perdomo, Ridoel Averhoff, and Eugenio Corredor remained at Jackson Memorial Tuesday night (WSVN).

Pinellas Sting Arrests 15 in Operation Cyber Shield

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said detectives arrested 15 men over several days in undercover “Operation Cyber Shield,” with 25 charges among them including traveling to meet a minor and solicitation of a minor; named cases included suspects who allegedly arranged meetings involving children as young as 4 and 7 (FOX 13).

Gualtieri said Pinellas deputies made 200 child-pornography arrests in the past year totaling about 1,400 counts and warned transmission and viewing of child sexual abuse material has skyrocketed; specific platforms used in the sting were not named at the press conference (FOX 13).

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❖ Miami-Dade: Miami Worldcenter’s free Night Market launches Friday Sep 18, 5–9 p.m., at The Paseo (850 NE 2nd Ave.) — weekly open-air market with local makers, food vendors, shopping, and live music in downtown Miami; rain-or-shine intent (Soul of Miami / Miami Worldcenter).

❖ Tampa Bay: Armature Works Night Market is Wednesday Sep 16, 6–9 p.m., free at Armature Works (1910 N. Ola Ave.) — local vendors, unique finds, bites, and a riverfront evening stroll under the lights (Armature Works).

❖ Orlando: Access for All at the Orlando Museum of Art is Thursday Sep 17, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., free at 2416 N. Mills Ave. — monthly free-admission community day with live performances, educational experiences, sketching materials 5–7 p.m., and a docent highlights tour at 7 p.m. (Orlando Museum of Art).

❖ Jacksonville: Murray Hill Farmer’s Market is Wednesday Sep 16, 5–9 p.m., free at 1183 Edgewood Ave. S. — midweek stop for eggs, microgreens, honey, baked goods, and treats grown or crafted within about 5 miles of the market (Visit Jacksonville / MHFM).

❖ Broward: Viva Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art & Culture opens Thursday Sep 17 with a free artist meet-and-greet reception at 6 p.m. at the New River Inn (231 SW 2nd Ave.) — fifth-anniversary Hispanic Heritage Month fine-art exhibit through Oct 25, featuring Florencia Clement de Grandprey, Isabel Perez Salazar, Lifrancis Rojas, and sculptor Norman Silva; free preview RSVP (History Fort Lauderdale).

❖ Palm Beach: CityPlace Community Block Party is Thursday Sep 17, 4–8 p.m., along Rosemary Avenue — live music from Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts students, food and retail pop-ups, face painting, and a walkable neighborhood evening; parking validations for listed garages (CBS 12 / Related Ross).

❖ Gulf Coast: Vintage Market Days of South Gulf Coast Florida runs Friday–Sunday Sep 18–20 at Lee Civic Center (11831 Bayshore Rd.) — vintage, handmade, décor, antiques, and food; Fri early-buy 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 10–4, Sun 10–3; kids under 12 free admission (Vintage Market Days).

❖ North Florida: Table Talks at the Trust is Wednesday Sep 16, noon–1 p.m., free at Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center (117 E. Government St.) — Dr. Chris Levesque on Crafting a Reprint: Pensacola in Pictures and Prints Anniversary Edition; bring lunch (Historic Pensacola / UWF Historic Trust).

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❖ Lake Mary: Florida Sheriffs Association President Billy Woods (Marion), Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, and Florida Professional Firefighters President Wayne Bernoska told a packed Lake Mary press conference Tuesday to vote NO on Amendment 3, warning the homestead exemption hike to $150,000 (2027) and $250,000 (2028) for non-school property taxes could gut local public-safety budgets — Woods estimated Marion could lose about $54 million (~20% of his office’s budget) and said rural counties like Gadsden have fewer options to backfill, while Judd called the measure a “trainwreck” that locks incomplete tax relief into the constitution without a replacement-revenue plan (CF Public).

❖ Statewide: More than a dozen Florida laws still wait to take effect Oct. 1, including raising the damage threshold for reporting a crash to law enforcement from $500 to $2,000 (SB 488), creating a third-degree felony for fraudulent entry of a residential dwelling via false rental applications or forged documents (HB 1293), new xylazine trafficking penalties, tougher gang-member criteria, animal-cruelty-in-presence-of-a-minor felony language, and five new specialty license plates (ClickOrlando).

