Isaias Bears Down on the Panhandle

Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds Friday and was expected to make landfall overnight near the Alabama-Florida line.

Forecasters warned of storm surge up to 9 feet from the Alabama-Florida line to Grayton Beach, plus 4 to 8 inches of rain and isolated totals near 15. A Hurricane Warning stretched from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line.

Okaloosa, Walton, and Franklin counties ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal zones and barrier islands, and Bay County urged residents in zones A and B to leave. Shelters opened in Crestview, Niceville, and Panama City.

“This is a shelter to keep you alive during the storm,” said Okaloosa County spokesman Nick Tomecek.

Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to 27 counties. State officials warned that about 450,000 people who moved to Florida in the past two years have never lived through a hurricane.

DeSantis Calls off Thompson Execution

Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew the death warrant for William Lee Thompson, a 74-year-old inmate who was set to be executed Tuesday.

Thompson was convicted in the 1976 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Sally Ivester in North Miami Beach. He spent roughly 50 years on death row as his case wound through appeals and resentencings.

DeSantis gave no reason in his letter to the prison warden. Thompson’s attorneys argued advanced dementia left him incompetent to be executed, and more than 100 medical professionals urged the governor to call it off.

The decision doesn’t affect James Robertson, 63, who’s still scheduled to die at noon Tuesday for strangling his cellmate in 2008. Florida is on pace to break its modern-era record of 19 executions, set in 2025.

Medicaid Crackdown Cuts 220 Providers

Florida has kicked more than 220 providers out of Medicaid, including some that billed for more than 24 hours of therapy in a single day.

The crackdown has focused on applied behavior analysis, an autism therapy that cost Florida Medicaid about $6.57 billion from 2023 to 2025, nearly four times as much as any other state. Spending is now projected at $2.8 billion this fiscal year, almost $1 billion below forecast.

The state has also restricted or suspended payments to more than 250 providers and sent over 150 fraud referrals to the attorney general. “Claims do not submit themselves,” said Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris.

Harris said managed care plans will help families whose providers are cut find new ones without a gap in services. The push began in June, when the state ordered every Medicaid provider to revalidate within two years.

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➤ Jacksonville: More than 40 members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department’s Urban Search and Rescue team headed to Tallahassee to stage ahead of Hurricane Isaias. (More)

➤ Osceola County: Osceola County Schools has cut 785 teacher and staff positions and $15.9 million in programs over two years, and it’s asking voters to approve a property tax increase Nov. 3 to stave off more cuts. The four-year levy would cost $200 a year on a $200,000 home. (See Details)

➤ Cocoa: Brevard County’s first Brightline station is fully funded after a $57 million federal grant. The station, planned near State Road 528, has no groundbreaking date yet, and the city of Cocoa, not Brightline, will own it. (See Details)

➤ Indian River County: A University of Florida study found Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that can spread dengue, was more common than expected in suburban backyards. Participants logged bites with a phone app, and many were bitten close to home while gardening or walking dogs. (See Details)

➤ Sanford: The Central Florida Expressway Authority approved $12.1 million to design State Road 452, a 1.6-mile connector linking SR 417 with Lake Mary Boulevard and Orlando Sanford International Airport. Construction is set to begin in 2031. (See Details)

➤ Miami: Eight people were hospitalized early Friday after Avianca Flight 42, bound from Medellín, Colombia, to New York, hit turbulence and diverted to Miami International Airport. One passenger was taken to Ryder Trauma Center. (More)

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➤ Florida State built an early 14-0 lead last night at Louisville before allowing 35 unanswered points in a 44-20 loss, dropping the Seminoles to 3-3. (More)

➤ No. 16 Florida welcomes South Carolina to Gainesville this afternoon as an 11.5-point favorite, while UCF travels to No. 18 Oklahoma State for a noon kickoff. (See Schedule)

➤ Former Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill admitted in civil court this week that he pushed his ex-wife into a wall hard enough to leave a hole. He denied hitting her. (More)

➤ Florida’s high school athletic association barred Jacksonville’s Baldwin and Terry Parker from the playoffs over a third-quarter fight. It’s the association’s fourth and fifth such bans this season. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | WNBA | NHL | Soccer | NBA | Golf

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Genius Gadgets: The 37 That Actually Earn Their Keep

Smart shoppers know the secret: the best gadgets earn their keep. These 37 picks prove it. They aren’t gimmicks or dust collectors, they’re practical innovations that deliver real value every single day.

Whether you’re organizing your space, upgrading your routine, or getting a head start on gifts, this list highlights what’s genuinely worth buying right now. The catch? These popular items are selling faster than anticipated, so availability won’t last.

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➤ Keith Barber photographed a sandhill crane family strolling near the water in The Villages, and his wife liked it so much she had it enlarged for their wall. Look closely: a second chick is hiding in the frame. (See Photo)

➤ Tallahassee’s Chris Prescott, 101, has voted in every election since 1946. She says showing up matters more now than ever. (Read Story)

➤ The Kaseya Center, the Miami Heat’s home arena, is rolling out new food and fan spaces for the season, including the 1988 Club, a bar and restaurant for courtside ticket holders, and a stand called 601 serving chicken sandwiches, nachos, and Philly cheesesteaks. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. 

➤ The IRS is mailing notices about $1,000 in free retirement money, but strict cutoffs apply. (Listen Now)

➤ This year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to a South African jurist, drawing swift condemnation from Israel. (Hear Details)

➤ Severe turbulence forced a Colombia-to-New York flight to divert to Miami, sending at least eight people to the hospital. (Podcast Available)

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