Rays Beat Guardians, Reach World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Monday at a sold-out Tropicana Field, clinching the American League pennant and their first trip to the World Series since 2020.

Cleveland had cut the lead to 3-1 when Junior Caminero smacked a two-run homer off the left-field foul pole in the seventh, his first of the postseason. He stopped short of first base to scream with the crowd.

Yandy Díaz, who guaranteed a Game 6 win a day earlier, added a two-run homer in the eighth after Cleveland pulled within 5-3. In the clubhouse, he hoisted a tomahawk steak and flexed: “Protein, medium well, big biceps.”

Two small-market clubs with the best records in their leagues will meet Friday in Milwaukee, and one will win its first World Series. The Rays won 98 games. The Brewers, back for the first time since 1982, won an MLB-high 103 games.

Florida Executes Deputy’s 1986 Killer

Florida executed 77-year-old William Reaves by lethal injection Tuesday evening for the 1986 murder of an Indian River County deputy, the state’s 18th execution this year.

Richard Raczkoski, 29, was answering a 911 call at a Zippy Mart near Vero Beach when a gun fell from Reaves’ shorts. Reaves grabbed it during a struggle and shot the deputy four times as he turned to run, then fled to Georgia.

One hundred veterans urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to spare Reaves, a former Army machine gunner whom the VA had rated 100% disabled by PTSD from Vietnam, his attorneys said. The U.S. Supreme Court turned down his final appeal without comment Tuesday afternoon.

Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers, who pushed for the death warrant, said he wanted the last thing Reaves saw to be an Indian River County Sheriff’s Office uniform, “knowing that justice finally came.”

DeSantis Expects Disaster Declaration Soon

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday in Pensacola he expects a federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Isaias “relatively soon,” after discussing the state’s request with the FEMA director Sunday.

Isaias, blamed for at least six deaths, has left nearly $582 million in insured damage, with most claims coming from Santa Rosa, Escambia, and Okaloosa counties. The state wants about $237 million in federal aid for cleanup and public repairs across 15 counties.

Approval would also unlock federal help for eligible residents in eight counties. Meanwhile, the state has awarded $5,000 grants to eight deputies whose homes were damaged and plans similar help for other first responders.

The state is also partnering with Emergency RV so displaced families can live in RVs on their property during repairs. DeSantis handed keys to the first two on Monday, including a Pensacola grandmother whose roof collapsed after a tree fell.

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➤ Orange County: Public school enrollment fell by about 8,000 students in a year, and roughly 5,000 of them were immigrants, district data shows. Venezuelan enrollment alone dropped from more than 4,900 students two years ago to about 1,900. (More)

➤ North Miami: A judge disqualified Mayor Alix Desulme from November’s ballot for paying his qualifying fees with two cashier’s checks instead of campaign account checks, as state law requires. He plans to appeal. (More)

➤ Atlantic Coast: Rough surf and a high rip current risk will linger at the beaches through Wednesday as Invest 93L, a strong storm off North Carolina, drifts northeast. Forecasters expect it to stay well offshore. (More)

➤ Alachua County: Road crews patched more than 1,000 potholes last week, about as many as the week before, through an online reporting portal launched in September. Columbia County is also sending weekend crews, with Alachua taxpayers covering their overtime. (More)

➤ Statewide: Florida’s GOP sued Democrats and TV stations to pull an ad citing the Hope Florida grand jury report, arguing that broadcasting it is illegal since an appeals court expunged it. Democrat CFO nominee Annette Taddeo called it a gag order. (More)

➤ Winter Garden: An autopsy found the 71-year-old fisherman killed by a nearly 12-foot alligator on Lake Apopka suffered blunt-force injuries to his left leg as the gator dragged him into the water, where he drowned. He’d just held up a bass for a photo. (See Findings)

➤ Statewide: Teen drivers were involved in more than 80,000 crashes in 2024, with 323 deaths and nearly 1,800 serious injuries. A mother whose son was killed by a teen driver says packed cars are the biggest risk. (More)

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➤ The Rays and Brewers open the World Series Friday in Milwaukee, the first matchup of title-less franchises since 1980. The cheapest Game 1 ticket costs $3,598, while seats for Games 3-5 at Tropicana Field range from $819 to $874. (See Prices)

➤ Florida State coach Mike Norvell called the holding penalty that erased a Hail Mary touchdown in the Seminoles’ 43-35 double-overtime loss at Miami “an absolute joke.” He also questioned the game-ending interception. (More)

➤ The Miami Dolphins released kicker Riley Patterson on Tuesday and signed Zane Gonzalez, who made seven of nine kicks from 50-plus yards for Atlanta last season. Patterson missed field goals in the 0-5 team’s first two games. (More)

➤ Florida volleyball climbed two spots to No. 5 in the national coaches poll after winning at Texas A&M and No. 12 Texas. The Gators (15-2) beat the Longhorns in five sets behind career highs from Alec Rothe and Taylor Parks. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NCAAF | NHL | Soccer | NCAA Volleyball

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➤ Universal’s newest coaster is nearly through slow-speed track testing, with a test car reaching the final hill. Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift opens in 2027 with 360-degree drifting and a 170-foot vertical spike near CityWalk. (See Coaster)

➤ The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officially opened its new headquarters on Tuesday in the former Florida Blue building on Riverside Avenue. Sheriff T.K. Waters said reusing it spared the city the cost of a new building at a price of up to $300 million. (More)

➤ Dollar Tree opened a store last month on U.S. 301 near County Road 462 in Wildwood, beside the Twisted Oaks neighborhood. A storage facility and two gas stations have also been built nearby, and a hotel is under construction. (More)

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➤ Another glowing space jellyfish spread across the Central Florida sky Tuesday after SpaceX launched 32 payloads from Cape Canaveral at 7:04 a.m. The effect appears when sunlight hits a rocket’s exhaust high overhead while the ground is still dark. (See Photos)

➤ Free barbecue plates are still coming off the smokers after Hurricane Isaias. Operation BBQ Relief has served nearly 210,000 hot meals to residents and first responders across the Panhandle and southern Alabama, with plans to continue for several more days. (See Sites)

➤ A live 16-foot python was intentionally returned to the Everglades. University of Florida interns released the 148-pound female, which was tagged with a radio transmitter. Federal biologists are testing the use of drones to follow her to other pythons and their nests. (See Python)

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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. 

➤ What are Americans’ favorite fast food chains, and which ones land at the bottom? (Hear List)

➤ Ohio’s Democratic candidate for governor is being denounced as a liar by her mother in a new ad. (Hear Story)

➤ Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s granddaughter has died at 42, years after a paralyzing spinal cord injury. (Listen Now)

Have you ever been to a live mermaid show?

1. Yes
2. No
3. I wish!
4. I was in one!

Yesterday’s Results:

Did you watch any of the Rays’ ALCS game last night?

1. No: 69%
2. Yes: 28%
3. It was on: 3%

Where can you see live mermaids in Florida?

Show me the answer