Good Morning! On this day in 1862, the Battle of St. Johns Bluff in Duval County ended. The Union Army won, consolidating control of the St. Johns River away from the Confederacy and facilitating a greater Union presence around Jacksonville.
Mother Nature serves up stunning sunsets in the Sunshine State, especially along the Southwest coast. Here is a list of some of the best spots to take in the show.
A Florida Atlantic University graduate who grew up in unstable housing just gave her mom a sanctuary of her own—the master bedroom of her very first apartment. Amy Hess talks with Ana about how she turned hardship into hope—only on today’s edition of The Feel Good Flyover Podcast.
If you’ve been searching for a safe, proven way to finally break through weight-loss frustration, today’s sponsor is Medvi’s GLP-1 program, which could be the life-changing solution you’ve been waiting for.
Daytona Beach ⚡ 81/75° | Fort Myers 🌦️ 86/72° | Jacksonville 🌧️ 82/72° | Key West 🌤️ 85/79° | Miami 🌦️ 82/75° | Ocala 🌧️ 83/71° | Orlando 🌦️ 82/73° | Pensacola 🌥️ 84/70° | Port St. Lucie ⚡ 81/75° | Tallahassee 🌤️ 85/67° | Tampa 🌤️ 88/72°
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Fired Biologist Files First Amendment Suit
A state government employee filed a First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) leadership after being fired over a social media post about slain conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk.
Brittney Brown, a Bay County resident who worked as a biologist at the state agency for about seven years, was fired Sept. 15 after reposting another account’s post on her personal Instagram story.
In a post on X, the agency said, “Upon learning of the social media post, FWC leadership took swift action, terminating the individual. We expect all our employees to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and always keep the public’s trust in mind.“
The lawsuit follows the filing of suits by several educators who worked at U.S. public schools or universities, claiming that their free speech rights were violated when they were fired for comments about Kirk.
6 Tons of Drugs Offloaded in Fort Lauderdale
The U.S. Coast Guard seized 12,750 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, with a street value of $94.5 million. The six tons of drugs were offloaded at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday by the crew of the Cutter Seneca.
The Seneca was deployed as part of Operation Pacific Viper, an effort that includes several Coast Guard units in an operation to intercept drugs in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Officials said 29 suspected smugglers were taken into federal custody to face prosecution. Since the operation launched in early August, over 80,000 pounds of cocaine have been seized.
“Our crews sacrifice time away from their families, and when necessary, put themselves in harm’s way to secure our borders and protect the American people,” said Captain Lee Jones, commander of the Seneca.
Treasure Hunters Find $1 million in Coins
Queens Jewels salvage company announced this week that it found over 1,000 silver and gold coins valued at about $1 million from the remains of a Spanish fleet that sank over 300 years ago off Florida’s Treasure Coast.
The company owns the exclusive salvage rights to the treasure fleet of 11 galleons that sank during a hurricane on July 31, 1715. Captain Levin Shavers and his crew discovered over 1,000 silver coins, known as Reales, and five gold coins, called Escudos, that had been preserved beneath centuries of sand and sea.
Other rare gold artifacts were among the items found. Historians estimate that as much as $400 million worth of gold, silver, and jewels were aboard the shipwrecks, making the disaster one of the greatest lost maritime treasures in the Americas.
The Treasure Coast is the stretch of Atlantic coastline on the state’s east side, encompassing Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties.
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➤ Statewide: The National Hurricane Center is tracking a new zone for potential tropical development that may form near Southern Florida by Saturday. As of Thursday, the system had a 10% chance of developing over the next 48 hours. (See Map)
➤ Statewide: Public commenting is open until Nov. 4 for a change proposed by the FDA to reduce the minimum required Brix level, or natural sugar content, in pasteurized orange juice. Florida Citrus Mutual has been advocating for the change for over three years. (More)
➤ St. Johns County: Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed three new members to the St. Augustine Airport Authority Board, filling the gaps left by the members who resigned this year amid a Sunshine Law scandal. (More)
➤ Hillsborough County: On Oct. 11, a new Gold Star Family Monument will be dedicated at Veterans Memorial Park in Tampa. The monument was created by Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams. (See Photo)
➤ Merritt Island: Many of NASA’s employees could be furloughed during the government shutdown. Only the most critical operations, including management of the International Space Station, are likely to continue. (More)
➤ Meanwhile, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is operated for NASA by a third party, is not supported by government or taxpayer funding and remains open to the public during the government shutdown. (More)
➤ Wilton Manors: Henny Rojas, a mixed martial arts fighter, faced an intruder in his family’s home. The intruder, identified as 31-year-old Austin Caresani, later faced a judge with visible injuries and claimed he mistakenly entered the Rojas house. (See Video)
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➤ The Miami Heat signed forward Nikola Jovic to a four-year, $62.4 million contract extension on Wednesday. Jovic had a career-best season last year, averaging 10.7 points per game before breaking his hand in February. (More)
➤ Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers agreed on an eight-year, $40 million extension with defenseman Niko Mikkola. The deal will keep him with the team through 2034. (More)
➤Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving is “gathering medical opinions” on the lower-body injury he suffered against the Eagles. (More)
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➤ Still Lounge By Dre and Snoop, a new cocktail bar and dance club, is slated to open Oct. 16 at Live at The Pointe in Orlando. It is the second bar of its kind based on Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s gin brand. (See Photo)
➤ Post Time Lounge and Cafe, an iconic restaurant and entertainment venue in Longwood, will permanently close on Nov. 2. The most recent version of the Seminole County staple opened in the 1980s. (See Video)
➤ Disney faces a lawsuit seeking class action status over its YouTube videos not being properly labeled as “made for kids.” Disney reached a $10 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in September over allegations that the company illegally collected minors’ personal data. (More)
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➤ Amazon Prime Air is bringing delivery drones to Tampa Bay by the end of the year, giving customers the option of receiving their order within one hour. The drones will operate from Amazon’s fulfillment center in Ruskin, the first in Florida. (More)
➤ Venomous puss caterpillars, which look like harmless, fuzzy bugs and reappear each fall and spring, can cause extreme pain when touched. The puss caterpillar is the larval stage of the native southern flannel moth. (See Photos)
➤ The Southwest Florida Eagle Cam returned for its 14th season, capturing views of three different bald eagle pairs in the wild as they raise their young. Cameras went live on Wednesday, the first official day of Florida’s bald eagle nesting season. (See Photos)
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Fired Biologist Files First Amendment Suit
