Pittman Is State’s 12th Execution 

Florida carried out its 12th execution of 2025 on Wednesday, when 63-year-old David Pittman was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison 35 years after his arrest.

Pittman was convicted of murdering his ex-wife’s family in Polk County in 1991. The murders included her parents, Clarence and Barbara Knowles, and her sister, Bonnie.

Pittman’s defense mounted two recent appeals regarding his intellectual ability, one to the Florida Supreme Court and the other to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both were denied.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed 14 execution orders in 2025. Victor Tony Jones is set to die on Sept. 30. Samuel Smithers of Hillsborough County, known as the “Deacon of Death,” is scheduled to be executed on Oct. 14.

State Leaders Respond to Assassination

Following the assassination of Christian conservative activist Charlie Kirk, several Florida leaders are seeking ways to honor his memory, while others contend with issues of free speech and personal safety.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis want to establish a National Day of Remembrance on Oct. 14, which would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wants a statue of Kirk added to the U.S. Capitol.

Voicing concerns he and his family have about safety, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds said “massive security apparatuses” have to be put in place so leaders can continue to “exercise their free speech in the United States. We need to change. It’s wrong. We cannot continue like this.”

Reactions to Kirk’s death and opinions about his political views have sparked a freedom of speech debate, with the firing of employees across Florida for social media comments. The  Palmetto Bay Village Council voted to remove Councilman Steve Cody over a social media post about Kirk’s death.

Florida Leads Nation in Workforce Attraction

Florida has been named the top state for attracting and developing a skilled workforce for the third consecutive year, with seven metros listed in the top 10, according to the annual Lightcast Talent Attraction Scorecard.

Metrics contributing to the rankings include job growth, education, regional competitiveness, and migration data. See the scorecard here.

Florida ranked first for job growth and competitive effect, second for skilled job growth, and third for high-earning job growth.

Among large metros nationally, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach ranked No. 3. Wildwood-The Villages ranked first nationally among mid-sized metros, with the Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor ranked ninth in that category.

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➤ Palm Beach County: Commissioners rejected a plan to lower the proposed county tax rate by 6%, voting 5-2 to keep the rate at its current level of 4.500. (More)

➤ Pinellas County: More schools are set to close amid shrinking enrollment. At Tuesday’s school board workshop, Superintendent Kevin Hendrick said his team will conduct town hall sessions before settling on specific recommendations. (More)

➤ Hillsborough County: Public schools in the district lost 7,000 students this year. Homeschooling in the state has jumped 46% in five years. (More)

➤ Delray Beach: City commissioners could not decide at Tuesday’s meeting how best to honor the LGBTQ+ community after the city’s pride crosswalk was removed. (See Video)

➤ Escambia County: On Tuesday, commissioners voted unanimously to drop a proposal to rename a street in Pensacola for Charlie Kirk after dozens of residents voiced opposition. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey wants to rename a street in Eau Gallie to Charlie Kirk Lane. (See Details)

➤ And the Wakulla Public School System has proclaimed Oct. 14 to be Charlie Kirk Day of Peaceful Civic Discourse, sparking debate. (More)

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➤ Florida football’s associate head coach Jabbar Juluke was given a three-game suspension by the SEC for his role in a pregame scuffle with LSU on Saturday. “Coaches are expected to be leaders and de-escalate tense situations,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey remarked. “And that did not happen in this circumstance.” (More)

➤ Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi scored his 20th goal of the season on a sliding shot following a cross from Jordi Alba. (See Highlight)

➤ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said that the Tampa Bay Rays will begin officially looking for a new ballpark site once the team’s sale is official. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA

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➤ Engine trouble forced a Northrop Grumman supply ship to delay reaching the International Space Station. SpaceX launched the capsule on Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (More)

➤ The region’s first landfill-gas-to-renewable-natural-gas facility opened in Vero Beach. The facility converts methane from the Indian River County landfill to fuel and will offset the emissions for 4,000 vehicles annually. (See Photos) 

➤ Costco issued a recall and safety alert for its Kirkland Signature Prosecco for bottles purchased from late April to the end of August, saying the bottles may shatter without warning while unopened. (More)

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➤ Gino, a Western lowland gorilla who was the oldest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, has died at age 44. Gino had been part of the park since its opening day in 1998. (See Photo)

➤ The City of St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance have invited the community to participate in Free Museum Day on Sept. 20, with free admission to several museums. (See List)

➤ Florida’s top restaurant is Sunny’s Steakhouse in Miami, according to the New York Times’ list of the top 50 restaurants in 2025. (More)

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Do you have a Costco membership?

1. Yes
2. No

Wednesday’s Results:

Have you been to a show in Las Vegas?

1. Yes: 55%
2. No: 45%

In which Florida city is it illegal to roll a barrel down the street?

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