Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1944, Mike Martin, who became college baseball’s winningest coach at Florida State, was born in Charlotte, N.C. Martin died in early 2024.

Today is National Hug Day. Check out the history of hugs, then give some away.

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Deal Reached on Immigration Changes

Gov. Ron DeSantis and fellow GOP state lawmakers settled their differences on immigration reforms, reconvening a special session on Tuesday.

Key changes included dropping a proposal to designate the state’s agriculture commissioner as the state’s chief immigration officer, an idea DeSantis opposed.

The revised version would establish a border enforcement board made up of the governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, and chief financial officer.

Other parts of the measure would fund pretrial detention for illegal immigrants suspected of a crime, revise the state’s migrant transport program, and expand information-sharing with ICE.

FAU Names Hasner President

Florida Atlantic University named private prison executive and former state lawmaker Adam Hasner as its new president.

One of three finalists for the post, Hasner was the unanimous choice of the university’s Board of Trustees.

If approved by Florida’s Board of Governors, his selection will bring a close to a two-year saga over the selection of FAU’s eighth president.

Hasner represented the Boca Raton area in the state House from 2002 to 2010.

Congressional Honor Sought for WWII Vet

A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-23rd District, seeks to honor a World War II veteran whose heroics likely saved the lives of several hundred Jewish American soldiers.

Moskowitz joined U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, in sponsoring the bill to posthumously award Roddie Edmonds the Congressional Gold Medal.

Edmonds, after being captured by Nazi soldiers, refused to identify Jewish American soldiers within a prisoner-of-war camp, saving them from being targeted or killed.

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➤ Orlando: U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-9th District, seeks $60 million to upgrade Orlando International Airport’s air traffic control system. (Watch)

➤ Palm Beach County: Two brothers from Guatemala suspected of forcing women to work at brothels were arrested. (More)

➤ Daytona Beach: A $10 million road improvement project on Ridgewood Avenue is set to begin in September 2026. (Details)

➤ Sarasota-Manatee: The community’s latest Season of Sharing campaign raised a record $7.2 million to help distressed families. (See Photos)

➤ Palm Bay: A Georgia woman filed a lawsuit against the city after her arrest in a stolen identity mix-up involving a rented U-haul. (Details)

➤ West Palm Beach: Vanderbilt University unveiled drawings of its planned West Palm Beach campus. (See Drawings)

➤ Florida men’s basketball moved up three spots to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll. (See Poll)

➤ Orlando Magic stars Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero both scored over 30 points in Monday night’s 112-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. (More)

➤ The Jacksonville Jaguars announced a multi-year contract extension for team president Mark Lamping. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s results: NBA | NCAAM | NCAAW | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ Boeing plans as many as 400 layoffs amid cost concerns about the nation’s return-to-the-moon initiative. (See Details)

➤ The egg shortage continues to cause sticker shock at grocery stores across Florida. (More)

➤ Tech firm Wise will lay off more than 300 workers and close its Tampa office in April. (More)

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➤ About 90% of the fresh-cut flowers sold in the U.S. for Valentine’s Day come through Miami, where airport inspectors have processed 940 million so far. (More)

➤ A new St. Petersburg clay business wants to break the mold at the Florida State Fair. (Watch)

➤ Mission Resort + Club, a Spanish Colonial-style hotel in Howey-in-the-Hills, is listed in “The 2025 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Romantic Hotels” list. (See List)

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