Democrats Flip Two Seats in Special Elections

Democrat Brian Nathan defeated Republican Josie Tomkow in state Senate District 14, flipping a seat viewed as a safe GOP hold. The 408-vote margin fell just outside of a recount. Tomkow conceded at her Ybor City election night party, adding, “Welcome to my general election campaign announcement.“

Democrat Emily Gregory flipped the House District 87 seat, defeating Republican Jon Maples in a special election to replace former representative and current Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Mike Caruso. It’s a seat Caruso won by approximately 19 points in each of the prior two elections.

Republicans avoided a sweep by winning in House District 51. Hilary Holley held on to the reliably red Northern Polk County seat Tomkow ceded to run for Senate by garnering 54% of the vote over Democrat Edwin Pérez.

The North Palm Beach Village Council Group 4 seat special election in North Palm Beach is headed to a runoff. Kendra Zellner will face Ron Okolichany or David Norris on April 7, pending the results of a recount.

New Hurricane Cone Graphic Debuts

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced a redesigned hurricane forecast cone for the 2026 season, aimed at helping communities better assess their risk from tropical storms and hurricanes.

Changes include adding coastal and inland watches and warnings, and using a single shading for the 5-day outlook. The NHC is working to make the cone more accurate, easier to understand, and customizable when hurricanes threaten.

An experimental cone of uncertainty will debut during the 2026 season, using ellipses anchored at each NHC forecast point. This is intended to allow the cone to capture a range of possibilities for both the speed and direction of the tropical cyclone’s forecast path.

Meanwhile, AccuWeather has predicted there will be 11 to 16 named storms for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. A developing El Niño will shape the season, one reason the number of storms could be near or below historical averages. Here’s the list of names we’ll see this season.

Phantom Jets Coming to Jacksonville

A plan to build an aircraft production facility at Cecil Airport is taking off now that the city has issued a permit for Otto Aerospace to start interior demolition work in an existing hangar.

The Texas-based company, formerly known as Otto Aviation, will build its Phantom 3500 business jets at the facility. Otto said it will initially create about 400 jobs with an average salary of $90,000, with the potential to add 1,200 jobs by 2040.

Otto expects to have the operation up and running by the start of 2032, with over 600,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space planned.

The company’s total investment will be around $430 million. The city approved a $20 million incentive package for the project last year, and the Jacksonville Aviation Authority will invest $35 million.

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➤ Statewide: Gov. DeSantis signed HB 697 into law, restoring HIV medication access to over 10,000 Floridians. The law reverses state health department cuts by providing $31 million in funding to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program through June 30. (More)

➤ Leon County: The school board approved $7.8 million in budget cuts at Tuesday’s meeting, which include $2.3 million in district cost centers, $4.8 million in staffing, $500,000 in arts and athletics programs, and $125,000 in community groups. (More)

➤ Sarasota County: The school board gave preliminary approval for new guidelines on student demonstrations that would allow for disciplinary action if a school deems the actions disruptive to the learning environment. A final vote is pending. (More)

➤ Miami-Dade County: Over two dozen arrests were made, and multiple vehicles were seized during an operation targeting an organized ATV takeover of roadways known as GVO 2026 Ride Out. (More)

➤ Ormond Beach: City commissioners voted to approve a controversial development at Tomoka Oaks Golf Course for 254 single-family homes, despite resident protests over evacuation routes and overcrowding. (More)

➤ Mount Dora: Work to rebuild Donnelly Street got underway on Tuesday, after a flash flood caused by historic rainfall in October washed out the key road. (More)

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➤ Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David retired this week at 36, spending all 14 years of his professional career with the team. The potential Hall of Famer finishes tied for the most tackles in franchise history. (More)

➤ The Florida Gators are trying to sign basketball coach Todd Golden to a contract extension to ensure he doesn’t leave for the vacancy at North Carolina. (More)

➤ Tiger Woods returned to play golf for the first time in over a year at the TGL finals in Palm Beach Gardens. His team, Jupiter Links, lost to the Los Angeles Golf Club 9-2. (More)

➤ The Tampa Bay Rays kick off their Major League Baseball season this afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | MLB | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Inter Miami and adidas signed a five-year club-level partnership that gives Nu Stadium in Miami the largest team store in Major League Soccer, opening April 4 for the game against Austin FC. (More)

➤ NASA officials on Tuesday said the upcoming Artemis II launch to send four astronauts around the moon from Kennedy Space Center is on track for next week. They also outlined the agency’s plans for a future moon base. (More)

➤ Manatee Technical College will offer an Aviation Maintenance Technician program, giving students hands-on training to repair and maintain aircraft. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs in aircraft maintenance will grow faster than average over the next decade. (More)

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➤ The Savannah Bananas’ appearance at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee generated an estimated $10.1 million in economic impact, according to an independent analysis that found a nearly 40% increase in visitors from outside the market. (More)

➤ Lakeland landed in the top 20 most challenging places to live with a pollen allergy in the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s 2026 list of top 100 allergy capitals. (See List)

➤ Bob Ross, an artist made famous by his TV show The Joy of Painting, lived in New Smyrna Beach. His studio is now The Bob Ross Art Workshop and Gallery, where wet-on-wet painting methods are taught. (See Profile)

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Have you ever driven an ATV?

1. Yes
2. No

Wednesday’s Results:

Have you ever competed in a sand castle competition?

1. No: 78%
2. Yes: 11%
3. On my beach bucket list!: 11%

In 1938, what attraction at Marineland, just south of St. Augustine, was the first of its kind in the world?

Show me the answer