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Saturday, September 19, 2026
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Good Morning! On this day in 2012, the space shuttle Endeavour rode out of Kennedy Space Center on the back of a 747 and flew a farewell lap over the Space Coast. It was the shuttle program’s last flight anywhere.
A manatee caught in illegal netting in Sanibel was freed Wednesday. Learn more in Around Florida.
The Pentagon just released more UFO files, and this batch digs into a secret military program most people have never heard of. Why was the government commissioning studies on wormholes? What happened to the three engineers who got sick after an encounter nobody can explain? And after six releases in five months, are we any closer to knowing what’s actually going on? Amy walks through the full timeline of the release program and breaks down what’s real, what we know, and what’s still a mystery on The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!
Today’s sponsor, AutoCamp, has turned more than one million guests into happy campers—and now hundreds of those guests have become investors as the outdoor hospitality brand sets its sights on expanding from eight locations to more than 100.
Daytona Beach ⛈️ 84/76° | Ft. Myers ⛈️ 88/73° | Jacksonville 🌤️ 89/75° | Key West ⛈️ 84/80° | Miami ⛈️ 85/76° | Ocala 🌤️ 90/72° | Orlando ⛈️ 86/74° | Pensacola ☀️ 92/76° | Port St. Lucie ⛈️ 87/73° | Tallahassee 🌤️ 94/71° | Tampa ⛈️ 90/73°
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 JTA Cuts 194 Jobs, Halts Skyway
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will cut as many as 194 jobs and stop running the Skyway on Nov. 2 to close a $39 million budget gap.
The board approved a $139 million budget for the year beginning Oct. 1, down from $178 million. The cuts include $24.9 million from contractual services, 44 administrative positions, and up to 150 frontline workers, including bus drivers.
Shutting the Skyway saves about $10 million a year. The NAVI autonomous shuttle pauses Jan. 1, and most bus routes move to reduced weekday schedules, with the busiest routes prioritized.
Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson, appointed in August, said two earlier rounds of layoffs and furloughs of 87 administrative employees had not closed the gap.
Council Member Ken Amaro said the belt-tightening is necessary but will land on riders who have no other way to get around.
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Sinkhole Blamed for Orlando Evacuation
A final engineering report blames a sinkhole beneath The Rialto apartments in Orlando for the damage that forced about 200 families out in March.
Investigators found a gap about 3 feet deep and 15 feet wide between the soil and the ground-level slab under a load-bearing wall, along with smaller voids from one-half inch to 4 inches. The soil had collapsed into voids in the underlying limestone.
The evacuation came March 19, after residents called 911 reporting popping noises and doors that would not open. Some climbed out windows to reach their patios.
Engineers recommended temporary shoring before permanent repairs and said the building is not safe to occupy in the meantime, though they see no immediate risk of failure.
The Rialto says 181 households have ended their leases, and at least one lawsuit remains unsettled.
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Helicopters Spray Tampa as Dengue Spreads
Hillsborough County flew low helicopters over central Tampa this week to drop larvicide on mosquito breeding sites as locally acquired dengue keeps spreading.
Crews treated central Tampa from Busch Boulevard south to San Miguel Street, covering Seminole Heights, Ybor City, West Tampa, and Palma Ceia. They used liquid Bti, a bacterium that kills larvae.
State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has called Hillsborough the “epicenter” of an unusual increase in locally acquired cases, with 59 reported to the health department as of Sept. 4. The count has climbed since.
Polk County Mosquito Control is spraying more often and checking homes in at-risk areas. Manager Jackson Mosley said the mosquito that carries dengue breeds close to home, in bromeliads, uncovered containers, kiddie pools, and saucers.
Officials urge residents to dump standing water, repair screens, and use EPA-registered repellent. Dengue can bring fever, severe muscle and joint pain, and sometimes a rash.
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Flying together with our sponsor
Inc: In Less Than 30 Days, This Brand Raised $1.2M From Its Own Guests
That’s Inc’s headline from July when outdoor hospitality market leader AutoCamp opened its doors to retail investors for the first time. The moral? Those who know the brand best sprung to action.
Less than 30 days. That’s how long it took for more than 350 AutoCamp customers to move from visitors to shareholders, investing $1.2M+ into the company’s future. A closer look at the company’s success is all you need to see why.
By merging iconic outdoor destinations like Yosemite, Zion, Cape Cod and Joshua Tree with boutique-hotel comfort, AutoCamp has transformed $732B in hospitality markets.
Now, after surpassing their initial $1.2M target, AutoCamp has extended the opportunity for those who missed out. And with 1M+ happy campers so far, there’s a big pool of potential investors.
