State Bans 7-OH Products

Florida Attorney General James Uthemeir issued an emergency rule on Wednesday banning the sale of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) products, making the kratom byproduct a Schedule I controlled substance in the state. 

Uthmeier said he banned the drug, known as “legal morphine,” as an extension of addressing the opioid crisis because it is “chemically manipulated in a way” to make it very dense and “up to 13 times more potent than morphine.”

Readily available at smoke shops, vape stores, convenience stores, and gas stations before the ban, 7-OH is a derivative of the kratom plant, generally cultivated in Asian countries. The highly addictive substance works as a painkiller.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner praised the attorney general for taking quick action following the agency’s decision last month to send warning letters to companies for allegedly illegally marketing products containing 7-OH.

Governor Awards Law Enforcement Bonuses

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that over 8,700 law enforcement professionals throughout the state have received recruitment bonuses since 2022 through the state’s Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Payment Program.

At a news conference on Wednesday, DeSantis passed out 40 checks to officers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and announced 715 more checks are in the mail this week to law enforcement officials across the state.

Recipients of the state’s $5,000 after-tax recruitment bonus are newly employed officers. DeSantis said officers from 49 states and two U.S. territories have relocated to Florida since the program was established.

Homeschooling on the Rise

Homeschooling in Florida has increased by 46% in five years, driven by safety concerns, learning goals, and new state policies that support families who choose a nontraditional classroom.

Homeschooling has more than doubled since 2013. The most dramatic increase came during the pandemic, when the number of students being homeschooled rose 35.2% in 2020-21.

The Florida Department of Education has reported that over 155,000 students learned from home during the 2023-24 school year. Lawmakers have championed the shift, introducing policies that make homeschooling easier and more attractive.

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➤ Statewide: Tropical Storm Erin continues to move west across the Atlantic and is expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane today, making it the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. (See Video)

➤ Gadsden County: On Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a regulated black bear hunting season starting in December. This will be the first hunt in the state since 2015. (More)

➤ Miami-Dade: Former County Judge Jason A. Reding Quiñones was sworn in Wednesday as the new U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. (See Photo)

➤ Palm Beach County: The sheriff’s office proposed an operating budget of $1.1 billion, an increase of about 11% year-over-year. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said there’s been a 17% reduction in crime this last year. (More)

➤ Jacksonville: Prosecutors will take “no further action” against a sheriff’s deputy in the arrest of William McNeil Jr., who was pulled from his car and struck by officers during a February traffic stop. (See Video)

➤ Winter Garden: After nearly 50 years on death row, convicted murderer Tommy Zeigler was granted an evidentiary hearing that will consider the most recent DNA results from the 1975 crime scene. (More)

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➤ The Miami Dolphins were valued at $8.25 billion by Sportico, which ranks 7th out of 32 NFL teams. The valuations of the Buccaneers and Jaguars ranked 19th and 31st, respectively. (See List)

➤ The University of South Florida said it will hire a “CEO of Athletics” instead of an athletic director, favoring someone with either a professional sports background or experience leading a Fortune 500 company. (More)

➤ Florida A&M and Florida Memorial will participate in the first ESPN HBCU Hoops invitational this year in December. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA | LLWS

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➤ Amalie Arena, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, has been renamed Benchmark International Arena after a multiyear naming rights partnership with the global mergers and acquisitions firm. (More)

➤ Available financing for a prospective Major League Baseball team in Orlando, the Orlando Dreamers, is approaching $2 billion, in addition to more than $1 billion for the team’s portion of stadium financing. (More)

➤ Mall jewelry chain Claire’s, which filed for bankruptcy for the second time on Aug. 6, identified over 1,100 stores that could close, including those in Florida. As part of the ongoing bankruptcy process, 18 Claire’s-owned stores are set to close no later than Sept. 7 across the country. (More)

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➤ Florida’s property insurance market posted its first underwriting profit since 2015 in 2024, despite three hurricanes, according to a Florida Office of Insurance Regulation report. (More)

➤ Tarpon Springs churchgoers are raising money to restore St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, which was built in 1943 and is known for its annual Epiphany service. (See Video)

➤ Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World in Orlando begins tonight and runs select nights through Oct. 31. (See Video)

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Do you like to cook?

1. Yes, I’m good at it
2. Yes, I’m terrible
3. No, and I don’t
4. No, but someone has to

Thursday’s Results:

If you had $30 million or more, where would you buy a second home?

1. Other: 52%
2. Miami: 13%
3. London: 12%
4. New York: 12%
5. Beijing: 11%

Where is The Players Championship golf tournament held in Florida?

Show me the answer