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Thursday, March 19, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1883, Joseph W. Stilwell, an American general who commanded U.S. forces in China, Burma, and India during World War II, was born in Palatka.

Actor William Shatner, best known as Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk and, later, as T.J. Hooker, will speak at MEGACON in Orlando this week. Learn more in today's Around section. Did you watch Star Trek or T.J. Hooker? Reply to our crew and share your TV memories.

Today's sponsor, Immersed, is a fast-growing pre-IPO company taking on Big Tech with its all-in-one AR/VR workspace platform—offering investors a final chance to buy in at $0.66 per share before March 26.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Medicaid Fraud Crackdown Comes to Florida

The Trump administration widened its efforts to stamp out Medicaid fraud this week, calling on Florida officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address bad actors in state programs.

Florida is the fifth state so far in 2026 to be labeled a hotspot for scams. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz had previously sent similar requests to New York, Minnesota, Maine, and California as part of a growing federal initiative to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse.

The letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders is Oz's first sent to a GOP-led state. It comes days after President Trump signed an executive order creating an anti-fraud task force across federal benefit programs, led by Vice President JD Vance.

State leaders said they are happy to expand their efforts and to work with federal partners. The Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has recovered over $112 million since 2019, targeting provider fraud, unnecessary equipment billing, and patient abuse, particularly in nursing homes.

Surfside Mayor's Race Heads to Runoff

Former Mayor Shlomo Danzinger and current Vice Mayor Tina Paul will challenge each other again in a runoff election, after Danzinger fell less than a percentage point short of retaking Surfside's top elected job on Tuesday.

The runoff is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, after no candidate received a 50%-plus-one majority in the initial election. Danzinger received 49.2% of the vote, Paul 36.4%, and Mark Blumstein 14.3%.

The winner will replace Mayor Charles Burkett, who unseated Danzinger in 2024, becoming the town's mayor for a third time.

In an at-large race for four seats on the town commission, the winning candidates are Donna Benmergui, Dovid "David" Weingot, Andrea Travani, and Gerardo Vildostegui, the only incumbent among eight candidates.

Florida Teams Begin March Madness

Four Florida teams tip off in the NCAA men's basketball tournament this week, headlined by the defending national champion Florida Gators. USF gets the action started today, with Florida, UCF, and the Miami Hurricanes all playing tomorrow night. See the bracket.

Todd Golden's Gators (26-7) boast arguably the most dominant frontcourt in the country: First team All-SEC forward Thomas Haugh, SEC Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu, and junior Alex Condon form a physically imposing trio that's almost impossible to contain in the paint. All three are projected NBA Draft picks.

Florida opens tomorrow night in Tampa—essentially a home game for the SEC regular season champions. Lurking in their region is No. 2 Houston, lining up a potential Elite Eight rematch of last year's national title game that the Gators won 65-63.

Today, No. 11 seed USF takes on No. 6 Louisville in Buffalo. Then tomorrow, No. 10 UCF faces No. 7 UCLA, and the No. 7 Hurricanes close out the slate against No. 10 Missouri. Here's how to watch.

Flying together with our sponsor

Tech Giants Are Betting on the Next Computing Shift

Tech leaders are already preparing for what could replace the smartphone: Spatial Computing.

Companies like Apple, Samsung, and Meta are pouring billions into XR devices that blend digital work with the physical world. Now, a fast-growing startup is emerging alongside them.

Immersed built the No. 1 productivity app on the Meta Quest Store, already used by 1.5M people, including teams at Fortune 500 companies who spend up to 60 hours per week inside the platform.

But software was just the beginning.

Immersed is now launching Visor, an XR headset designed for productivity that features 2M more pixels than Apple's Vision Pro for 70% less money and at 70% less weight. The company projects $71M in first-year sales.

Major industry players are already taking notice. Immersed has partnerships with Qualcomm and Samsung, while executives and founders from Intel, Reddit, and Sailpoint have already invested.

The company has already grown its valuation 4,000% and has reserved the NASDAQ ticker $IMRS as it prepares for public markets. For investors, the real opportunity may be getting in before a potential IPO.

You can still invest pre-IPO at the current valuation, but not for long.

