Justice Canady Steps Down

Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Canady is stepping down after 17 years on the state’s highest court to lead the University of Florida’s Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education starting in 2026.

The move opens a seat on the high court for Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill. This will mark the sixth of the seven Supreme Court justices appointed by DeSantis.

Canady announced that he will assume the role of director and tenured professor at UF, saying in a statement that he will always “deeply value” his years on the Court, adding that “the time has come to move on to another position of public service.”

Canady, who has been on the Court since 2008, served as chief justice twice. Before that, he served in both the Florida House of Representatives and the U.S. House. His wife, Jennifer Canady, is a Republican lawmaker in the state House.

Drone Program for Active Shooter Situations

Public school districts in Broward, Leon, and Volusia counties will participate in the Campus Guardian Angel Program, a new pilot venture to test drones in active school shooter situations.

Anastasios Kamoutsas, Florida’s education commissioner, announced that the three districts are testing drones that will provide real-time audio and video feeds to security and law enforcement during potential threats on school campuses. Pilots operate the drones from a command center in Austin, Texas.

The state has approved $557,000 for the program in these districts, making Florida the first state in the country to fund a pilot program.

“Florida remains the national leader in school safety because we continue to invest in solutions that protect students and support a rapid, coordinated response,” Kamoutsas said in a statement.

Residents Sue Over Chemical Odor

A lawsuit filed against International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) by three Jacksonville residents over a strong chemical smell in the Murray Hill neighborhood could expand into a class-action suit, despite a 2023 study that found no definitive source of the odor.

Lawyers for the residents asked a judge to grant class-action status, potentially expanding the lawsuit to include about 6,000 households. Residents near the industrial plant on the city’s west side have been complaining for years.

“Quite often, early in the morning, I walk out my front door and I smell the stench produced by IFF,” Cindy Mathieson said. She lives five miles from the plant. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I can smell it because it has seeped into my home.“

A lawyer for IFF argued that the criteria to make it a class action lawsuit have not been met. Another hearing is scheduled for next week.

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➤ Tampa: The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider Cambridge Christian School’s appeal of a ruling against it about prayer over a stadium loudspeaker at a football game. Several politicians, including Florida’s attorney general, had asked the court to take the case. (More)

➤ Palm Bay: A small plane crashed near the intersection of Grant Road and Babcock Street SE on its return from Melbourne Orlando International Airport. Brevard County Fire Rescue reported there were no injuries. (See Photo)

➤ Orlando: Beginning in December, the city will remove artifacts from the former Pulse nightclub to begin the next phase toward completing a permanent memorial. (More)

➤ Escambia County: The Board of County Commissioners reorganized and appointed District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger as chair and District 1 Commissioner Steve Stroberger as vice chair. Hofberger will serve until November 2026. (See Photo)

➤ Stuart: The city established a three-officer traffic enforcement unit to crack down on speeding and unsafe driving at high-profile locations. (More)

➤ Manatee County: A two-year, $54 million expansion project at the Bradenton Area Convention Center is complete. Officials believe that by 2027, the facility will stimulate the economy by $30 to $40 million per year. (See Video)

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➤ UCF, North Florida, and FAU all made the 48-team cut for the NCAA men’s soccer championship tournament. (See Bracket)

➤ Miami Dolphins cornerback JuJu Brents will undergo season-ending foot surgery this week, further depleting the Dolphins’ thin secondary. (More)

➤ The mayor of St. Petersburg is open to renegotiating a lease extension to keep the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field past its current agreement. No active discussions are currently taking place, however. (More)

➤ The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t plan on changing Travis Hunter’s role after he returns from an injury, meaning that he’ll likely continue to play both offense and defense. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | NHL | Soccer | NCAAF | NCAAM | NCAAW

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➤ Tampa residents seeking help with hurricane recovery can now apply for aid from the city’s $2 million Homeowner Hurricane Assistance program. (More)

➤ The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved a 6.9% decrease in overall workers’ compensation insurance rates for 2026. The decrease aligns with a request by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which submits annual rate filings for the industry. (More)

➤ Cape Coral continues to rank among the nation’s preferred destinations for international home shoppers even as foreign demand for U.S. real estate shows signs of cooling, according to Realtor.com’s latest international demand report. (More)

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➤ Off Venice’s coast, Dr. Harry Maisch, a paleontologist at Florida Gulf Coast University, discovered fossils of several shark and ray species never before recorded in Florida. (See Video)

➤ The Indian River Lagoon is worth four times more to local economies than previous estimates, according to a study by The Balmoral Group, a civil engineering company based in Winter Park. (See Study)

➤ Shorebirds are arriving at a Tampa Bay bird hospital due to migration exhaustion and emaciation, likely caused by the stress of long flights and potentially some exposure to red tide toxins. (See Photos)

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Tuesday’s Results:

Do you buy traditional paper books or digital versions?

1. Paper: 31%
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