Lake Mary Team Wins World Series

Lake Mary’s Little League All-Stars baseball team became world champions on Sunday, defeating Chinese Taipei 2-1 in the Little League World Series Championship final in Williamsport, PA.

Trailing by one run since the first inning, Florida tied the score in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double to left field, sending the game into extra innings. Lake Mary scored the winning run in the eighth to clinch the title.

This was the first appearance by a Florida team in the title game since 2003, when East Boynton Beach fell to Musashi-Fuchi of Japan, 10-1. Lake Mary advanced to the final after defeating Texas 10-7 on Saturday in the U.S. bracket title game.

On Saturday, Aug. 31, the City of Lake Mary will host a parade downtown to celebrate the team’s success. The parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Opposition to New State Parks Plan Grows

Conservationists, residents, and politicians on both sides of the aisle oppose a plan to build golf courses and 350-room lodges on state park land—a new initiative introduced by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration last week.

In a rare display of unity, elected officials at all levels of government have voiced their opposition to The Great Outdoors Initiative, which proposes significant changes to nine Florida state parks.

The plan includes resort-style hotels, cabins, golf courses, pickleball courts, and disc golf courses in places like Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin, one of the last undeveloped stretches of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

As of Sunday afternoon, a petition targeting the proposed golf complex at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County had garnered more than 94,000 signatures.

Florida Ranks 4th in Million-Dollar Cities List

Florida has 32 million-dollar cities, where the typical home is worth $1 million or more, according to a recent report. See the list here.

Seventeen of these cities are in the Miami metro area, with Jupiter Island ranking highest in the state, where the typical home value is close to $10 million.

Collectively, these 32 cities account for nearly 6% of the 550 “million-dollar” locations across the country.

Florida ranks fourth in the nation for its million-dollar cities after New Jersey with 49, New York with 66, and California with 210.

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➤ A major shift in the weather pattern is expected, with meteorologists warning the hurricane season is about to intensify dramatically. (More)

➤ The Florida Department of Health began offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services last week to those affected by last month’s data breach, which exposed personal and health information on the dark web. (More)

➤ St. Johns County: Commissioners voted last week to terminate the county contract with its new solid waste management company after more than 10,000 resident complaints. (See Details)

➤ Brevard County: A judge last week upheld dozens of election law violations against political consultant Robert Burns, related to his defunct Friends of Florida PAC and 2020 campaign efforts. (More)

➤ Lee County Animal Services is hosting a free video series for pet owners, addressing common behavior issues and offering solutions to prevent shelter relinquishment. (See Details)

➤ Sarasota: Last week, commissioners approved doubling the local homestead tax exemption to $50,000 for homeowners aged 65+ with a household income of $36,614 or less, effective Jan. 1, 2025. (More)

➤ Tampa: A new report ranks the city as No. 1 in the nation for the biggest increase in homeowners association fees. (See Details)

➤ Harrison Burton took the lead in the last lap of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, edging out Kyle Busch to win his first NASCAR Series Cup race. (More)

➤ Tampa Bay Rays star rookie infielder Junior Caminero hit two home runs in a 9-8 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a clutch game-tying homer in the ninth inning. (Watch Video)

➤ Florida State fell to Georgia Tech in their season opener on Saturday, ending a 12-game win streak against ACC opponents. (More)

➤ Florida High School football is back—here’s an overview of the top moments from the first week of action. (More)

Weekend Results: MLB | NFL | NCAAF | WNBA | PGA | LPGA | LLWS | US OPEN

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➤ Amazon announced last week it’s adding a $19.5-million hardware building to its $120 million facility under construction at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to process broadband satellites for its future $10 billion Project Kuiper internet constellation. (More)

➤ Boeing’s Starliner capsule will return from the International Space Station uncrewed, leaving the two astronauts it delivered, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, at the station until February when they will return aboard SpaceX’s Dragon. (More)

➤ IHG Hotels & Resorts will add a luxury hotel to Orlando’s I-Drive corridor in 2028, the latest in a long list of new hotels coming to the area. Universal’s Epic Universe and the Orange County Convention Center expansion are driving the trend. (More)

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➤ Despite a land benefactor’s will, the Boy Scouts are planning to sell part of Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Hernando County. (See Details)

➤ A good Samaritan helped when a 50-foot yacht caught fire on Saturday in Clearwater Harbor. (See Photos)

➤ The Trump Organization has shifted its focus from New York to Florida’s southeast coast, with its golf club in Jupiter driving the company’s cash flow. (See Photos)

➤ Fort Lauderdale’s iconic restaurant Carlos & Pepe’s, which closed last month after 45 years in business, will return for two nights only in Boca Raton. (More)

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Where do you get your weather forecast?

1. Flyover Florida
2. The newspaper
3. TV
4. Phone app
5. I look outside
6. Other

Friday’s Results:

Do you have cash in your wallet right now?

Here’s why we asked

1. Yes: 81.7%
2. No: 18.3%

What recent movie set during the 1960s Space Race highlights a fake moon landing at Kennedy Space Center?

Show me the answer