➤ Tallahassee: The bill to ban marrying a first cousin in Florida (HB 733) failed to pass in the Senate. Florida is one of about 16 states where marrying your first cousin is legal, despite most states banning the practice. (More)

➤ South Florida: A retired Palm Beach Gardens attorney has filed a federal lawsuit against six Florida cities and three parking technology companies, claiming their paid parking enforcement violates federal standards and forces drivers to surrender personal data through private apps. (More)

➤ Fort Lauderdale: Daniel James Riggs, 33, a tennis coach and the grandson of tennis legend Bobby Riggs, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last week after pleading guilty to coercing two of his minor students to engage in sexual activity. (More)

➤ Seminole County: A Sanford man was arrested and charged with 100 counts of possessing real and virtual child pornography, which investigators say was generated by artificial intelligence. (More)

➤ Polk County: Sheriff Grady Judd clarified statements he made, saying that he wants to focus law enforcement's efforts on deporting those who pose a risk to the community, but also insisting that law-abiding immigrants should have a pathway to remain in the country. (More)

➤ Orlando: MEGACON, one of the largest pop-culture conventions in the Southeast, returns this Thursday for four days at the Orange County Convention Center. The expo showcases celebrities connected to a wide variety of science fiction, fantasy, action, and animated franchises. (More)

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➤ The Miami Dolphins are paying more for players not to play football in 2026 ($175 million in contracted payments for released players) than the Miami Marlins' total payroll for the last two seasons combined ($168 million). (More)

➤ University of Florida men's basketball forward Thomas Haugh was voted onto the AP All-America third team, the only player from the state to receive national honors. Gators center Rueben Chinyelu received an honorable mention. (More)

➤ No. 11 Florida State baseball pitched a combined no-hitter this week against Bethune-Cookman, the team's first no-hitter since 2019. The Seminoles won the game 12-1 in seven innings. (More)

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➤ The Block Jax, a new outdoor food court and entertainment venue in Jacksonville, will hold a grand opening on Friday. The venue has 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor space and is the city's first outdoor food hall. (More)

➤ Whitey's Fish Camp, a 63-year-old restaurant in Fleming Island, is under new ownership. The company that owns Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille bought the restaurant for almost $4 million and will keep about 85% of the menu. (More)

➤ The Arc Tampa Bay Café in Clearwater, which opened in December, provides career training and job opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (See Video)

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➤ 19 things to cut when money gets tight (most people ignore #11). Your money is getting tight. Prices are going up. And figuring out what to cut back on can feel overwhelming. Here's what you can do: Read our list of money-saving strategies, and start with one or two today. Even doing just one can help you breathe a little easier: LEARN MORE

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This Pre-IPO Company's facing the Tech Giants

As Tech Giants reshape how people work, a $250B+ opportunity is up for grabs. With the help of partners like Meta, Qualcomm, and Samsung, Immersed is perfectly positioned to seize it.

Immersed combined the world's most-used remote work XR software ($127B by 2030), AR/VR hardware ($100B+ by 2026), and AI productivity tools ($36B) to create a productive, communal, and distraction-free virtual workspace. That's why 1.5M+ professionals, including Fortune 500 teams, already use it.

Now, Immersed is preparing to ship the first units of its productivity-designed Visor headset. 75,000+ already waitlisted, representing $71M in projected first-year sales. No wonder executives and founders from Intel and Sailpoint have already invested.

You have one week left: Invest in Immersed at $0.66/share before March 26.

This is a paid advertisement for Immersed Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.immersed.com/

➤ MLB Together, baseball's community engagement platform, brought former players and volunteers together for a beach cleanup of Miami Beach. (See Video)

➤ Fort Lauderdale will host the inaugural Barbie Dream Fest on March 27-29 at the Broward County Convention Center, where tennis great Serena Williams will receive the Icon Award. (More)

➤ A Pompano Beach 92-year-old's story went viral, and now neighbors are working to repair her home after a GoFundMe campaign allowed her to retire from her job at a Burlington store. (See Video)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ What if there were a natural way to get rid of nail fungus—stronger and more effective than typical over-the-counter treatments? Watch the short video below to see how soaking your socks in a special purple liquid for just one minute may help eliminate stubborn infections and restore healthy-looking nails and skin. WATCH: Soak your socks in this and say goodbye to fungus.