❖ Pasco: Gov. DeSantis announced Tuesday at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Training Facility near Land O’ Lakes that Florida is awarding $5,000 after-tax recruitment bonuses to 1,500 new law-enforcement officers (38 Pasco recruits highlighted); the program since 2022 has paid more than $83 million to nearly 12,500 officers, and Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said interest in joining the profession is shrinking (FOX 13).

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❖ Port St. Lucie: Amazon will separate roughly 494 workers at its Port St. Lucie PBI3 fulfillment center (7600 LTC Pkwy) with operations shutting down effective Thursday Sep 17 under a WARN notice filed July 15, even as the company frames a $200 million renovation to reopen a sortable fulfillment center around mid-to-late 2028 employing about 1,000, with transfer offers across ~30 South Florida sites and rehire eligibility on reopen; St. Lucie EDC said weekly job fairs already placed many workers before the WARN count hit 494 (CBS 12).

❖ East Tampa: EastGroup Properties paid about $12 million for 30 acres in East Tampa, enough to grow Crossroads Logistics Park from three buildings totaling roughly 500,000 square feet to five buildings totaling about 850,000 square feet — a ~70% jump (~$400,000/acre for Phase II land) — as the REIT’s ~66.8 million-sq-ft portfolio sat 97.1% leased and 96.1% occupied as of Aug. 31 (Tampa Bay Business & Wealth).

❖ Statewide: Seasonally adjusted Florida manufacturing employment reached 430,400 in July 2026, up 4,200 jobs (+1.0%) year over year, with average annual manufacturing wages about $86,439 (18% above the all-industry average $72,732); Miami-Dade leads with roughly 45,600 manufacturing jobs, followed by Orange (~36,800) and Brevard (~35,000), Florida Realtors’ economics desk reported in its September housing-demand note (Florida Realtors).

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Caminero Walks Off Athletics as Rays Win 2–1

Junior Caminero led off the bottom of the ninth and hit his 41st home run of the season — a walk-off opposite-field shot off a 100.2 mph Elvis Alvarado fastball after falling behind 0–2 — lifting the Tampa Bay Rays past the Athletics 2–1 Tuesday at Tropicana Field; Tampa Bay improved to 91–59 with a four-game AL East cushion, and it was Caminero’s second walk-off homer in his last four games (ClutchPoints).

Marlins Place Closer Fairbanks on IL; Season Likely Over

Miami placed RHP Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with recurring right median nerve irritation — his third IL stint for the issue this year — after he exited Monday’s save chance vs. Arizona after six pitches; with 13 days left in the regular season, a minimum stint ends his year; he finishes 19 of 23 saves with a 6.31 ERA in 41.1 IP, and Calvin Faucher and Michael Petersen are closer candidates (CBS Sports).

Dolphins Rookie Safety Kyle Louis Out With MCL Sprain

NFL Network reported Tuesday that Miami Dolphins rookie safety Kyle Louis sustained an MCL sprain in Sunday’s 27–13 loss at Las Vegas and is expected to miss a few weeks; coach Jeff Hafley said Monday night Louis will miss at least Week 2 at San Francisco; Louis, a fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, played three defensive snaps and 14 on special teams in his debut (WXSM / NFL Network).

Bucs List Parrish Day-to-Day; Tez Johnson Tops Punt Return

Tampa Bay listed CB Jacob Parrish day-to-day with a back sprain after MRI and X-ray came back negative, and the Week 2 depth chart put rookie Tez Johnson first on punt return ahead of Wednesday’s practice report; statuses for McMillan, Tucker, and Skule were still pending as the Bucs prepare for the Browns (Buccaneers.com).

Scoreboard

MLB: Rays 2, Athletics 1 — FINAL Tue Sep 15 (Caminero walk-off HR) — Tropicana Field (ClutchPoints)

Schedule

Rays continue Athletics series at Tropicana Field (remaining midweek dates per MLB slate).

Marlins remain in Arizona vs. Diamondbacks (per MLB slate).

Buccaneers host Browns, Sunday Sep 20, 1 p.m. ET, Raymond James Stadium (Week 2) (Buccaneers.com).

Jaguars at Broncos, Sunday Sep 20, 4:05 p.m. ET (Week 2).

Dolphins at 49ers, Sunday Sep 20, 4:25 p.m. ET, Levi’s Stadium (Week 2) (Miami Dolphins).

Florida at Auburn, Saturday (SEC opener).

