Good Morning! On this day in 1938, Marineland opened near St. Augustine as Marine Studios, the world’s first oceanarium. More than 20,000 tourists clogged Highway A1A on opening day to get a look.
As reported in the Business section below, gas prices have started dropping, though the oil market is still far from stable. Hit reply to let us know how much it would matter to you if gas dropped back to $3.11 per gallon, where it was a year ago.
A cold drink hits differently after a long day of yard work. Later today, watch for a message from our partner, LMNT, introducing its new Lemonade + Iced Tea flavor and a special offer for Flyover Florida readers.
Why is everyone suddenly arguing about tipping? The coffee counter, the takeout window, the screen that flips around before you’ve gotten anything at all. Have you ever felt the pressure, hit “No Tip,” and felt a little guilty? The debate over tipping is heating up. But did you know the rest of the world thinks our 20% habit is bizarre? And a lot of Americans agree. Tune in to today’s Flyover Podcast as Amy breaks down the facts about tipping and why foreign visitors might not be the confused ones. Listen now, and JOIN THE DEBATE. Tell us in the comments: Is tipping out of hand?
Today’s sponsor, Oricle Hearing Aids, is helping readers hear more clearly without the sky-high prices—offering a tiny, easy-to-use hearing aid with clear sound and all-day power for under $100.
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Baptist-Cigna Deadline Arrives for Jacksonville
Baptist Health and Cigna had not reached a new contract as of Monday, putting the Jacksonville health system’s hospitals and employed doctors on track to leave the insurer’s network this week.
The split would push thousands of Northeast Florida patients out of network, including at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the region’s only dedicated children’s hospital. Emergency care would still be covered at in-network rates under federal law.
Cigna says Baptist costs it and its clients about 40% more than other local hospitals and wants simpler, more predictable pricing. Baptist says it offered lower rates and accuses Cigna of seeking greater control over medical decisions.
“We believe medical decisions should be made by trusted doctors who know their patients,” Baptist said. Both sides say they remain willing to keep talking.
Florida Begins Dismantling Alligator Alcatraz
The companies hired to run Florida’s Everglades immigration detention center, known as Alligator Alcatraz, were told Monday to begin “full demobilization.”
The order effectively ends a $1.2 billion, state-funded experiment that Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Trump had promoted as a model for other states. The last detainees left last week, and crews are expected to clear the site within about a week before it reverts to a pilot-training airfield.
DeSantis said the center had “served its purpose,” noting that about 22,000 people were cycled through it. He has pointed to escalating costs. A promised $608 million federal reimbursement remains held up by court challenges and environmental concerns.
Panthers Land Brady Tkachuk in Trade
In the NHL, the Florida Panthers acquired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk on Sunday, reuniting him with his brother Matthew in Sunrise.
The price was steep: Florida sent Ottawa two first-round picks in this week’s NHL Draft (Nos. 9 and 25), a conditional 2029 first-rounder, and a 2027 second-round pick. Tkachuk, 26, had to waive his no-movement clause to clear the move.
Tkachuk, the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft, brings 463 career points and a physical edge from eight seasons in Ottawa. He has two years left on a seven-year, $57.5 million contract.
The Panthers, a two-time Stanley Cup champion that missed the playoffs this past season, are expected to build their marketing around the brothers. Their father, former NHL forward Keith Tkachuk, will get to watch his sons play together for the first time as teammates in the NHL.
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➤Merritt Island: NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived on June 21 at Kennedy Space Center, beginning final prelaunch preparations. The nearly 18,000-pound observatory traveled by barge from Maryland. NASA targets an Aug. 30 launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, eight months ahead of schedule. (More)
➤ Panama City: A precise form of radiation therapy known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is now offered locally, sparing area cancer patients long drives for treatment. (More)
➤ Flagler County: Someone stole the volunteer sea-turtle patrol’s ATV during a record nesting season, leaving members to walk the dunes on foot. Deputies are investigating. (More)
➤ Miami: A former Florida Highway Patrol trooper was arrested after authorities say he flashed an expired 2014 badge to try to talk his way out of a speeding ticket. (See Details)
➤Jacksonville Beach: A Navy veteran’s struggling Aloha Waffle Bar was days from closing until a heartfelt Instagram plea drew a wave of customers that sold the shop out of food. (Read Story)
➤ Biscayne National Park: A Coast Guard crew rescued two men found treading water without life jackets about four miles east of Elliott Key on Sunday morning, after they drifted from their boat. No one was hurt. (See Video)
➤Marion County: The Rainbow River near Dunnellon briefly closed Sunday after an alligator bit a snorkeler. Deputies and state wildlife officers located and removed the alligator, and the river has reopened. (See Details)
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➤ The World Cup soccer tournament hits South Florida this week, with Brazil facing Scotland at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Wednesday and Colombia meeting Portugal there on Saturday. (See Details)
➤ The Miami Marlins swept the Giants on Sunday for an eighth straight home win, a loanDepot park record, capping a league-best 14-4 June. The run pushed the Marlins (40-38) over .500 for the first time since April and to within a half-game of a Wild Card spot in the playoff race. (More)
➤ About 140 Team Florida athletes are competing at the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minneapolis this week, after a sendoff at Orlando International Airport. (Read Story)
➤Florida’s average price for a gallon of gas has fallen to about $3.62 on Monday, down from about $4.47 a month ago, as oil prices retreated amid easing U.S.-Iran tensions. (See Details)
➤ Universal Orlando has filed permits for a building topping 70,000 square feet inside the park’s Dark Universe land. Universal calls such filings routine and hasn’t disclosed the project’s purpose, but industry watchers read it as continued investment in the new park. (See Details)
➤The Sugar Factorydessert chain has closed its St. Johns Town Center location in Jacksonville after three years, leaving a farewell note on the door. (More)
➤The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit convenes today at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, gathering business, education, and state leaders around Florida’s push to close skilled-worker gaps and strengthen its talent pipeline. (See Details)
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➤ Emelina, the 16-seat West Palm Beach tasting-menu spot, earned a Michelin star at the 2026 Florida ceremony, becoming the first Cuban restaurant in the world to win the honor and the only starred restaurant in Palm Beach County. (Read Story)
➤ Inside SeaWorld Orlando’sFlorida Coral Rescue Center, scientists are growing and safeguarding rare Caribbean corals rescued from the wild as Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease spreads through Florida’s reef tract, with the goal of one day returning them to the ocean. (See Story)
➤ Tony deGraaf,president of the Tri-County Little League in Jay, was surprised Sunday with Little League Florida’s District 1 Volunteer of the Year award, capping more than 15 years of service. He has kept tending the fields and helping coach through a five-year fight with brain cancer and three surgeries. (Read Story)
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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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:
➤ Everyone’s suddenly fighting about tipping, and the rest of the world thinks Americans are the confused ones. (Listen now)
➤ Nearly 50 years after little Etan Patz vanished on his way to the school bus, the Supreme Court just had the final say. (Listen here)
➤A new book traces a question the Catholic Church keeps reopening but never answers: Were women once ordained as deacons? (Listen here)
Baptist-Cigna Deadline Arrives for Jacksonville
