Saturday, May 9, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1980, the freighter Summit Venture struck Tampa Bay's original Sunshine Skyway Bridge during a blinding storm squall, collapsing 1,200 feet of roadway and killing 35 people.

One Tampa-area resident's doorbell camera caught an alligator appearing to knock on the door. Get the scoop in Et Cetera. What's the most unusual thing you've spotted on your own front porch? Write in and let us know.

A deadly virus just killed three people aboard a cruise ship, and passengers have now scattered to more than a dozen countries, including here in the United States. It's not COVID. It's not the flu. It's hantavirus, and the way it spreads might already be hiding in your home. On today's episode of The Flyover Podcast, host Amy Hess reveals the five things every American needs to know before this gets any closer. Tune in here!

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.

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.

Florida Wildfires Scorch Record Acreage

Nearly 2,000 wildfires have burned more than 120,000 acres across Florida since January 1, the state's worst drought-driven fire season in years.

Red flag warnings were issued Thursday across 13 counties in North and Central Florida, from Jacksonville through the I-4 corridor, as gusting winds and scorching temperatures pushed fire conditions to dangerous levels.

Smoke from a 1,400-acre Lafayette County blaze drifted into Duval County, prompting some Lafayette County school closures and reduced visibility across the area. Road closures hit multiple counties as smoke blanketed communities from the Panhandle to the Space Coast.

The active fire season is expected to extend into summer, fueled by persistent drought. Officials say typical relief from summer rains could still be weeks away.

Alligator Alcatraz May Shut Down

Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”—the immigrant detention center built last July at a remote Everglades airfield—may be closing after state and federal officials confirmed they are in talks with the Trump administration about winding down the facility.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier this week the center was always meant to be temporary, citing the more than $1 million-per-day operating cost as unsustainable. It has processed nearly 22,000 immigrants for deportation since opening at a remote airstrip in Collier County.

Total costs have topped $1 billion by some estimates, and private vendors hired to run the site have struggled to cover upfront expenses. Federal Emergency Management Agency originally projected $450 million annually when the center opened.

DeSantis said the facility “served its purpose” as a stopgap measure, but no official shutdown order has been issued. Florida and federal officials are discussing a timeline for transitioning to permanent detention facilities.

Florida Signs AI Data Center Law

Gov. DeSantis signed SB 484 into law in Lakeland on Thursday, making Florida one of the first states to regulate hyperscale AI data centers.

The law requires large-scale data center operators to cover their own utility and water infrastructure costs, blocking them from passing those expenses onto Florida ratepayers.

DeSantis cited utility rate hikes in other states where AI data center demand has strained local power grids as the motivation for acting now.

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➤ Bradenton Beach: City commissioners voted to keep the city's own police department, rejecting a $1.35 million Manatee County Sheriff's Office proposal after residents packed city hall in support of their officers. (More)

➤ Tallahassee: Jubilee Orchards, a 15-year-old blueberry farm, is closing after its final harvest season. Owner Lawton "Bud" Chiles cited competition from international growers undercutting Florida's market. (More)

➤ Key Largo: The Reef Environmental Education Foundation's 17th annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby & Arts Festival concluded with a record 2,480 invasive lionfish removed from local waters. (More)

➤ Orlando: A Delta Air Lines employee died Thursday evening while on duty at Orlando International Airport after an aircraft towing vehicle struck a passenger bridge. An investigation is underway. (More)

➤ Fort Lauderdale: Broward County Public Schools and Florida International University were among thousands of institutions disrupted when hackers disabled Canvas, the widely used learning platform, during finals week. (More)

➤ Jacksonville: Duval County's elections supervisor reversed course and added Sunday early voting before the August 18 primary, after community pushback over a schedule that would have ended early voting the Saturday before Election Day. (More)

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➤ The co-chair of the Miami World Cup host committee said he received assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that ICE agents will not conduct enforcement operations at World Cup stadiums this summer. (More)

➤ Florida State and Georgia mutually agreed to cancel their home-and-home football series scheduled for 2027 and 2028, citing conference schedule changes in the ACC and SEC. They’re now exploring a neutral-site matchup instead. (More)

➤ A judge pushed the murder retrial of former Miami Hurricanes football player Rashaun Jones to September after defense attorneys accused the lead detective of misconduct. (More)

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➤ A Tampa homeowner's doorbell video showing an alligator apparently knocking on the front door went viral yesterday, drawing national attention. Wildlife officials say gator encounters rise as breeding season peaks. (More)

➤ Mt. Dora city leaders are pushing to get journalist Mabel Norris Reese, who helped expose the Groveland Four injustice in the 1940s and '50s, inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. (More)

➤ A potentially record-setting El Niño is developing in the Pacific, which typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity. Forecasters say Florida could see fewer named storms heading into the June 1 season start. (More)

➤ A famous Pomeranian Koda the Fluff, through her nonprofit Smiles Fur Miles, surprised three families in need with a three-day VIP getaway at a candy-themed mansion in Clermont. (More)

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