Good Morning! On this day in 1999, Walt Disney World’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster opened at Disney-MGM Studios with Aerosmith as the guests of honor at an invitation-only party.
It’s been a hot week already, and more heat is on the way. Tampa had its hottest day ever recorded on Sunday, at 100 degrees. Remember to hydrate and stay indoors when possible.
Later today, we’ll email you on behalf of our partner Timeplast with the chance to invest in a breakthrough innovation: plastic that dissolves in water. Keep an eye out—this is your opportunity to get in early.
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Daytona Beach ☀️ 93/78° | Ft. Myers 🌦️ 94/78° | Jacksonville 🌦️ 98/78° | Key West 🌤️ 88/83° | Miami 🌤️ 89/80° | Ocala 🌤️ 98/76° | Orlando 🌤️ 98/79° | Pensacola 🌦️ 94/77° | Port St. Lucie 🌤️ 95/76° | Tallahassee 🌦️ 98/75° | Tampa 🌦️ 95/79°
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Bear Hunt Vote Nears
Next month, state wildlife officials could finalize approval of a three-week bear hunt in December that would have “a more structured format” than a hunt halted a decade ago that quickly reached the limit on bears that could be killed.
The proposed rules, which will be considered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) during meetings Aug. 13-14 in Havana, would include a lottery-style permitting process and allow the killing of up to 187 bears in four areas of the state.
The annual hunt is proposed to cull black bear populations. Opponents say that killing bears for sport won’t reduce human-bear interactions.
According to the FWC’s Black Bear Management Plan, the state’s black bear population stands at about 4,050, up from near extinction in the 1970s. During the past 50 years, the state has recorded 42 incidents between bears and people, with one human fatality.
Miami and Key Largo Boat Accidents
Two children participating in a youth sailing program died after a barge struck their sailboat, causing it to capsize in Biscayne Bay on Monday between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island.
The massive search and rescue operation pulled one adult and five children aged 7 to 12 from the water off Miami Beach. The U.S. Coast Guard said two people remain in critical condition, while two others did not require medical treatment.
Farther south, a U.S. Coast Guard Station Islamorada boat crew assisted 10 people on Saturday after their 24-foot vessel struck mangroves near Sunset Point in Key Largo. No major injuries were reported, and all individuals were safely transferred to Baker’s Cay Resort.
In recent summers, Florida has seen more crowds and more boat crashes, peaking every year from May through July. The state has more than one million registered vessels—about 7% more than in 2019 and roughly 10% of all boats in the U.S.
Clearwater Beach Earns New Distinction
Year after year, Clearwater Beach tops the lists of the best beaches in the country and in the world. This month, the white-sand beach earned a new distinction as the fourth most complained-about beach in the world.
The report was compiled by the tech publication Cloudwards, which analyzed the 200 most popular beaches in the world to see which destinations have the most TripAdvisor complaints in four categories: dirtiness, overcrowding, long lines, and noise.
Four American beaches are on the top 10 list, including Waikiki Beach, Hawaii (No. 1), Venice Beach, California (No. 2), Clearwater Beach (No. 4), and La Jolla Cove, California (No. 6). Regardless of geographic location, the most common complaint is overcrowding.
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➤ Jacksonville: The Sheriff’s Office dispersed a crowd of about 600 to 700 juveniles near Friendship Fountain on Saturday. Planned mob-like gatherings of young people have become disruptive and sometimes violent. (More)
➤ Daytona Beach: After four years without a leader, Bethune-Cookman University selected Dr. Albert Mosley as its new president. (More)
➤ Merritt Island: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 arrived at Kennedy Space Center ahead of next week’s launch to the International Space Station. (See Video)
➤ Fort Lauderdale: Newly obtained video shows how four people were injured in a collision Friday night when a boat slammed into a wall along the Intracoastal Waterway. (See Video)
➤ Miami: Hoping to join the prestigious Miami Heat Dancers, around 400 applicants competed at the Kaseya Center this past weekend for five or fewer rookie spots. (See Video)
➤ Gainesville: University of Florida football coach Billy Napier brought in Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 freshman basketball player, to work out with the team, hoping he could help block field goals. (See Photo)
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➤ The Lake Mary girls softball team secured its spot in the Little League Girls Softball World Series with an 8-1 victory this weekend. (More)
➤ Florida State golf alumna Lottie Woad won the Women’s Scottish Open on Sunday. It was her debut tournament as a professional golfer. (More)
➤Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher David Walker tore his ACL in training camp, effectively ending the fourth-round pick’s rookie season before it began. (More)
➤ High school athletes played against some of Jacksonville’s most recognizable faces in the I’m A Star charity basketball game at Riverside High School to raise money for the more than 3,000 kids in Duval County who are considered homeless. (See Video)
➤ Thank you to everyone who supported FlyoverFlorida yesterday—your generosity keeps us going. We rely on readers like you to power independent journalism, so if you haven’t yet, please consider chipping in today to help us keep bringing you the news without the noise.
➤ More than 270 warehouse workers at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits in Lakeland, represented by Teamsters Local 79, ratified their first collective bargaining agreement. (More)
➤Florida’s surgeon general announced a new initiative allowing Floridians in Hillsborough, Leon, and Palm Beach counties to get free subscriptions to WW, formerly WeightWatchers, for up to one year. (More)
➤ A former Sam’s Club manager is accused of stealing $366,000 to fund a counterfeit luxury store, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. (More)
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➤ The Dough Show, an Orlando food sensation that is part dinner show and part pizza parlor, has become equally popular at its new location in Tampa. (See Video)
➤ Pasco County’s Kiddy Up Ranch offers summer camps on horse riding and training that also give equine therapy to people with special needs of all ages. (See Video)
➤ The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville was awarded the Outstanding Historic Theatre Award by the League of Historic American Theatres for excellence in its community impact, quality of programs, and restoration of its historic structure. (More)
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Have you ever had a WW (Weight Watchers) membership?