AutoCamp already operates in eight locations nationwide today. Claim your early-stage stake in AutoCamp as they work to expand to 100+.
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➤ Miami-Dade: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed a deal letting Rockstar Games hang a “Welcome to Vice City” sign on the county-owned Kaseya Center for close to $1 million. Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez said any money should go to the sheriff’s office. (See Details)
➤ Sanibel: Police pulled 500 feet of illegal netting from the water off the island and freed a trapped manatee along with fish, sharks, and stingrays. (See Photo)
➤ Kissimmee: Mayor Jackie Espinosa signed a settlement with the Florida Commission on Ethics admitting she had contractual ties to businesses that got city grant money. It proposes a $2,000 fine and a public reprimand. (More)
➤ Altamonte Springs: Commissioners passed a $121 million budget that drops city funding for Red Hot and Boom, the July 4 fireworks festival, and raises money for the public library. (See Details)
➤ Lady Lake: The town spent $1.35 million to preserve green space in a fast-developing part of Lake County, on the edge of The Villages. (More)
➤ Orlando: Downtown’s Magnolia Avenue reopened Thursday to two-way traffic for the first time since the 1950s. The $2.8 million first phase, from South Street to Livingston Street, added on-street parking and folded most of the LYMMO bus lane into general traffic. (More)
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➤ Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes as No. 5 Miami withstood a late Wake Forest rally to defeat the Demon Deacons 33-20 on the road. (More)
➤ Florida State visits Alabama today, seeking a second straight victory over the Crimson Tide after winning last year’s opener 31-17. (Preview)
➤ Unbeaten Florida is a slight favorite on the road today at Auburn, where the Gators haven’t won since 1999. (Preview)
➤ The University of Florida plans to build an 18-hole championship golf course on 500 acres in west Gainesville, funded by a gift from Consumer Cellular CEO Ed Evans. (See Plans)
➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | MLB | WNBA | Golf | Soccer
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ Gold’s next big opportunity may be hiding in smaller mining companies. Golden Portfolio’s Garrett Goggin has identified three junior miners he believes could become attractive acquisition targets as major gold producers look to replenish reserves. Get his top three picks, ongoing research, bonus recommendations, and more with Golden Portfolio IV.
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Flying together with our sponsor
Hotels Ditch Blackout Curtains for Beautiful Canyons
Guests are trading early-morning housekeeping wakeups for breathtaking views. And industry giants clearly think it’s no fad.
Marriott just launched the “Outdoor Collection,” opening properties in destinations like Jackson Hole. Hyatt partnered with a brand specializing in off-grid, safari-style tents.
Meanwhile, Hilton Hotels formed a first-of-its-kind partnership with outdoor-lodging leader AutoCamp. That makes AutoCamp the only outdoor lodging bookable for 200M+ Honors members at Hilton.com. And their boutique approach doesn’t compromise comfort for beauty.
They’ve been building toward this moment since 2013. 1M+ happy campers across 9 locations. An exclusive Airstream partnership no competitor can replicate. Now, AutoCamp’s inviting everyday people like you to invest for the first time.
The giants are validating the category. Claim your piece as an AutoCamp investor as they work to expand to 100+ locations.
This is a paid advertisement for AutoCamp Regulation Crowdfunding offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.autocamp.com. Forward looking statements were included here that the Company believes to be accurate given the current information. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors which if changed may affect the outcome(s). Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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➤ A Florida runner finished a 50K in all 50 states over 50 consecutive days, starting in Kissimmee on July 25 and ending in Hawaii. He covered 1,553 miles and raised $1 million for Make-A-Wish. (Read Story)
➤ The Brevard Zoo in Melbourne welcomed its first giraffe calf in six years. Masai giraffes are endangered, and a second calf is still expected from the herd this fall. (See Details)
➤ Panama City Beach tourism officials will launch a coffee trail on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29, pointing visitors to local shops around the beach. (More)
Flying together with our sponsor
➤ Dry Eyes? Here are 5 reasons drops aren’t working. Are you wasting your money on eye drops? Here are 5 reasons drops won’t work for dry eyes and why you should be doing THIS instead. PS – If you really care about your eye health…⇒ Read this short article before you spend another penny on eye drops… (You are probably being misled).
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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.
➤ Newly released Pentagon UFO files reveal a secret military program studying warp drives and unexplained injuries. (Listen Now)
➤ The lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is disputing fellow jurors’ accounts of what happened behind closed doors. (Hear Details)
➤ Top tech executives are reportedly joining Trump’s state dinner for China’s leader, and AI is on the table. (Podcast Available)
  
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