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Florida regular averaged $4.1220 a gallon Tuesday (AAA current as of filing) — down about 1.7 cents from Monday ($4.1393) and up about 23 cents from a week ago ($3.8958), and still about 21 cents under the national $4.3289. West Palm Beach–Boca Raton is the most expensive named metro at $4.2777; Panama City is cheapest at $3.9424 (Crestview–Fort Walton Beach $3.9565; Pensacola $3.9571). (AAA)

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❖ Volusia / Daytona Beach: Dempsey Manhart, 16, a Matanzas High junior and first-summer Volusia County ocean lifeguard, ran a 10-6 rescue July 30 near the Silver Beach Avenue ramp when a man carried an unconscious 5-year-old boy from the surf; with lunch-relief lifeguard Mackenzie Malone, 19, he administered CPR and revived the boy around the third or fourth round — the child has made a full recovery; Flagler Schools recognized Manhart Aug. 25, and Volusia County Council sets Dempsey Manhart and Mackenzie Malone Day for Sep. 22 (Palm Coast / Ormond Beach Observer).

❖ Palmetto: Palmetto nonprofit Dogs Inc. — free guide dogs for people with vision loss and service dogs for veterans — needs volunteer puppy raisers for 3-, 6-, or 12-month commitments (solo, co-raiser, or team); raisers get a starter kit, approved vet care, preventatives, and classes; info session Friday Sep 18, 2–3:30 p.m., at 4210 77th Street East, with puppy Oatmeal on air (WWSB / MySuncoast).

❖ Naples: A stray filmed sprinting across the Naples Airport tarmac — staff on golf carts in pursuit — was captured, transferred to Collier County Domestic Animal Services, and adopted by Yvonne and Cameron Worrel, who named him Jet after spotting the viral clip; video shooter Colton Murray covered the adoption fee, and Jet now has a Naples Airport T-shirt (WBBH / Gulf Coast News Now).

❖ Freeport / Panama City Beach: After thousands of beagles were rescued in May from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, 20 seniors landed at Alaqua Animal Refuge in Freeport — Alaqua’s final senior was recently adopted; separately, Panama City Beach’s Swanson family adopted 6-month-old Kiara from Big Dog Ranch Rescue, teaching her to drink from a bowl and crunch kibble after a life without grass, toys, or water bowls (WJHG).

❖ Bartow / Polk: Retired Polk County K9 Ace was honored at Bartow City Hall after an August line-of-duty shooting cost him his left front leg while shielding three deputies; handler Deputy Natalie Oestreich said Ace thrives on treats and steak at home and still wants to jump in the car in uniform, while a vendor-donated new K9 will return with her to patrol (FOX 13).

❖ Coral Springs: During Coral Springs’ Sept. 11 memorial, firefighters rescued a tiny kitten stuck on a platform truck; Coral Springs Charter School’s Carolyn McGuire adopted her, named her Hero, and reported after a Sunday vet visit that she is healthy, thriving, and settling in (Coral Springs News).

Today’s Quote

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Florida Almanac

Moon: Waxing Crescent; about 30% illuminated (Almanac / Orlando; ~29.6% for Wed Sep 16). Next First Quarter: Fri Sep 18; next Full Moon (Harvest Moon): Sat Sep 26.

Sunrise / sunset (Wednesday Sep 16; Orlando, EDT — times vary across the state; most of Florida is Eastern; Pensacola is Central): 7:11 a.m. / 7:29 p.m. (timeanddate).

Gardening: Mid-September remains a strong window for cool-season starts (broccoli, kale, carrots, lettuce, collards, cabbage) by region. Central and South Florida can prep strawberry beds for late-September set dates; North Florida strawberries usually wait until October. Warm herbs (basil, mint, rosemary) still go in. Check local fertilizer blackouts through September. (UF/IFAS Vegetable Gardening Guide / regional calendars)

Coastal note: FWC written statewide red-tide status dated September 11, 2026 (next written report due Fri Sep 18). Sep 11 update: Karenia brevis was not observed in samples collected statewide over the past week; no red-tide–related fish kills or respiratory irritation reported. Prior Northeast Florida bloom samples were Karenia papilionacea (not K. brevis). Pair beach plans with the rip-current map in the weather strip. (FWC red tide)

Florida by the Numbers

Florida has 33 recognized first-magnitude springs — those discharging an average of 100 cubic feet of water per second or more — scattered across the northern peninsula and eastern Panhandle, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s 2026 Florida Forever Plan project profile for Florida’s First Magnitude Springs. Each day those 33 springs send out much more water than is used for drinking water by all the people in the state. (FDEP)