Sunday, August 2, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1966, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield was born in Melbourne. The Eau Gallie High and Florida Tech first baseman turned pitcher won 200 games and two World Series with Boston.

Miami-Dade County recently reported the first locally acquired case of dengue. Learn more in Around Florida.

In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla tackled the science behind what your dreams are actually made of. Researchers just wrapped one of the largest dream studies ever conducted, and it turns out the coworker from years ago and the worry that spun into a full storyline, are not random at all. Ayla broke down the five things the study uncovered, including one detail that has been hiding in people's dreams for years without them noticing. So, what is your own routine for writing for tonight's episode? Tune in here!

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Orlando Ballpark Bid Seeks $975 Million

A group trying to land a Major League Baseball team is asking Orange County for $975 million in hotel-tax money to build a 45,000-seat ballpark on International Drive.

The Orlando Dreamers are one of 17 applicants before a county task force meeting for the first time in three years. It heard pitches this week for a $54 million parking garage at Camping World Stadium, a $20 million natural history museum, and a $22.5 million downtown arts festival.

The 6% bed tax on hotel stays brought in a record $385 million last fiscal year, and state law limits it to mostly promoting tourism.

Orange County Commissioner Kelly Semrad wants projects with community returns while saving money for transit. Former task force member Eric Gray questioned the ballpark, saying the community lacks the economic base to sustain a Major League team.

Most Florida Waterways Fail State Standards

More than half of the 4,200-plus Florida water bodies the state has assessed are failing water quality standards.

That 52% comes from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's latest statewide assessment, which found too little data to judge another 15%. Nutrients, fecal bacteria, and low dissolved oxygen drive most impairments.

A report from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Waterkeepers Florida pairs that data with 37 years of enforcement records. It counts 755 state enforcement actions in 2025, up from 579 in 2023 but well below the 1,048 a year averaged in the late 1980s.

The report also finds coastal waters and streams have improved somewhat, even as more lakes and estuaries fail. "It's alarming for a state like Florida, where everything depends on clean water," said Lisa Rinaman of St. Johns Riverkeeper.

Mail Carrier Charged in Lottery Theft

A Broward County mail carrier is charged with pulling a $2,600 winning lottery ticket out of the mail and cashing it herself.

A Tampa woman won on a Pick 4 ticket she bought at a Publix, and because prizes over $599 can't be cashed at a store, she mailed it to a relative in Fort Lauderdale to help cover funeral costs. It never arrived.

A Florida Lottery inspector traced the ticket to a June 19 payout at the agency's Miami district office, claimed by Lakaysha Lockhart, 28, a letter carrier at the Oakland Park post office. Investigators say she admitted taking it after her July 23 arrest.

Lockhart faces charges including grand theft, mail theft, and filing a false claim for payment, and was not listed in Broward jail records Friday. She remains a postal employee but is off duty, USPS said.

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➤ Statewide: Attorney General James Uthmeier urged Florida's Catholic bishops in a Friday letter to grant religious vaccine exemptions at their schools, warning that refusing could jeopardize eligibility for state voucher programs. (See Details)

➤ Jacksonville: Duval County Public Schools unveiled 26 electric school buses and 26 charging stations Thursday, paid for with a $7.7 million EPA Clean School Bus Program grant. (More)

➤ Clearwater: Clearwater police smashed a window and pulled an unresponsive woman from a car sinking in a pond Thursday afternoon. Body camera video captured the rescue. (See Video)

➤ Palm Coast: Six Palm Coast employees were laid off Friday and a seventh resigned, five of them from code enforcement and animal control and two from planning. The cuts trim roughly $700,000 from the city budget. (More)

➤ Tallahassee: The Kearney Center moved 16 people into permanent housing in a single month, a record for the shelter. (See Details)

➤ Miami-Dade County: Officials are urging residents to take precautions against mosquito bites after a locally acquired case of dengue was confirmed. (More)

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➤ Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan went on the 15-day injured list with back tightness, though the club hopes he misses only two starts. He exited Thursday’s game in the fourth inning. (More)

➤ Former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos is open to returning to college football after a federal court ruling granted him a fifth season of eligibility, his agent said. Castellanos went undrafted in April. (More)

➤ The Miami Hurricanes landed a commitment Friday from five-star cornerback A'mir Sears of Miami Columbus High, giving the program pledges from the nation's two highest-rated defensive backs. (More)

➤ Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is backing plans for two private schools in Palm Beach County, including the 45-acre Wingrove Academy campus in Wellington. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Golf | Soccer

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➤ An Orlando firefighter is back at Firehouse 9 and in remission a year after a stage 4 cancer diagnosis that came just after his daughter was born. His crew raised money for his treatment through months of chemotherapy. (See Video)

➤ The Art of Banksy, a touring show billed as the largest authenticated collection of the anonymous street artist's work, has opened at Tampa's Straz Center. (Read Story)

➤ SeaWorld Orlando will build a haunted house around the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer, the first time the park has licensed outside intellectual property for the event. Howl-O-Scream runs select nights from Sept. 11 through Oct. 31. (More)

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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, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ The U.S. and Israel are reportedly preparing to bombard Iran's energy infrastructure this weekend, though no final order has been given. (Hear More)

➤ Police arrested a man who stole a running car in Atlanta with a 2-year-old in the back seat while her mother made a delivery. (Listen Now)

➤ Savannah Guthrie on Saturday pleaded again for answers after Arizona officials released the ransom notes sent following her mother's disappearance six months ago. (Podcast Available)

The Navy’s last C-2 Greyhound flew its final mission Tuesday, escorted by all six Blue Angels into NAS Pensacola after nearly 60 years of carrier deliveries. It heads to the National Naval Aviation Museum, where it will go on display in 2027.