DeSantis Launches Medicaid Fraud Crackdown

Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled the Medicaid Integrity Initiative at a West Palm Beach event Friday, ordering mandatory identity re-verification for all Medicaid providers statewide and freezing certain new enrollments.

The crackdown targets Florida’s Medicaid program, which covers roughly 4 million residents—one of the nation’s largest state Medicaid populations. DeSantis said fraudulent billing and phantom providers have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

All existing providers must complete re-verification before continuing to bill the state, with new enrollment paused in certain categories during the review.

Healthcare advocates warned the enrollment freeze could disrupt care for vulnerable patients and called on the state to expedite the process.

Fort Myers Crabber Sues over AI-led Arrest

A Fort Myers commercial crabber is suing Jacksonville Beach police and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after a facial recognition system wrongly flagged him as a child abduction suspect—and he had never been to Jacksonville Beach.

Robert Dillon, 52, was allegedly unlawfully arrested in August 2024 after JSO ran a search that returned a 93% facial recognition match. Body-worn camera footage captured a Lee County deputy at his Fort Myers door, informing him he was suspected of child abduction. Charges were dropped once investigators realized they had the wrong man.

“No one should lose their freedom or be scared to leave their house because an algorithm got it wrong,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney Nate Freed Wessler said.

Dillon is among more than two dozen people wrongfully arrested via facial recognition since 2019. The federal civil rights suit also names the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, which houses the AI technology used in the search.

Sargassum Blooms Pile Up on Florida Beaches

Florida beaches are bracing for another summer of massive sargassum blooms, as scientists warn 2026 could rank among the worst years on record for the foul-smelling seaweed washing ashore.

“Instead of sand in our toes, we’ve got weeds in our toes,” said Alex Winter, who was visiting Perdido Key last week. 

Some counties, such as Palm Beach, are making plans for clean-up. County officials expect to clear the worst offenders, Ocean Inlet Park in Ocean Ridge and South Inlet Park in Boca Raton, by mid-week.

On Jacksonville Beach, officials first have to survey for sea turtle nests, then they can clear the smelly weed. 

However, some towns have found a silver lining. In Fort Lauderdale, the seaweed is taken to a special facility to decompose into “rich, usable black soil for municipal landscaping.”

Paying Too Much for Car Insurance? It Might Be Time to Compare Rates

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➤ Sarasota: Several Suncoast projects, including the Sarasota Fairgrounds, are under additional scrutiny after a Florida government watchdog group flagged hundreds of millions in proposed spending for extra review. (More)

➤ Palm Beach County: Sara Baxter is dropping her congressional bid and returning to the Palm Beach County Commission race after President Trump publicly said he’d prefer she stay on the commission. (More)

➤ Jacksonville: Three developers have submitted offers to purchase Duval Schools’ headquarters building on Prudential Drive in a new round of bids, records show. (More)

➤ Tallahassee: Leon County is spending $70,000 to build a stormwater model to identify what caused the 2024 flooding on the Miccosukee Greenway, after a flood study ruled out three potential causes. (More)

➤ Volusia County: As of Friday, 714 sea turtle nests have been recorded along the county’s beaches—far past the previous record of 470 at this point in the year, set in 2023. (More)

➤ Naples: Collier County drivers can now use the long-awaited Vanderbilt Beach Road extension in the Naples area after years of planning and construction delays, easing traffic in one of Florida’s fastest-growing regions. (More)

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➤ Sandy Alcantara notched the 1,000th strikeout of his career and passed Dontrelle Willis for the most starts of at least eight innings in franchise history Friday, powering the Miami Marlins to their sixth consecutive win in an 8-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. (More)

➤ The U.S. Coast Guard began enforcing a temporary security zone around Bayfront Park for Miami’s FIFA Fan Festival, which runs through July 6. The restricted zone spans Biscayne Bay from Port Boulevard to the Miami River. (More)

➤ Nicole Edmiaston, the ASUN Player of the Year in softball, has committed to Florida State after entering the transfer portal from Stetson. She belted 23 home runs this season—including one against the Seminoles during the Tallahassee Regional. (More)

➤ Orlando will host the Olympic Q-Series—formerly the Olympic Qualifier Series—joining Tokyo, Japan; Shanghai, China; and Montreal, Canada, as host cities ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | NBA | MLB | College World Series | WNBA | Golf 

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➤ Jackie Coombe made it official in Volusia County, adopting her former student Jaden, 11, after a two-year process that began while she was teaching at Pathways Elementary in Ormond Beach. (More)

➤ Naval Station Mayport welcomed the USS Cleveland home Thursday. Among the Jacksonville sailors stepping off the warship was a new father who met his newborn daughter for the first time. (More)

➤ Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomed Ivy, a two-month-old Masai giraffe, to its savanna on June 11. The adorable calf made her official public debut and is now viewable by park guests. (More)

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Do you fly a flag at your house?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Sometimes

Yesterday’s Results:

Are you excited about the $1.45B Swamp renovation?

1. The money could be better spent: 33%
2. Other: 20%
3. Yes—it’s going to be legendary: 17%
4. Mixed feelings about the price tag: 17%
5. Not a Gators fan, but still excited: 12%

What did Florida voters approve in 1900 that changed the appearance of the state’s flag to prevent it from looking like a white flag of surrender?

Show me the answer