Good Morning! On this day in 1896, the first FEC Railway locomotive arrived at the Avenue D terminal on the banks of the Miami River, leading to the formation of the great southern city of Miami, incorporated on July 28 of the same year.
Thousands of people enjoyed the Cocoa Beach Air Show over the weekend, celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. The F-16 Viper Demo Team dedicated its performance to service members past and present. Have you ever seen the Blue Angels fly in person? Reply to today’s Poll to let us know.
If you’re a Flyover Podcast listener who wrote in to say you missed Ayla Brown last week, be sure to tune in today. She’s back after a lovely family vacation in the Caribbean and sounds refreshed.
Mother’s Day is coming up fast, so we pulled together our 2026 Mother’s Day Gift Guide to help you find something she’ll actually love. From thoughtful to practical to a little indulgent, there’s something for every kind of mom. And yes, a few picks are perfect for treating yourself, too. Don’t wait until the last minute; take a look now, and get ahead of it.
Today’s sponsor, Qnetic, is tackling the looming AI energy crisis with breakthrough storage technology that delivers reliable, degradation-free power for decades.
Daytona Beach 🌤️ 78/65° | Fort Myers 🌤️ 88/65° | Jacksonville 🌤️ 82/60° | Key West 💨 81/75° | Miami 🌤️ 80/73° | Ocala 🌤️ 86/57° | Orlando 🌤️ 84/63° | Pensacola 🌤️ 78/61° | Port St. Lucie 🌤️ 81/67° | Tallahassee ☀️ 84/56° | Tampa ☀️ 88/63°
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POW/MIA Memorial Proposed as National Landmark
Last week, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody filed a Senate companion bill to a House bill introduced in 2025. The legislation proposes designating Jacksonville’s POW/MIA Memorial and Museum as a national landmark.
“More than 223,000 American service members have been listed as POW/MIA. We owe it to those service members and their families to ensure that our nation never forgets,” U.S Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, who filed the bill in the U.S. House, said.
Moody and Bean visited the museum on National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day last Thursday to announce their intention to seek exclusive national recognition for the museum at the federal level.
The museum is being built on 26 acres at the grounds of one of the Navy’s most historic master jet bases, Naval Air Station Cecil Field. The memorial is open for tours once a month as the project progresses, and has begun hosting field trips for students.
Palm Beach Prepares for World Cup Fever
Palm Beach County officials anticipate a landmark summer tourist season in 2026, driven by the FIFA World Cup. Seven high-profile matches are scheduled at nearby Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, including a quarterfinal and the third-place final, with the region preparing for 1 million visitors.
Palm Beach County will host headquarters and official training sites for national teams from Portugal and Curacao. The Curacao team, making its World Cup debut, will utilize Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton as its primary training ground.
Discover The Palm Beaches is marketing the county as America’s first resort destination, offering a relaxed alternative to Miami’s high-energy atmosphere. Luxury options are available, like the $1 million World Cup deal at The Boca Raton, a high-end resort.
Transportation options, such as Brightline trains and increased nonstop flights from Palm Beach International (PBI), will allow fans to commute to the stadium in Miami without the stress of navigating event-day traffic.
Miami Steakhouse among World’s Best
The 2026 World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants, published by Upper Cut Media House in London, recognized 18 U.S. restaurants, including Daniel’s in Miami, which ranked No. 6 in the U.S. and No. 40 in the world.
The boutique media company, which specializes in gastronomy and events, uses nine key criteria for evaluation, including the quality and taste of the meat, selection availability, and a curated wine list.
Daniel’s offers mainly dry-aged beef. Locally-raised beef, sustainable seafood, and regional produce give the steakhouse a “distinctly Floridian voice.”
A small restaurant in Spain claimed the top spot internationally, while The Eighty Six in New York ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and 12th in the world. The remaining top five U.S. steakhouses hail from Chicago (Asador Bastian, No. 15), New York (Cote, No. 21 and La Tête d’Or, No. 34), and San Francisco (Miller & Lux, No. 25).
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➤ Broward-Palm Beach Counties: The U.S. House Ethics Committee scheduled a public hearing for April 21 to determine if U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, should be punished for the 25 ethics violations a subcommittee found her guilty of on March 27. (More)
➤ Statewide: Gubernatorial candidate Jay Collins disputed polling that shows U.S. Rep Byron Donalds leading the race, arguing the surveys do not reflect voter sentiment. The Republican lieutenant governor suggested the results are influenced by “suppression polling.” (More)
➤ Jacksonville: Sgt. Michael Rourke and officers Christopher Sosa and Dylan Bostick were charged with fraud and grand theft for overreporting overtime. This follows the February arrest of another officer accused of stealing $14,000 in false overtime. (More)
➤ Miami-Dade: County commissioners will consider a resolution this week on a proposed $6.2 million contract to renovate Zoo Miami’s giraffe feeding station, which offers visitors a chance to hand-feed the animals. (More)
➤Lakeland: The Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo is returning as the second-largest airshow in the country from April 14-19. The expo generates over $60 million for Central Florida and drew 210,000 visitors last year. (More)
➤ St. Augustine: The last remaining Adventure Landing amusement park on the First Coast permanently closed on Sunday, following the close of its location on Jacksonville’s Westside in 2021 and Jacksonville Beach in 2025. (More)
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➤ The Florida Panthers trounced the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Saturday, helping build momentum for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin this Saturday. (More)
➤ Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda walked off the New York Yankees on Saturday with this RBI fielder’s choice, giving the team a 5-4 win. (See Play)
➤ Florida Gators transfer quarterback Aaron Philo flashed a glimpse of greatness in Saturday’s spring football game, completing 21 of 28 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, but Philo also tossed two interceptions on the day. (More)
➤ Your Cutting Board is a Major Health Risk. Your cutting board could be harboring harmful bacteria like E. coli—and even shedding microplastics into your food. Grooves and cracks trap germs, putting your family at risk. Discover a safer, smarter solution with Tivano and keep your kitchen truly clean. (LEARN MORE)
➤ The Ocean Alliance, a collective of four shipping companies comprising the world’s largest operational shipping network, will begin operations in Jacksonville in May. The partnership will connect JaxPort to Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, and other U.S. ports. (More)
➤ Hotel Merrydelle is the new name of the historic former Ambassador Hotel in Downtown Jacksonville. Named for the modern art pioneer Merrydelle Hoyt, the hotel will reopen next year under Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio brand. (More)
➤ IKEA U.S. announced plans to open a new store in Sarasota in late summer 2026, marking the sixth location across the Sunshine State. (More)
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➤ Hollywood-based Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital made history last week with its first recipient of a remote-donation kidney transplant. In under 12 hours, a kidney was removed from a living donor in Colorado, flown across the country, and transplanted to a teenage girl. (More)
➤ The Tampa Bay Rays announced three postgame country music concerts at Tropicana Field this season: Chase Rice (May 2), Cole Swindell (May 30), and Jordan Davis (Aug. 15). (More)
➤ England’s national soccer team is returning to the U.S. for the first time in two decades to play two World Cup warmup matches in June, the first in Tampa against New Zealand, and the second in Orlando against Costa Rica. (More)
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Have you ever seen the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s official flight demonstration squadron, in person?
POW/MIA Memorial Proposed as National Landmark
