Good Morning! On this day in 1922, Orlando High School officially opened its doors to students, serving both as a high school and junior high. In 1923, the building was dedicated to the soldiers and sailors of World War I and then renamed Memorial High School.
Gulf Coast neighborhoods are seeing lawns covered with a weed called Florida snow, which experts say is a sign of worsening drought conditions. Meanwhile, a cold front is making its way through Central Florida.
If you’re fascinated by the future of entertainment and love spotting big opportunities early, this glimpse into today’s sponsor, Elf Labs’ groundbreaking princess franchises is one you won’t want to miss.
Daytona Beach 🌤️ 68/55° | Fort Myers 🌤️ 80/56° | Jacksonville 🌤️ 64/44° | Key West 🌤️ 78/71° | Miami 🌤️ 81/66° | Ocala 🌤️ 69/45° | Orlando 🌤️ 72/53° | Pensacola 🌤️ 57/48° | Port St. Lucie 🌤️ 79/57° | Tallahassee 🌤️ 60/39° | Tampa 🌤️ 73/53°
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DeSantis to Call for Congressional Redistricting
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his intention to call a special legislative session on congressional redistricting in the spring of 2026.
“We’re going to redistrict. The issue is that there is a Supreme Court decision that we are waiting on—the argument in October about Section 2 of the VRA [Voting Rights Act] impacts Florida’s maps, so we’re going to do it next spring,” Gov. DeSantis said.
A select House Committee will convene on Thursday afternoon on the congressional redistricting. It will be the first legislative meeting on the issue since DeSantis said in July that it would be “appropriate to do a redistricting” in the middle of the decade.
Democrats have criticized the process, arguing it is an illegal power grab, while Republicans claim it is necessary to reflect population changes.
A group of seven city council members is working to have the 84-year-old span added to the National Register of Historic Places. A 2012 FDOT report on the state’s historic highway bridges stated that it is one of two vertical lift bridges still operational in the state.
Council member Matt Carlucci introduced Resolution 2025-0881 last week, encouraging city officials to work with state officials to nominate the bridge.
The designation could coincide with a $124 million rehabilitation project scheduled for the bridge in 2028. The bill may see a final vote at the council’s meeting on Jan. 13.
Available for $25 a roll, the Restore Our Nation Political Action Committee is offering two versions of the gift wrap, pitching the merchandise as a way to “wrap your gifts like your politics.”
A less DeSantis-themed “Freedom Is My Favorite Gift” design is available, along with Alligator Alcatraz shirts and branded fleece pullovers.
The PAC is attempting to improve its finances heading into 2026, following a mid-year report which showed more than $4.4 million in cash reserves but a negative cash flow. The PAC raised $260,000 and spent about $455,000 in the first six months of the year.
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➤ Statewide: According to a report released on Monday, Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection says the state needs nearly $759 million to tackle long-delayed repairs and upgrades across its parks. (More)
➤ Tallahassee: A federal appeals court will hold a full-court hearing on a 2023 Florida law aimed at preventing children from attending drag shows, after earlier rulings blocked it on First Amendment grounds. (More)
➤ Jacksonville: The county school board voted to close two elementary schools between 2027 and 2029. Anchor Academy will consolidate with Mayport Elementary, and Long Branch Elementary will consolidate into R.L. Brown Gifted and Academically Talented Academy. (More)
➤ Indian River County: A funeral for Sgt. Terri Sweeting-Mashkow was held on Tuesday. The officer died in the line of duty while serving an eviction notice in Vero Beach. (More)
➤ Broward County: House Bill 527, sponsored by Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-District 101, would require that every insurance claim denial in the state be made by a qualified human professional, not a computer system. (More)
➤ Tampa: The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) received its largest grant ever—$32 million to convert aging diesel buses to ones that run on compressed natural gas. (More)
➤ Pembroke Pines: The National Transportation Safety Board found that a small plane that crashed into a neighborhood in July was caused by the pilot’s “inadequate preflight fuel planning.” (More)
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➤ The Miami Hurricanes narrowly made the 12-team cut for this week’s College Football Playoff Rankings, coming in at No.12. They’re the only team from Florida in this week’s rankings. (See Full Rankings)
➤ Lane Kiffin, just hired away from Ole Miss to coach the LSU college football team, first showed interest in coaching for Florida, but could not agree on terms with the school. (More)
➤ Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich thinks that the ACC needs to rework its tiebreaker system after the Hurricanes were left out of the conference championship game in a five-way tie for first. (More)
➤The Tampa Bay Rays hired former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde as senior advisor of baseball operations. (More)
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➤ Lawmakers will consider bills to loosen minimum wage requirements, block undocumented workers from jobs, and protect medical marijuana patients. The 2026 session begins on Jan. 13. (More)
➤ Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp General Manager Harold Craw moved up to the major leagues after a decade with the team. Craw is now senior vice president of community engagement and social responsibility for the Tampa Bay Rays. (More)
➤ Florida Power & Light and its parent company face a potential class-action lawsuit filed by investors. A federal appeals court revived a securities-fraud lawsuit that alleges the utility made misleading statements about issues such as funding “ghost” candidates to influence elections. (More)
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➤ The Culinary Institute of America, whose award-winning graduates include the late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, is in talks with Jacksonville officials to open a campus in the city. (More)
➤ You can now make Amazon returns at Winn-Dixie in 23 Florida counties. (More)
➤ Hoffman’s Chocolates, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is holding its Winter Wonderland at the Flamingo Gardens in Davie now through Dec. 30. (More)
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DeSantis to Call for Congressional Redistricting 
